Pre-fab construction is all the rage for the Dwell and Land + Living set these days, but the idea has been around longer than you may think. On Tuesday, June 5th, Christie's will be auctioning Jean Prouvé's Maison Tropicale, a prototype prefabricated home originally built in Brazzaville. Prouvé's brief was to develop an inexpensive, versatile prototype that could be utilized to build homes and civic buildings for French-controlled West Africa.

The prototype is remarkable in its vision as it is utilitarian, versatile, beautiful and while modern-looking even today, it echoes the vernacular architecture of tropical West Africa.

The house has traveled from Brazzaville to Paris and now to Long Island where is it on display through June 4. The day after, it will be auctioned, with an estimate of $4,000,000 to $6,000,000 (US).

Also included in the attendant sale are furniture designs by Prouvé, as well as pieces by contemporaries, Charlotte Perriand, Le Corbusier, Pierre Jeanneret, the photographer Lucien Herve and others.

My pick:

Lot # 0306
JEAN PROUVE (1901-1984)
A Painted Aluminum and Steel 'Tropical' Demountable Table, 1951
28 1/8 in. (71.5 cm.) high, 74¾ in. (190 cm.) wide, 35½ in. (90 cm.) deep
Estimate: $35,000–40,000 (US)

UPDATE: Maison Tropicale sold for $4,968,000.00 (US)
                Lot #306 sold for $42,000 (US)