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2024 Author: David Durham | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-01-09 00:51

The Polaris quarter (1.5 hectares) appeared on the city of the same name on the island of Nantes in the middle of the Loire. The western part of the island, formerly occupied by a shipyard, is now being reconstructed, but the new quarter is not built there, but to the east, between the historic suburb of small-scale development and the tenement houses of the 1970s that occupy the eastern end.

This borderline position presented the LAN architects, who created the masterplan and designs for four of the six buildings, a particularly challenging task. The answer was a clear architectural language common to all buildings, as well as a well-thought-out layout of the public space, from where the historic center of Nantes is invariably visible across the river. Despite the fact that the quarter is essentially private, its pedestrian zones are accessible to everyone (moreover, it is closed to cars). These are passageways and a square in the center, complemented by semi-public terraces at some of the buildings.

The layout was not developed according to the typical "Reconstruction Zone" (ZAC) scheme, that is, not through prescriptions, but through a dialogue between the LAN architects and their invited bureaus Abinal & Ropars and Atelier Stéphane Fernandez. They discussed both general solutions and details of specific buildings. The peculiarity of the project is its relatively high density (coefficient 3.8, and the building spot is 38% of the total area). The grouping of volumes was determined, among other things, by the prevailing wind directions and the angle of incidence of sun rays.

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1/3 Polaris Quarter Photo © Charly Broyez
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2/3 Polaris Quarter Photo © Fabrice Fouillet
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3/3 Polaris Quarter Photo © Charly Broyez

The quarter houses the campus of the Vatel Hotel and Restaurant College (10,000 m2) with auditoriums, an educational restaurant and a brasserie, as well as a café Vatel open to residents, and also 6,500 m2 of offices, 250 apartments (accessible, social and commercial), student housing (300 apartments) and another 600 m2 of various functions. The total area of all buildings is about 35,000 m2.

The main building of the quarter is an 18-storey tower (building 4) called 360 ° View: 84% of its apartments received panoramic views of the Loire. At its foot is the main square, and the silvery façade of brushed aluminum is accentuated by four tall poplars. Its appearance is constantly changing thanks to perforated shutters that residents open and close depending on the weather, time of day and their own desires.

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1/6 Polaris Quarter © LAN
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2/6 Polaris Quarter © LAN
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3/6 Polaris Quarter © LAN
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4/6 Polaris Quarter © LAN
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5/6 Polaris Quarter © LAN
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6/6 Polaris Quarter © LAN

Building 1

LAN Architects

65 affordable and social apartments, shops on the ground floor

4 689 m2

Loggias act as buffer zones.

Квартал Polaris. Строение 1 Фото © Charly Broyez

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1/6 Polaris Quarter. Building 1 © LAN
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2/6 Polaris Quarter. Building 1 © LAN
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3/6 Polaris Quarter. Building 1 © LAN
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4/6 Polaris Quarter. Building 1 © LAN
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5/6 Polaris Quarter. Building 1 © LAN
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6/6 Polaris Quarter. Building 1 © LAN

Building 2

Abinal & Ropars Architects

73 affordable and social apartments, shops on the ground floor

5,325 m2

The building plays a central role in the quarter as a counterweight to the tower (no. 4). On the floor there are from four to six apartments with a spacious staircase in the center. The living rooms are located in the middle of the apartments and are connected to the different facades by means of loggias.

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1/6 Polaris Quarter. Building 2 © Abinal & Ropars
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2/6 Polaris Quarter. Building 2 © Abinal & Ropars
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3/6 Polaris Quarter. Building 2 © Abinal & Ropars
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4/6 Polaris Quarter. Building 2 © Abinal & Ropars
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5/6 Polaris Quarter. Building 2 © Abinal & Ropars
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6/6 Polaris Quarter. Building 2 © Abinal & Ropars

Building 3

LAN Architects

122 student apartments, Vatel College with a restaurant, brasserie, warehouses.

5,934 m2

The two functions are clearly delineated: the visually highlighted top and bottom of the building.

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1/7 Polaris Quarter. Building 3 © LAN
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2/7 Polaris Quarter. Building 3 © LAN
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3/7 Polaris Quarter. Building 3 © LAN
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4/7 Polaris Quarter. Building 3 © LAN
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5/7 Polaris Quarter. Building 3 © LAN
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6/7 Polaris Quarter. Building 3 © LAN
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7/7 Polaris Quarter. Building 3 © LAN

Building 5

LAN Architects

179 student apartments, Vatel College with Café Vatel, multi-level garage

4,786 m2

The complex configuration of the building is the result of its "retreat" from the other blocks of the block and the apartment buildings of the 1970s across the road.

Квартал Polaris. Строение 5 Фото © Fabrice Fouillet

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1/6 Polaris Quarter. Building 5 © LAN
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2/6 Polaris Quarter. Building 5 © LAN
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3/6 Polaris Quarter. Building 5 © LAN
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4/6 Polaris Quarter. Building 5 © LAN
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5/6 Polaris Quarter. Building 5 © LAN
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6/6 Polaris Quarter. Building 5 © LAN

Building 6

Architects Atelier Stéphane Fernandez

34 commercial and affordable apartments, offices

9 424 m2

A mid-rise building with a trapezoidal plan responds to the context and changes its appearance depending on the angle of view.

Building 4

LAN Architects

79 commercial and affordable apartments, an applicant's school (to prepare for admission to secondary vocational and higher educational institutions).

5,086 m2

The volume turns of the 18-storey tower mark the height of one or another of the neighboring buildings. Apartments range in size from one to five bedrooms. Large duplex apartments are located on the 17th and 18th floors.