Stanton Williams’ €48.8 million transformation and extension of the Musée d’Art de Nantes has entered into the next stage of development. Following the appointment of the contractor Quille Construction, a subsidiary of Bouygues, the Mayor of Nantes announced a shorter timeline, set by the contractor, with the museum opening in one phase in 2016, instead of a phased opening by 2018. The Musée d’Art de Nantes is one of the six largest museums outside Paris, alongside Lyon, Grenoble, Montpellier, Rouen and Lille.
The creation of this urban quarter incorporates several key extension buildings that will link the existing 19th century quadrangle ‘Palais’ of the museum and the 17th century Oratory Chapel on the adjacent site, which operates as a temporary art installation space. The Chapel will be accessed directly from the main part of the museum for the first time.
The existing historical museum building will be comprehensively renovated, whilst the new 4200m² extension will accommodate the additional exhibition spaces for contemporary art. The project will also include the creation of new educational facilities, an auditorium, a library, a storage space for graphic arts collection and an external sculpture court.
Stanton Williams’ design strategy will effortlessly merge the past with the present, offering a blend of architectural and cultural promenade that will take full advantage of its intricate setting. Simultaneously, it aims to improve public access throughout the museum and transform its image from a closed and introverted institution to one which is open and transparent, fully engaging with its urban context. The new extension, for example, will have large openings to the street, enabling views into the gallery spaces from outside.
Reflecting the local architecture, moreover, the new extension will also blend into its surrounding area. Envisaged as a monolithic volume, a consistent palette of materials will create an impression that the whole building is carved out of a single block of stone.
In line with the concept of unravelling a closed museum, the entire south elevation of the new extension will be glazed with the translucent laminated marble, referencing the time when alabaster and marble were frequently used before glass to draw in natural light into Medieval churches while protecting precious artworks from the natural elements.
In collaboration with Saint Gobain, Stanton Williams has developed a new technology of layering glass façade with thin layers of Portuguese white marble to create this look, whilst also providing good thermal insulation for the new building, as well as filtering and diffusing natural daylight.
The new urban quarter will ultimately help to redefine the image of Musée d’Art de Nantes, which is still firmly rooted in its surroundings but is now open to new possibilities.
Blandine Chavanne, the Director of Musée d’Art de Nantes, said at the time of the appointment of Stanton Williams for this project: “Stanton Williams knowledge of working within the constraints of the museum and their respect of the existing building make this project a key element of the cultural policy of the city of Nantes.”
Credits
Architecture: Stanton Williams
Project leader: Patrick Richard
Contractor: Quille Construction
Cost Consultant: ARTELIA
Structural & Envelope Engineer: RFR
Services Engineer: Max Fordham & GEFI
Fire Safety: Casso & Associés
Signage/Graphics: Cartlidge Levene
CDM Coordinator: Ouest Coordination
OPC: ECB
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