The Usine électrique la Grande Vapeur is a power station located in the commune of Oyonnax, France. Made of reinforced concrete, it is shaped like an open V and divided into individual work cabins. Each cabin was individually connected to a single engine through the transmission of belts, forming a new generation of factory layout.
Constructed in 1905 by the architect Auguste Chanard, the building stands as a testament to the new possibilities of architecture on a reinforced concrete floor. The site was composed of about sixty individual cabins. The workers, known as "piéçards" because they were paid by the piece, were independent, with the exception that they were under the authority of the Union électrique - the former name of EDF - the owner of the premises and the provider of energy for the machines.
The building functioned for a half-century before the invention of the injector press. The exterior of the building was classified as a historical monument in 1988, and the interior was inscribed that same year.
Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons
Written by Nicolo Ciampini
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