Headquarters of Credit Mutuel

On the threshold of the town, at Nantes's southern entrance, Crédit Mutuel/CIC new headquarters in Loire Atlantique is located in a complex urban site, between the Loire, the railway station and the centre of town, close to institutional facilities such as the Congress Hall, the offices of Nantes' metropolitan government and the Lieu Unique.

The project relies on ergonomics, comfort, environmental optimisation and integration into the urban area.It comprises two bodies of buildings: the first, vertical, is anchored into the area, a continuation of the existing plots, a beacon marking the entrance to Nantes; the other, horizontal, appears to levitate. Between the two, a piazza ensures urban relevance and validates the public space. The entire complex is articulated around this plaza, extending into the interior of the edifice by means of the transparent open spaces on the first three levels. There is a dialogue between the geometries of the two buildings, between the gently broken lines of the façades, one vertical to the plot, and the other horizontal on the marquee of the main building. The functional layout of the office areas encourages flexible evolution and ease of communication. A mobile and heliotropic double-skinned façade is used, reducing the need for artificial lighting, heating and air-conditioning. Movable vertical glass panels help to control the diffusion of natural light into the work areas. 

The layout of the construction site, located at the entrance to the city on a high-capacity urban junction (bus routes, vehicular traffic, proximity to the Congress Hall), had to be taken into consideration in Target 3 of the HQE process: - No waste, no paint, no plaster and no soiling,- A particularly short completion time, - Reduced impact on the environment,- Simple treatment of waste, adapted based on the specific procedures in place for this construction site.