SNCF rail network repair centre
This technical center of Nantes was conceived in a bioclimatic approach. The rationality of its exposed structure and of the organization of its volumes,
conjugates with a warm and delicate internal atmosphere thanks to the omnipresence of the wood and the generous contribution of light.
This new industrial equipment, intended for the maintenance of the railroad network is a wooden reconstruction, situated on an abandonned railroad site, bordering the natural zone of the "Small Amazonia" (Natura 2000).
Strongly perceived through the main artery of the district “EuroNantes Gare” and by the train passagers, the project tries to respond to a fast-changing urban context thanks to a rigorous sequencing. It consists of two main buildings, parallel to each other, framing a big exterior technical court.
The “centre voie” welcomes the teams in charge of the maintenance of the railroad network, approximately 180 agents. The structure stretches on 130 meters long in the shape of a big bright wooden nave. Under this free volume are housed, the heated premises which are organized in the form of independent wooden constructions, following the principle of “boxes in the box”. The common areas (cloakrooms, training center and meeting rooms) are placed in the glazed volume in the very front of the building. Then, the different services are organized in the length of the building, with the storage rooms orientated towards the North and the offices towards the South, distributed on two levels by a big glazed gallery facing the urban natural zone.
The transparent, green-house-like façades, associated with a central shed, give a plentiful natural perspective and important solar contributions in winter. The summer comfort is assured by a big automated frame of ventilation and by the outlying roofs, which also protect the entrances from the rain.
The building of the Center of Repair of the Driving Machines ( CREM) is a big maintenance workshop associated to the railroad network, and conceived almost according to the same principle, but heated.
