Nantes, Credit Mutuel Head Office

On the threshold of the city, at the southern entrance of Nantes, the new head office of Crédit Mutuel / CIC in Loire Atlantique is established on a complex urban site, between the Loire, the railway station and the city center. Institutional facilities such as the Cité des Congrès, the headquarters of Nantes Métropole and the Lieu Unique. The project is based on ergonomics, comfort, environmental optimization and integration into the city.

It is made up of two bodies of buildings, one vertical, anchored in the territory, in continuity of the existing blocks, like a beacon at the entrance of nantes; While the other, horizontal, seems in levitation. Between the two, a “piazza” ensures urban relevance and enhances the public space. The whole is articulated around this place which extends towards the interior of the edifice through a transparency of the open spaces on the first three levels.

photography by © Luc Boegly

A dialogue takes place between the geometries of the two buildings, where the slightly broken lines of the façades, one vertical on the plot, and the other horizontal on the marquise of the main building meet. The functional layout of the office trays promotes flexibility and ease of communication. A dual mobile and heliotropic skin facade is implemented, reducing the need for artificial lighting, heating and air conditioning. Vertical moving glass panels contribute to the controlled diffusion of natural light to the working spaces.

photography by © Luc Boegly

The organization of the site, located in the city of entering a dense urban node (busway, vehicles, proximity to the Congress Hall), had to be seen through the target 3 of the HQE:
– no waste, no painting, no plaster and no dirt,
– an implementation time is especially short,
– a reduced impact on the environment
– a single treatment of such waste, which will fit according to procedures established Specifically for this project

photography by © Luc Boegly

Project Info
Architects: AIA Architects
Location: Nantes, France
Year: 2016
Owner: Crédit Mutuel, CIC
Type: Headquarter/ Office Building
Photography: Luc Boegly