“We are there”, rejoices Franckie Trichet, vice-president of Nantes Métropole. Ten years after the start of the rehabilitation works of the old Alstom halls on the island of Nantes, all of these industrial remains have been transformed. The inauguration of halls 1 and 2, which will house until Saturday the Chtiiing festival ! dedicated to creativity, is indeed the last stage of this huge project (25,000 m2).
Located at the end of the site, in the extension of the Magmaa food court, these halls 1 and 2 will accommodate associations and companies working in the field of “cultural and creative industries”. These will have offices and work rooms. A large collaborative workshop, with machines and tools, is also available to the public, as well as a gallery and event spaces. The premises skilfully reveal the industrial past of the 19th century by preserving beams and metal structural elements.
More than 50 million euros spent
Researchers, professionals and students are installed in the other Alstom halls. The most central facility on the site is the School of Fine Arts (halls 4 and 5) made up of 450 students, open since 2017. All the renovations will have cost more than 50 million euros, including 12 million euros for halls 1 and 2 only.
Nearby, the last Alstom halls (known as Bergeron) were demolished this fall to build a housing and office program there.