The two decades from 1920 to 1940 are marked by a major social turning point. Society is on the move, the progress of industrialisation shakes up working habits and leads to a new way of living. The working classes progressively access a better quality of life, whereas the middle classes start to leave the city centres to move to the greener suburbs, for example Loverval. Architects try to meet the wishes of all social strata with new techniques like reinforced concrete, that enables building at lower cost.

In addition to several interesting architects such as Leon Coton, Maurice Hosdain and many others, three big names define the urban landscape of the era: Marcel Leborgne, Joseph André and Marcel Depelsenaire.