metal engines become the protagonist of industrial hall renovation in france

‘halle 6 est’ a digital and innovative business hotel

‘halle 6 est’ is a renovation project that transforms an old industrial building into an innovative space that can adapt to the new needs of business environments. located on the island of nantes, france, the old structure was converted into a business hotel dedicated to digital and cultural industries. avignon architecte has taken over the rehabilitation of the structure, shifting its attention to the large central void with the ‘engines’. the design team sought to maintain the memories from the past, yet incorporate the structure to the new demands. 

‘the prerequisite for any design is the question of pleasure. the pleasure of reinventing and reinvesting a building with atypical dimensions and of giving it a new history. this totem building makes us pass from the safeguard of a collective memory of an industrial past to another form of memory, now digital,’ shared the architects.
all images ©sylvain bonniol

a new architectural identity

the main concept behind the design was to form a building that has an educational character, in the sense that people can experience the space in all its dimensions, length, width, and height. the architects (see more here) tried to avoid a reflexive approach that would like a large central atrium lined with offices. in contrast, they sought to invest the void as an experience of space and to reconnect with the industrial history of this historic building built in 1847.

the void became the main protagonist of the project. as the architects mentioned, all the rest is only programmatic declination and materiality. the street, atriums, shared spaces, light funnels are designed in close relation with the surrounding context, the public space, and its surrounding equipment.

revealing the traces of the past

the design team utilized raw materials inside the hall — including galvanized steel, concrete, perforated sheet metal — expressing the technicality required for the functioning of the place. its exterior envelope is clad in tectiva, while the calepinage and machining of the plates reveal the traces of the past and anticipate the seismic risk of the future.

‘to complete this narrative architecture, I designed specific furniture called ‘les oubliés de la halle 6’ from a reinterpretation of a so-called industrial vocabulary. finally, the building is designed as a whole. the signage is one with the project as a single entity, with the presence of its ‘memory’ cards integrated into the architecture.’

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project info:

name: halle 6 est
architects: avignon architecte

main architect: benjamin avignon

location: nantes, france

designboom has received this project from our ‘DIY submissions‘ feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

edited by: christina petridou | designboom