Douai, National Printing Office France

Abstract

There is no need for a factory building of today to look old, gloomy and dirty. There still exists quite a number of them, as they are installed in buildings that are designed for other purposes than that they are being used for. It should be a place designed for a group of people who will spend long hours in it, and where complex and delicate machines are to be installed. For any professional, this project should be an interesting and challenging task, the carrying out of which has to fulfill two previous conditions: that of elaborating an exact programme and also to make a serious study based on the requirements and implications of this programme. The Douai factory specified their needs in clearly defined terms and was thus in a position to proceed to the design under the best possible conditions. Because of its general characteristics this construction could serve as a model project equipped to meet the present demands, but at the same time able to adapt itself fully to future needs, all within a most suitable framework both for the staff and the machines.