The Ile de Nantes is a huge area undergoing redevelopment located in the heart of the city along the banks of the Loire River. The 337-hectare Ile de Nantes project is one of the largest urban projects in Europe. Nantes Métropole wanted to give a new vocation to the site of the former shipyards while still respecting its past. The Machines project highlights this essential component of Nantes’ history by blending technology and poetry to give it new life.
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Machines de l'Ile in Nantes
The universe of the Machines in the industrial warehouses
Located on the western tip of the Ile de Nantes – the Prairie-au-Duc – across from the Quai de la Fosse, these huge iron, concrete and steel warehouses were build in the early 20th century to house the metalworking shops of the Chantiers de la Loire shipyards. Until their closure in 1987, they were the mainstay of Nantes' shipbuilding industry.
The rehabilitation of the warehouses safeguards and showcases the history of the shipyards, a symbol of the industrial and maritime culture of Nantes, also on exhibit at the nearby Maison des Hommes et des Techniques. The Machines that have taken possession of the premises embody the new life of the warehouses, which are transformed into a new public space for the city. Urban renewal project >>