Timber-framed buildings in France
Located not far from France’s Atlantic coast, Nantes is a city of change where old industries are giving way to new service businesses. On the Ile de Nantes, an island in the centre of the city, France’s state-owned post office is centralising the IT teams from its banking, postal, network, production and cybercrime divisions at the Maison de l’Innovation centre of excellence. Transparency is the order of the day here, in a place that seeks to create synergies between the 800 or so specialists it houses. The architecture is the reflection of this aim. A timber-framed construction, it rises seven storeys supported by segmental concrete arches that frame the open interior courtyard on the ground floor. This courtyard extends through all floors with the work space facing both the courtyard and the external façade. This ability to see out, see into the various floors and see into the courtyard provides a premium spatial experience. The use of timber, a sustainable and authentic material, strengthens an architecture whose innovative quality is evident in the combination of spatial effect, optimum working environment and formal rigour.
Rendering: Baumschlager Eberle Architekten
By BAUMSCHLAGER EBERLE ARCHITEKTEN
