A 58 meter tower mainly made of wood, with shops, urban vacation homes, a rooftop on the first floor, and a 50-meter Nordic pool at its base has been proposed in Nantes.
Designed by architect Lina Ghotmeh, EuroNantes will be completed by 2024 on the Saupin West islet, at the confluence of the Erdreet de la Loire, near the Marcel-Saupin sports stadium. The city’s request for proposal drew 25 submissions and was won in February 2019 by the Giboir real estate group with a proposal for a Nordic swimming pool coupled with a 17-story residential tower and a panoramic bar.
The 2,340-square-meter plot required the decommissioning of 108 square meters of public spaces to allow the creation of the Nordic pool and improve its proximity to the Loire. The shallow, heated pool will be open year round. Choosing a Nordic pool will avoid the construction and heating of a building and should result in a 40 percent reduction in carbon dioxide emissions compared to a conventional pool building.
The building aims to be 65 percent made of local timber. As Nantes is located in a seismic zone 3, its structure will feature additional reinforcement from concrete with wooden frame façades (Pannobloc). The façade will be metallic with anodized aluminum slats whose shades, from copper to gold, will vary from dark to light up to the top where the shimmering underside of the roof will reflect the activity of the rooftop.
Construction permits are under review and work is expected to begin January 2022.
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