plaquette visite en anglais by l'ardepa

ardepa’s notebooks

Visit of the

school of architecture of Nantes

April 29, 2013

Location of the school of architecture

Ile de Nantes

School of architecture

Loire

The Ile de Nantes

For 10 years, the Atelier de l’île de Nantes of Alexander Chemetoff was the driving force behind the first metamorphoses of the urban project. The project emphasized flexibility to develop a program that could adapt to the changes in urban dynamics.

Building a sustainable city The philosophy of the project reflected the principles of sustainable urban development. The project management plan, known as the Development Plan, offered a vision of the existing territory and a scalable projection of the future.Pragmatic, the project management worked toward a global transformation that would accommodate multiple uses and diverse populations, keeping in mind environmental concerns. Reclaiming public space The reworked landscapes and public spaces forged the new identity of the Ile de Nantes. The territory was transformed to offer an attractive living environment, with the guiding principle being to restore the city’s relationship with river, clearly

In the 1980s, the disappearance of the industrial activities related to shipbuilding in the west of the island did not just free up space to be reinvented. It also revealed the strong ties between Nantes residents and their history, ties which some former shipbuilders staunchly defended by refusing to allow the symbols of this heritage to disappear. The city recognized this desire to preserve the riverine, maritime and industrial identity of the area.

expressed in the Development Plan. New views of the Loire and the new access roads to the river formed the framework where the developments would be built. The first projects aimed to reclaim the Loire riverfront. Nantes residents began rediscovering the Loire thanks to new walking paths.

To the west, Nantes residents eagerly discovered the Machines de l’Ile, new public facilities that enhance the area’s identity and world class reputation. A cultural and creative arts district took shape as the hub of a new economic growth sector.

Revealing the heritage As an inseparable component of the relationship between the city and the river, and in particular on the Ile de Nantes, the industrial and port heritage is also reflected in the urban project. Symbolic traces of the shipbuilding activity were revealed

by the renovations and public spaces provide views of the industrial heritage. The emblematic former shipyards site, with its slipways and warehouses, was converted into an urban park, while the Banana Hangar and the Quai des Antilles were renovated to provide cultural and leisure venues. Social and functional diversity

A new school of architecture The first school of architecture of Nantes was built in the 1970s. It was designed for 450 students whereas nowadays the school welcomes more than 900 students. Moreover, it was off-centered and it did not respect the safety standards anymore. The project to build a new architecture school in Nantes was initiated in the mid 1990s, with a view to increasing the student body and improving teaching methods by using new technologies. The new school has a prime location on the Ile de Nantes in a dynamic urban setting at the heart of the city.

The architectural competition starded in 2002: 136 teams participated. The architects Anne Lacaton et JeanPhilippe Vassal own this competiation. The works started in 2006 and the school opened in February 2009. This is the first stone in the Creative Arts District. The school belongs to the Ministry of Culture, which owns 20 schools all over the country. The new school of architecture of Nantes is part of the national program to modernize architecture schools initiated by the Ministry of Culture.

New school of architecture

Old school of architecture

The program At any one moment the adaptation of the school to new interventions and its reconversion are possible. Like a pedagogical tool, the project questions the program and the pratices of the school as much as the norms, technologies and its own process of elaboration.

ÂŠ Lacaton/Vassal

The program planed to offer numerous studios to the students but also a library, a reprography, a spacious workshop, a machinery room... The program double-height volumes with non-attributed functions is a proposition of the architects. On the initiative of the students, teachers or visitors, these spaces become the locus of possible appropriations, events and programming.

Double-height volumes 8

Library

Machinery room Workshop

Studios

Amphitheatre

Constructive system The architects proposed to double the surface asked in the program initiated by the Ministry of Culture. The total surface of the school is 26 000 mÂ˛. Their philosophy is optimising costs by maximising the use of space and by using not too expensive materials. In building a structure of great capacity, the project design comes up with a scheme capable of creating a set of rich and diverse situations of interest to the school of architecture, the city and the landscape. The natural ground of the Ile de Nantes is mainly made of sand and mud. That is why the the foundation

Section

of the school is made of 200 posts in concrete, pushed to 25 metres into the ground, to find the rock. Three decks at 9, 16 and 22 meters above the natural ground level progressively put the ground surface of the city in touch with the sky overhead. The main structure is a post and beam structure in concrete. At the same time, a lightweight steel structure redivides the height of these main levels. It enables the spaces devoted to the program to be generously installed and creates a system adapted to their extension and their future evolution.

Plans

11 ÂŠ Lacaton/Vassal

A building open to the city The architects used a tar surface with the idea of communicating the feeling that public space extended into the building.

ÂŠ Lacaton/Vassal

The project was designed to be a school open to the city. With the easy access and spaces open to the public (exhibition area, library and amphitheatre), as well as a large rooftop terrace overlooking the city, people are encouraged to come enjoy the new facilities. The external ramp allows anyone to reach the 8 storays of the school.

Studying at the school of architecture

The school encourages the intensive practise of architectural projects while developing issues inherent to architecture in the fields of constructions, towns and territories. That is why the school is at once a site for reflection, production and creation which entails a multiplicity of disciplinary approaches as well as a diversity of manipulation and modelling scales.

Studies last 5 years: after undergoing a well-structured and progressive BA, students gain greater autonomy during their MA with the choice of options, among which, projects they can work on, study paper subjects and courses to attend. The course features teaching the theory and the practice of architectural and town planning projects to which 4 subject fields are associated: architectural technical sciences, history, human and social sciences and artistic knowledge. The curriculum is in favour of interdisciplinarity based on architectural and urban projects as it enables students to understand and apprehend complex realities. The project must address among others, social, economic, technical, environmental and territorial issues.

ÂŠ Lacaton/Vassal

There are 20 national schools of architecture run by the ministry of Culture and Communication. Students are free to enroll in the school of their choice, within the limits of available places and diplomas required for enrollment. To enroll the school, students have to get the French baccalaurĂŠat (A-levels, high-school diploma) or an equivalence.

staff teaching and training, and it funds co-operation projects between higher education institutions across Europe.

ÂŠ Lacaton/Vassal

Also, students are encourage to study abroad through the European student exchange programme ERASMUS. It also offers the opportunity for student placements in enterprises, university

Architectural competitions

The Baravane

The Caravane Puzzle

L’Absence, Van Lieshout This piece was created for the 1% Artistic of the new School of Architecture of Nantes. As a sculpture, l’Absence fits into the architectural constraints of the site. The result is a moving and living mass, with multiple protuberances, incarnation of an instinctive gesture, without any delimitation or any function. A living space where we wish discussions will happen. L’Absence is in turn a bar, a sculpture, a comment on today’s architecture that will, without a doubt, fuel students’ imagination. The sculpture «L’Absence» fits into the architectural constraints of the site. The result is a moving and living mass, with multiple protuberances, as the incarnations of an instinctive gesture, without any delimitation or any function. A living space where the artist wishes discussions will happen. This sculpture is one of the numorous artworks highlight with the

It is one of the artworks of the Biennale Estuaire.

ARDEPA in a few words... Since 1979, ARDEPA, the regional association for the broadcasting and the promotion of architecture, develops its action with professionals, teachers, students, institutions, associations and general public. It seeks to arouse interest and curiosity about architecture and urban transformations. To reach this goal, ARDEPA uses different means such as exhibitions, visits, pedagogical workshops, journeys, conferences...

Regional association for the broadcasting and the promotion of architecture ensa nantes - 6 quai Franรงois Mitterrand - BP 16202 - 44262 Nantes Cedex 2 20 Tel : 02 40 59 04 59 - lardepa@yahoo.fr - www.lardepa.com