With its 32 floors and 144 m high, it has dominated the city of Nantes since 1976. But since June 2020, the Tour Bretagne is nothing more than a huge empty shell.

Its occupants, mostly government employees, have all left the building due to lengthy asbestos removal and renovation work.

This Thursday, the real estate development group Giboire, owner of 76% of the tower, and the other co-owners announce the launch of a "call for projects" for the rehabilitation of the structure.

Eight architectural firms have been selected, the winning project will be unveiled in 2023.

If they repeat at will that they will leave "the field free" to the proposals of the architects, the co-owners have nevertheless defined a certain number of concrete developments to be respected.

The base of the tower, from rue de l'Arche-sèche to the second floor, will have a commercial vocation.

From the third floor, a hotel with 100 rooms will be built, as well as a restaurant.

A lot of accommodation

The upper floors will no longer accommodate offices but only housing.

Between 150 and 200 apartments, from T2 to T6, are envisaged, in free accession.

"The significant charges related to high-rise buildings (IGH) are not compatible with social housing whose objective is to offer the cheapest rents", specifies Thomas Quéro, deputy mayor of Nantes.

The top of the tower, meanwhile, will house a 700 m2 “rooftop” on two floors with a panoramic view, inspired by the successful former bar Le Nid.

At least 20,000 m 2 are thus to be redeveloped.

And even more since it is proposed to the candidates of architects to increase the capacity of the tower up to 20% of its current surface by widening it on two facades.

“This regulatory possibility exists.

Nothing is imposed.

Everything is open,” says Geoffroy Petit, regional promotion director for the Giboire group.

The external appearance should also evolve, “according to the proposals” and subject to validation by the Architect of the buildings of France.

The complex site will begin with one year of asbestos removal work.

The renovation-transformation itself will last, for its part, "until 2027-2028", announces Giboire.

Total investment amount: 120 million euros.

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