Vendôme

The Vendôme is an atypical building: just a stone’s throw from the important Nantes train station currently being redesigned, it is located at the bow of a block on a plot of land with a complex shape that has generated an original building, both in its volume and its urban treatment.

Responding to the expectations of the Atelier Ruelle, the building strongly takes into account the “volume of the pedestrian”, a value defended by Gérard Penot, urban planner, head of this ZAC. This “volume” translates into a north-south transparency of the building, in the open air, and over a height of two levels, which offers the city additional porosity through its various blocks. In spite of the relative density of this district, with in particular a 50m high apartment building, located 8m from the Vendôme, the fluidity and amenity of the public spaces, essentially made up of pedestrian streets leading to the Jardin des Pins, is thus preserved.

Accompanying this pedestrian volume, the first two levels of the building are equipped with larger windows, reinforcing the status of the eastern part of the building which houses the Les Francas association, while the western part should accommodate a shop or restaurant, perhaps spread over these 2 levels. The access ramp to the car park is treated with care and takes place in this double height, thus widely lit and allowing the office windows to be set back 15m from the building facing it on the other side of the 8m wide pedestrian walkway.

A single hall, very transparent and slipped under the vast porch, distributes the entire building. The offices are spread over 7 stories above the ground floor, and the 4th floor benefits from a vast planted terrace, the foliage of which contributes to the integration and urban quality of the Vendôme.

8 levels to the west and 4 levels to the east, as well as the porch that crosses the building, enable the Vendôme to become part of the town by asserting its verticality, but without imposing its 8,000 m² (8,000 sq ft) of built space too much. A beautiful overhang qualifies the eastern prow of the building to accommodate the entrance to the premises of the Les Francas association.

The facades are made of light-coloured, die-cast concrete, the minerality of which gives this building a strong identity and will ensure its longevity.

Located in a seismic zone, the building is made of a load-bearing structure in precast concrete. Located in the seismic zone, the building is made of a load-bearing structure in precast concrete, which is used to improve the quality of lighting in the offices. All the offices are equipped with full height glazed windows that can be opened on the spandrel, in a deep panel that both protects from the sun and diffracts the light by reflection, thus ensuring a real luminous comfort in the work spaces.

In line with the recommendations of the Grenelle de l’environnement, this programme, which complies with the RT 2012, has been the subject of in-depth consideration of its energy, thermal and acoustic performance, as well as the comfort of its occupants.

The car park is limited to a single basement, which has been optimised by the installation of a 24-space mechanised car park (Bi-park) allowing two vehicles to be parked independently, one above the other.