Built between 1935 and 1939 at the request of
the then Communist municipality, the Maison
du peuple is a public building that stands as
an example of modernism. Built on the Place
du Marché in Clichy to provide a covered
space, it was also intended to host social and
cultural events, as well as union and association
premises.
This diversity of programmes will give
rise to an exceptional solution of mechanisation
of the architecture. With its opening roof, sliding
walls and removable floor, the space could be
transformed in a record time of 45 minutes, from
a large atrium space opened to the outside, to a
meeting room that could accommodate 2,000
people, and then to a 700-seat cinema. By so
transitionning from a highly public market place
to a more private and intimate conference room.
Designed to be a monument to the
Front Populaire, in addition to its socialist
programme, the building is also a showcase for
innovation and experimentation; it was the first
prefabricated steel construction and the first
modular curtain wall in Europe; with the aim to
represent the ideology of a progressist politic.