Palais de Justice
The old 1850 Nantes courts have been turned into a Radisson Hotel. This is it's replacement built on the old industrial quayside once known as Fernand-Crouan but subsequently renamed in honour of the dead French President Francois Mitterand.
The competition to design the building was launched in 1993 and the building was completed in 2000 to the design of Jean Nouvel.
As is usual the aesthetics of the new building received mixed reviews but, for what it's worth I quite like it. I don't think it's supporters helped themselves by trotting out the usual architectural bollox speak that the building demonstrated the cardinal virtues of a Judicial system in it's 'visibility, transparency and solidity' while designed in the context of respect for the history & the landscape of the building site .
It also didn't help that bits kept falling off, it leaked,the heating and ventilation didn't work as advertised and the the doors were not good at opening or closing.
Palais de Justice
The old 1850 Nantes courts have been turned into a Radisson Hotel. This is it's replacement built on the old industrial quayside once known as Fernand-Crouan but subsequently renamed in honour of the dead French President Francois Mitterand.
The competition to design the building was launched in 1993 and the building was completed in 2000 to the design of Jean Nouvel.
As is usual the aesthetics of the new building received mixed reviews but, for what it's worth I quite like it. I don't think it's supporters helped themselves by trotting out the usual architectural bollox speak that the building demonstrated the cardinal virtues of a Judicial system in it's 'visibility, transparency and solidity' while designed in the context of respect for the history & the landscape of the building site .
It also didn't help that bits kept falling off, it leaked,the heating and ventilation didn't work as advertised and the the doors were not good at opening or closing.