Constructed in 1895 as an industrial flour mill, the building is the first large-scale structure in reinforced concrete following the experimental process by François Hennebique (1842-1891). Over the years, it served as mill, warehouse and – after renovation in the 1970s – as office. Today it stands vacant, a last iconic remnant of adense industrial zone between the Loire shores and the stone quarry ‘Miséry’.
The City of Nantes is determined to re-purpose the building with a public program of a public library, workshops, restaurants and the Jules Verne Museum.
Neutelings Riedijk Architects, together with Nantes-based ARS architects urbanistes, have designed a transformation concept as a tribute to Hennebique’s innovation and Verne’s imagination.
The heart of the design is an indoor covered garden, in direct connection with the ‘jardin extraordinaire’ towards the banks of the Loire river where the concrete structure will be showcased. The covered garden opens up to a wide staircase, meandering up to the Jules Verne Museum and the public roofgarden with spectacular views of the city, to be enjoyed by all.
The different functions, museum rooms, library, workshops, ancillary spaces, are immediately accessible from the central staircase. The project will be exemplary in terms of sustainability, making use of local and renewable energy resources like wind and geothermal energy, applying passive principles of inertia and natural ventilation and applying circular and biobased building materials.
