curving courtyard tops proposed brise-vent havre harbor museum

from Industrial Harbor to Public Cultural space

The Brise-Vent Havre Harbor Museum is a proposal by LYT-X Studio located along the historic waterfront of Le Havre, France. Planned as an adaptive reuse of an industrial harbor structure, the project positions a former port building as a civic cultural facility woven into the maritime edge of the city.

The site occupies a stretch of working waterfront that once supported industrial exchange. As port operations shifted, the structure lost daily relevance within urban life. The proposal, with its dramatically curving rooftop, treats the existing fabric as a spatial and infrastructural resource, retaining its massing and presence while introducing architectural elements that enable public access and contemporary cultural use.

visualizations © LYT-X Studio

brise-vent havre harbor museum: a threshold for le havre

The Brise-Vent Havre Harbor Museum, designed by LYT-X Studio, organizes movement as a continuous sequence linking city streets, promenade, and harbor. Circulation routes pass across and through the building, encouraging everyday passage alongside scheduled cultural activity. This approach situates the museum within the wider waterfront network, allowing informal use to coexist with exhibitions and events.

A curved roof extension forms a continuous canopy along the water’s edge. The canopy structures circulation, offers shade, and mediates between urban paths and harbor activity. Beneath it, semi open spaces and a sheltered courtyard provide access from both land and water, establishing a public environment that feels accessible throughout the day.

the project adapts an industrial harbor structure into a public cultural space along the waterfront

new waterfront spaces for the public

Public access shapes the architectural decisions across the Brise-Vent Havre Harbor Museum. The courtyard remains open beyond gallery hours, allowing the site to function as a civic space. Transitions between interior and exterior rely on spatial continuity and material alignment rather than visual devices alone. Exhibition halls, performance spaces, and circulation areas accommodate formal programming alongside daily movement.

Environmental strategies build on the reuse of the existing structure. The extended canopy supports passive shading and moderates conditions along the waterfront. Courtyards and roof openings bring daylight into interior volumes, while coastal air movement supports natural ventilation. Through these measures, the Brise-Vent Havre Harbor Museum presents a measured approach to transforming an industrial harbor structure into a lasting cultural presence within the city.

a curved roof canopy defines shaded paths and transitional outdoor spaces