Brand Old, rehabilitation of Tours University
The renovation of the University of Tours’ Les Tanneurs campus focused on restoring and upgrading a significant 1970s architectural ensemble while respecting its original character. The project improved façades, energy performance, accessibility, and circulation throughout the site. A redesigned public realm, including a new footbridge connecting the campus to the Loire riverfront, strengthens links with the city. The University Library was transformed through façade restoration, expanded openings, new student facilities, and reorganized interiors. Building D, including the Thélème Hall and lecture theatres, was modernized with improved thermal and acoustic performance. The intervention combines architectural preservation, sustainability, and contemporary university needs.
Les Tanneurs
The University of Tours, located on Rue des Tanneurs, occupies a historic site along the banks of the Loire River. The campus is composed of four buildings, designated A, B, C, and D. Buildings B and C respectively house the University Library and teaching facilities for students, dating from the early 1970s. Building D contains the main entrance, the Thélème performance hall, and three lecture theatres.
Our proposal to the client was to place ourselves at the service of both the existing buildings and the University. Our work was primarily one of repair: restoring façades, enhancing the original architecture, simplifying circulation routes, and improving the technical performance of a significant architectural heritage ensemble and its site.
There is no grand architectural gesture here. Instead, the intervention is defined by restraint and precision. The exterior spaces and forecourts have been completely redesigned in order to reconnect the university campus with its urban context, between the Loire quays and the historic city centre. Circulation routes have been rethought to improve student movement while ensuring full accessibility for all users. A new footbridge linking the forecourt to the riverbank provides direct access to the quay.
The transformation of the University Library (Building B) was primarily driven by the need to repair its severely deteriorated stone façades, which lacked thermal insulation.
We chose to remain as faithful as possible to the architectural language of the original project by cladding all four façades with Tervoux stone: solid stone at ground level and lightweight honeycomb-backed stone panels on the upper floors. Enlarged windows increase daylight penetration, while integrated night-time free-cooling vents improve summer comfort.
Inside the library, the most significant change occurs at ground level, where a new main entrance has been created to establish a stronger presence towards the Loire River. This new student reception area opens onto coworking and exhibition spaces.
On the upper floors, the various library departments have been reorganised into large open-plan areas alternating reading, storage, and study spaces.
With the building now insulated externally, we were able to reveal the existing concrete structure, which was carefully sandblasted following the removal of outdated interior finishes.
The original timber library shelving and joinery, remarkable examples of craftsmanship, have been restored and reinstalled to house the book collections once again.
The intervention on Building D focused on rethinking external circulation and modernising the interior spaces.
A new forecourt redefines the former public realm.
The first element of this transformation is a new steel and timber footbridge directly connecting the University entrance to the Loire riverside promenade. This route allows students to move comfortably between the University and the Library while enjoying the beautiful shaded walkway along the river.
New stairways and ramps connect the renovated entrance hall of Les Tanneurs—which has been reconstructed identically to the original—and the Thélème Hall. Existing trees on the forecourt have been carefully preserved, while large planted stone containers, matching the tones of the façades, accompany the stepped landscape.
Gigi Guadagnucci’s sculpture Flower Woman has been restored and repositioned within the composition of the forecourt. Custom-designed steel lighting masts mark the boundaries of these new public spaces and serve as supports for informational banners.
The three lecture theatres have been completely renovated to improve both thermal and acoustic performance. In each auditorium, the acoustic wall panels are made from the recycled metal slats of the library’s former suspended ceilings. Their varying tones have been assembled to create a vibrant chromatic effect reminiscent of Op Art.
All façades and roofing have been renewed in coherence with the broader architectural language of the campus. Along Boulevard des Tanneurs, the long folded façade of the Thélème Hall is now clad in Tervoux stone, restoring its role as a key element within the boulevard composition through its abstract presence, set in counterpoint to the Gothic buildings of the historic centre.
Marin Trottin Architectes, 2025
