Alstom warehouses, Nantes higher school of Fine Arts

The construction of the Nantes Saint-Nazaire Higher School of Fine Arts is the central element of a wide-ranging redevelopment plan for the Halles Alstom, led by franklin azzi, and a new chapter in the 20-year transformation of the industrial wasteland on the Ile de Nantes into a creative district.

Using the metal structure of the former factories as a starting point, franklin azzi has designed a transparent umbrella shell which - on the principle of Russian dolls - contains autonomous “boxes” housing the creative workshops.

Spaces are distributed by an interior street that opens onto a wide forecourt, marking the meeting of public and private spaces in an agora crowned by the cantilevered library and auditorium.