New Building Technologies at the 1925 Exposition des Arts Décoratifs

This paper excavates the history and conceptual relevance of innovative building technologies featured at the 1925 Exposition des arts décoratifs in Paris, France. While that exhibition has become quite famous, its then-cutting-edge technologies have been largely forgotten. They consisted of Solomite, a panel product made of compressed straw, and the Maison Isotherme system, a kit-of-parts metal frame to construct hollow-walled dwellings. This paper traces these building technologies back to World War I before analyzing their publicity at the Exposition des arts décoratifs. Both Solomite and the Maison Isotherme system augured a future where composite building technologies remained mostly hidden within walls made of laminated layers. As the evidence will show, the same technologies empowered architects to explore diverging architectural styles freely.