Le Figaro Nantes
In 2027, the CHU will move to the island of Nantes.
The site of the Hôtel-Dieu, which shelters in particular receives emergencies, will then belong to the metropolis.
To plan the reconversion of this 18-hectare space and 270,000m2 of floor space located in the city center, Nantes Métropole is taking part in the architecture and urban planning competition entitled Europan.
"
The idea is to use this ideas competition for our benefit, reserved for young professional teams, architects, landscape architects, town planners, under 40 years old, to prepare the reflection on the evolution of the site", explains
Thomas Quéro, metropolitan councilor in charge of the city and sustainable urban planning.
Candidates have until the end of July to work.
In the meantime, a site visit is planned.
“
We are going to give them all the information we have today to allow them to make proposals.
»
In December, three winning projects will be selected: “
These three projects will not result in the final project.
These will be insights, possibilities which will then be subject to discussion, reflection and feasibility
”, insists the deputy mayor, specifying that everything will not be transformed in “
three months
”.
That will take time.
A citizen dialogue will also be initiated.
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A nourishing park and islands of freshness
The mayor of Nantes is staying the course regarding the reorganization of the premises, as announced in 2020: "
we imagine a feeder park there, that is our intention
", recalled Johanna Rolland during a press conference on April 5, upstream of the metropolitan council during which participation in this competition was recorded.
Ultimately, the idea is to “
enable all residents to reconnect with nature
,” explains his deputy Thomas Quéro.
With this objective of “
renaturation
”, that is to say of a return to nature in the city, the metropolis is thinking about removing waterproofing from the ground and adding islands of coolness.
The challenge is also to “
move from a sector that was essentially mono-functional focused on health activities to a diversity of functions
”.
Among them could be considered the construction of housing, places for associations... with the idea of reusing the building as much as possible.
This is particularly the case of the post-war building in the shape of a cross imagined by Michel Roux-Spitz, "
which obviously has a particular heritage interest
", recalls the city councilor of Nantes.
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In 2012, the city of Saint-Herblain had already participated in this competition to redevelop the Preux district.
This year, Nantes is competing in the
“Imagine a second life!
Transforming Neighborhoods and Buildings into Inclusive Environments”
.
To participate, the metropolis will join the Europan France association and pay a contribution of 75,000 euros.
About fifty European sites are taking part in the 17th edition of this Europan competition, launched in 1988 and whose general theme in 2023 will be “
Living cities: re-imagining architecture while taking care of inhabited environments
”.
Among them, the city of Rennes has also signed up to convert a site linked to the relocation of its University Hospital Centre.