The repurposing of the concrete shell, originally constructed as a windbreaker for shipbuilding in Le Havre and now dormant, has been conceived not merely to address present-day requirements but to also anticipate future programmatic evolutions through an adaptable and open framework. Our design reimagines this iconic structure as a flexible system capable of accommodating various uses, enabling it to transform into residential, educational, industrial, or other functional spaces as needed.

Just as Le Havre’s architectural identity was once defined by its innovative application of concrete, this intervention positions timber—considered the sustainable steel of the future—at the forefront of material expression. The structural framework, envisioned in timber, serves not only as a primary architectural element but also as a carbon sink, reinforcing the project’s environmental consciousness while reflecting an advanced, future-oriented material strategy.

Integral to the design philosophy is the deliberate interplay between the built form and the surrounding landscape. In a context notably devoid of green space, a core ambition of the project is to generate a substantial and meaningful landscape for the site. This landscape strategy envisions a lush, immersive environment, transforming the existing barren conditions into a vibrant green haven. By weaving this landscape seamlessly into the architectural fabric, we aim to introduce a natural ecosystem that enriches the site while addressing the ecological void of the region.

The spatial strategy also intentionally blurs the lines between interior and exterior realms, creating a symbiotic relationship where the natural environment permeates the architecture. This openness facilitates the integration of an ecosystem within the structure itself, transforming it into an adaptive space with the potential to function as a greenhouse or evolve into a botanical garden, further amplifying its environmental resonance.

Moreover, acknowledging the monumental character of the shell’s interior face—facing the city—we propose an expressive intervention by cladding this surface in classical French tapestry motifs. A deliberate incision in the new façade allows the cladding on the concrete shell to reveal itself, offering a striking visual dialogue between the historic and the contemporary. While alternative cladding materials may be considered, the primary objective remains to accentuate the drama of this surface and enhance the sensory experience for users, positioning it as a key narrative element within the spatial sequence.

This approach transcends the mere reuse of a structure, offering a design that interweaves sustainability, flexibility, and aesthetic engagement. By merging the industrial gravitas of the concrete shell with the ecological elegance of timber, the project honors the city’s architectural heritage while crafting a forward-looking spatial identity that resonates with future possibilities.

“The project transforms the concrete structure into a flexible, sustainable space, using timber as a key material for both environmental and structural purposes. It integrates green landscapes and adapts to various uses, blending historical elements with a forward-looking design.”

This project aims to transform a historically significant structure into a museum, respecting and preserving its distinctive architectural style and rich cultural heritage. The original building, with its strong sense of order and monumental presence, reflects the weight of history and the passage of time. Our design approach is both sensitive and creative, extending and enhancing the iconic curved roof to give it new vitality and dynamic beauty. The roof’s form, reminiscent of a swimmer diving and resurfacing, symbolizes the dialogue between past and future while illustrating the building’s symbiotic relationship with its surroundings. By honoring and reinterpreting the original architecture, we have transformed it into a cultural landmark named “DiveAscent,” capturing the fluidity of the design and its connection to the environment.

Our approach takes a light intervention, preserving the monumentality of the original structure while reimagining it as a bridge linking the city, port, and community. The new roof, divided by a central courtyard, creates two open spaces, with the courtyard acting as a social stage for the city, open 24/7 to residents and visitors. The carefully placed apertures allow natural light and airflow, energizing the interior while dissolving physical boundaries, activating the waterfront. Beneath the courtyard is a flexible underground exhibition space, where the undulating terrain echoes the roof’s curves. This space allows for a dynamic arrangement of exhibits, encouraging visitors to explore freely and creating an open, interactive atmosphere. By breaking from the traditional solemnity of museums, the design invites diverse audiences to engage with the space in a social, artistic, and cultural way, positioning the museum as a vital cultural hub.

The new curved roof doubles as a grand observation platform, offering panoramic views of Le Havre’s harbor. It blurs the lines between indoor and outdoor spaces, inviting residents and tourists to reflect, socialize, and enjoy the expansive views. Below the roof, the architectural rhythm continues with partition walls and an open dock area, creating a welcoming space for visitors from all directions. This integration of architecture and landscape transforms the building into an extension of its natural surroundings, offering a place of rest and contemplation in harmony with the city’s scenic vistas.

The new building is poised to become a city landmark. While respecting the architectural legacy of the original structure, the design introduces an open roof and strategically placed openings to ensure natural ventilation, achieving energy efficiency and sustainability. The integration of solar panels and rooftop greenery, along with landscaped courtyards, enhances the building’s sustainability, regulating the microclimate, reducing energy consumption, and promoting biodiversity. This design not only addresses both social and cultural demands but also transforms the structure into a modern urban landmark, connecting past and future while drawing in the local community and international visitors. By blending historical monumentality with modern flexibility, the museum creates a public space of environmental and cultural significance, becoming a symbol of Le Havre’s future urban development. Through its innovative and sustainable approach, the project provides new cultural and social meaning to the city.

“Beautifully balances historical preservation with modern innovation, transforming the iconic structure into a vibrant cultural hub. The dynamic roof design and sustainable features breathe new life into the space while honoring its monumental heritage. This project redefines the building as a symbol of Le Havre’s future, connecting the city, port, and community.”

In order to revitalize the Brise-Vent, the project aims to bring it back to its primary reason of being : the wind. In the past, this « sleeping giant » served as a shield against the wind. Today, the Brise-Vent can become a massive wind collector serving a cultural, scientific and educational program : the wind museum.

Our project accompanies Le Havre’s port implement of new energy transition policies. The future wind museum is indeed planned to be built next to the Siemens factory which is developing Fécamp wind farm.

In accordance with the image of Le Havre, we envision the new Brise-Vent as a place where arts and techniques intersect. The blend of the city’s historic brutalism and contemporary art will occur. Our intervention, firmly minimalist and economical in materials, aims to keep the raw concrete alive. To preserve the distinctive rhythm of the Brise-Vent, the partitioning inside the structural frame is positioned delicately.

The building’s unique length generates an inner path allowing exhibitions of historical inventions that helped tame the wind forces. Visitors are invited to experiment with their five senses on this powerful and yet invisible flow throughout the itinerary. We have gathered a rich inventory of forms, techniques, and materials to imagine this project.

The permanent exhibition space unfolds a chronological timeline that illustrates the history of wind power through archival documents and models. The temporary exhibition space can be extended outside, and the external concrete structure can be invested with contemporary works.

The wind is a source of energy as well as an inspiration. Engineers, visual artists, sculptors, painters, and musicians have sought to experience it, capture it and represent it. Therefore, the workshop-apartments and the fab lab integrated within the project will act as a framework for collaborations between artists and engineers, and will ensure daily activity on site.

After the museum’s exhibits, the tour continues with a belvedere offering a stunning view of Le Havre’s city and port. The itinerary invites visitors to embrace the immensity of the concrete structure, its length, height, curve, and its raw materiality.

The southern part of the project features the Brise-Vent’s curved side, which overlooks a wild garden. This garden is being taken over by coastal plants. This new landscape reclaims its rights on the asphalt and evokes the poetry of ancient ruins. A path meandering through is dotted with commissioned installations created by contemporary engineer-artist duos. These playful sculptures, which are halfway between art and machinery, come to life in the wind, tinkling, blowing and shimmering.

Sheltered on the building’s western side, the Auditorium is free to open onto the esplanade and to host open-air concerts. The belvedere, the Brise-Vent and the restaurant can be accessed independently of the museum, allowing both tourists and locals to come and go.

“This project to revitalize the Brise-Vent as a wind museum is a brilliant idea that brings the structure back to its original purpose. By focusing on wind as both an energy source and an artistic inspiration, it cleverly combines culture, science, and education. The design is minimalist yet impactful, preserving the raw concrete while creating interactive experiences for visitors. The integration of workshops and collaborations between artists and engineers adds a dynamic element, making it a vibrant space for creativity. Overall, this project offers many engaging ideas that invite users to connect with the site and understand its significance.”

In the heart of the Port of Le Havre, an exceptional site in a transforming city, the Brise-Vent becomes a public museum where culture and biodiversity meet. The MAB [Museum of Art and Biodiversity] offers major temporary art exhibitions, as well as a permanent exhibition on today’s climate risks and solutions. The entire end of the central mole, home to the building, becomes a figurehead for the landscape and cultural renewal of the city and the Seine estuary.

While many industrial and sensitive sites in Le Havre still need protection, the Brise-Vent site could be freed from its costly rock armoring, which requires substantial maintenance, to experiment with a softer flood management approach. By welcoming the sea and using it to reshape the site’s landscape, the project proposes to limit public facilities to the upper levels of the large building. The ground level, left open and restored to nature, becomes a vast public and landscaped space, offering a new way to manage Le Havre’s coastline.

The ground transforms into a large intertidal garden, with ecosystems developing according to their level of submersibility. Walkways traverse these areas, following their edges and allowing for exploration of their richness and depth within a port characterized by a mineral and fixed coastline.

The new museum focuses on themes of submersion, climate change, and landscape, becoming a distinctive landmark in Le Havre. The addition of a café at this unique site, along with the development of one-of-a-kind public spaces (such as wooden decks extending into the sea or the belvedere gallery), makes this location a must-visit for both daily life and tourism in Le Havre.

By freeing the ground, the museum develops on two levels following the existing structure. To reach these levels, two large vertical circulation columns are equipped with a freight elevator and a staircase. These columns, grafted onto the Brise-Vent, are easily identifiable and provide clear and high-quality access to all the programs. On the second floor (R+2), a large gallery is arranged, taking advantage of the building’s significant length. The reception/bookstore and café, located at either end of the first floor (R+1), provide the Brise-Vent with destination programs. With wooden decking on the floor, all these spaces create, across three levels, public pathways accessible to everyone, offering varied relationships with the site.

The large glass facade on the first floor (R+1) provides the temporary exhibition halls, with controlled access, with unique spaces where the eye finds Le Havre and its hillside on the horizon. Showcasing artistic works that reflect on the notions of landscape and biodiversity, this part of the museum also opens up to the intertidal garden through terraces integrated into the roof’s gaps. Visitors can stop there to contemplate the port and the horizon, the sea, and its tides.

“Beautiful and holistic concepts visualised in clear and poetic way. The concept brings in a new understanding of what a conceptual museum could contain”

The Port Museum of Le Havre is a unique cultural destination that intertwines the city’s rich wartime history and industrial legacy. Located in the main port, this museum stands as a testament to Le Havre’s transformation from a strategic wartime hub during World War II to a vibrant industrial city. With a focus on experiential storytelling and cultural heritage, the museum utilizes its existing structures with minimal modifications, preserving the authenticity of the site while creating a dynamic space for visitors.

Preserving Architectural Integrity

The museum is housed within the historical port structures that played a pivotal role during and after World War II. By retaining the original architecture, the museum honors the past while keeping the spirit of the port alive. The rugged, industrial feel of the building is maintained, allowing it to stand as a monument to Le Havre’s resilience and adaptability.

• Minimal Modifications: The existing port structures are preserved with minimal changes, highlighting their historical significance and maintaining their connection to the city’s industrial roots. This approach allows the building itself to become a central exhibit, reflecting the stories of those who built and worked in the port.
• Cultural Landmark: The preserved architecture serves as a cultural landmark for Le Havre, symbolizing the city’s wartime history and its rebirth. This respectful integration of old and new provides visitors with a tangible link to the past, enhancing the museum’s narrative.

Experiential Journey Through History

The museum offers an immersive experience that brings Le Havre’s history to life. Visitors can explore interactive exhibits that highlight the city’s role during World War II, its industrial development, and the everyday lives of its people.

• Interactive Displays: Exhibits include digital reconstructions, historical artifacts, and personal stories that transport visitors back in time. Through interactive technology, the museum allows visitors to engage with the past in a way that is both educational and emotionally resonant.
• Projection Mapping: The museum’s façade serves as a projection screen, showcasing historical footage and visual storytelling that blends seamlessly with the industrial setting. This use of projection mapping turns the building into a living canvas, merging the physical and historical landscapes of the city.

Bridges to the Port City: The Ship Ride

A highlight of the museum experience is the ship ride that encircles the port, offering a unique view of both the museum and the active harbor. This ride provides a direct connection between the exhibits and the living, working port city of today.

• Floating Restaurant: Onboard the ship, a floating restaurant offers guests a chance to dine with a view, surrounded by the sights and sounds of the port. This setting connects visitors to the maritime heritage of Le Havre, enhancing the overall experience.
• Docking Experience: The ride offers an immersive view of ships docking, reflecting the ongoing life of the port. This real-time interaction with the harbor creates a sensory connection to Le Havre’s industrial pulse.

Celebrating Cultural Heritage

The Port Museum of Le Havre emphasizes the importance of cultural heritage, celebrating the city’s journey from a war-ravaged port to a thriving industrial center. The museum not only preserves the physical structures but also the stories of the people who shaped the city.

• Educational Impact: The museum serves as a cultural and educational hub, fostering an appreciation for Le Havre’s history. It stands as a tribute to the city’s resilience, providing a space where past and present intersect.

The Port Museum of Le Havre is more than a museum—it is a living monument that honors the city’s history and cultural heritage. By preserving its industrial roots and offering immersive experiences, the museum serves as a bridge between the past and the present, celebrating the enduring spirit of Le Havre.

“The Port Museum of Le Havre is a standout project for its sensitive yet innovative approach to preserving Le Havre’s cultural and industrial heritage. The narrative beautifully encapsulates the essence of Le Havre’s transformation from a wartime port to a thriving industrial center, while maintaining deep respect for the city’s past. By preserving the existing port structures with minimal modifications, the project masterfully honors the historical integrity of the site, allowing the architecture itself to serve as a living exhibit.

The immersive experiential journey through Le Havre’s history, particularly through interactive displays and projection mapping, creates a captivating connection between the past and present. The inclusion of the ship ride around the active harbor and the floating restaurant further enriches the visitor experience, blending the museum’s narrative with the life of the port city today.

In addition to the thoughtful narrative, the project’s expressive drawings stand out as a powerful element. They are not just illustrations but invitations, drawing viewers into the story of Le Havre. The detailed visual storytelling makes you feel as though you are right there in the scene, experiencing the port’s pulse and its historical significance firsthand.

This project excels at bridging history and modernity, offering a timeless cultural landmark for Le Havre. It is more than a museum; it is a living monument that embodies resilience and progress.”

The Museum of Resilience stands proudly at the heart of the Port of Le Havre, like a lighthouse, guiding and inspiring. 

It symbolizes renewal, serving as a beacon of hope. Housed in a former industrial windbreak, the building has been repurposed into a cultural space dedicated to resilience, offering a venue for reflection and dialogue on urban and environmental challenges.

A Poetic and Sustainable transformation – As a protected structure, the museum’s rehabilitation focuses on sustainability by reusing and renovating much of the original edifice. Rather than erasing the past, the project breathes new life into the space. Once a barrier against the wind, it has been transformed into a place for gathering, creation, and contemplation.

Wind as a Design Element – Wind plays a key role in the museum’s architecture. Large sails on the façade move with natural air currents, creating a smooth transition between indoor and outdoor spaces. While some areas are insulated, others remain open, reducing energy consumption and enhancing sustainability.

Architectural Program – Upon arrival, visitors are welcomed by a restaurant, providing a friendly space to relax without engaging with the exhibitions. Beyond, the entrance hall faces the pontoon, offering access for those arriving by sea.

Inside, modular exhibition spaces offer both open areas for outdoor displays and enclosed spaces for intimate projects. Above these, ateliers are dedicated to resident artists, museum staff, and educational programs for visitors and children, fostering learning and creativity. The museum also features an auditorium for conferences and cultural events, with an adjacent space for post-event gatherings. Outside, a terrace offers sea views and connects to upper balconies with panoramic vistas, while the elevator doubles as a lighthouse. 

Phased Development – The building’s design allows for flexible future development. By insulating only selected areas, the museum can expand or modify its layout as needed, balancing ecological and economic concerns.

Outdoor Spaces – The museum grounds feature a pavilion for picnics and relaxation, an outdoor cinema and concert venue, and an educational garden designed following Gilles Clément’s principles of landscape design, promoting a harmonious balance between nature and human intervention. These spaces foster community engagement and offer opportunities for public gatherings and learning about nature and resilience.

Community Focus – Open to all generations, the Museum of Resilience offers diverse programs addressing social, cultural, and environmental challenges. Interactive exhibitions, workshops, and creative ateliers encourage visitors to explore and reflect on resilience—the capacity to overcome adversity and thrive.

A Place for Reflection – Resilience, the museum’s central theme, is explored through art, installations, and events. It highlights the ability of individuals and communities to adapt and grow stronger in the face of challenges. The Museum of Resilience serves as a space for dialogue and inspiration, promoting a sustainable and inclusive future for all.

“An elegant solution that ties the context into the site by clarifying connectivity both in physical and characteristics”

The proposal envisions the design of interventions from the public space to the building that will configure a new urban area for Le Havre. Extending beyond the site’s boundaries, the project aims to weave together the loose ends of the pre-existing and establish meaningful connections with the surroundings.

In addition to the restructure of the existing roads and parking lot, the public space solution involves the design of a large garden that features the expansion of the green and shaded areas, the strengthening of pedestrian lines and the opening of a bicycle lane that de-lines the waterfront establishing a new connection with the building and the city. The garden is enriched by a composition of public-use devices derived from the building’s grid, establishing visual and physical connections with the landscape and encouraging social and collective relations.

The building is based on the appropriation of the ruin’s structural section from which arises a composition of three pavilions as an extrusion of its void, each with a distinct function and atmosphere. The integral structure of the pre-existing is preserved as the new wooden structure simply rests on the ruin’s concrete beams whereas the large curve is torn by circular openings for framing, lighting and ventilation purposes. The façades present contrasting textures and materialities – a soft wooden side facing north and a concrete one facing south retaining the ruin’s rawness.

Potentially as an extension form of the “Port Center du Havre”, the proposed program is a CO-museum of Art where the interrelation between creation and exhibition is explored. The ground floor pavilion features an open space of communal studios for artists – multi-purpose co-working spaces for projects related to art, crafts and design encouraging the development of events with cultural and creative content. It also accommodates the museum’s social spaces that blend in with the garden boosting the site’s transformation. The pavilion offers a wooden grid-module capable of adapting to changes, both in terms of space flexibility and area expansion according to the artists’ needs.

The first floor pavilion features the permanent exhibition space. It takes the form of a habitable greenhouse designed to collect solar energy, acting as a thermal collector during cold periods and as a ventilation device during hot seasons. This greenhouse principle flavours the experience and functioning of the interior space promoting the quality of its sustainable habitability.

The second floor pavilion features the temporary exhibition space. This area is defined by an interior dim space that turns inwards where natural lighting and landscape appear punctually through a different set of framings with windows and balconies. The use of textile as cladding and curtains to divide the exhibitions contributes to its introspective experience.

Overall, by blending the building design with the public space approach, the project aims to renaturalise the plot by extending the leisure and social areas, giving prominence to pedestrian and slow mobility and focusing on sustainability as the key subject for urban regeneration and local transformation.

“The project revitalizes Le Havre with a sustainable CO-museum of Art, integrating green spaces and slow mobility. It features adaptable pavilions built on the ruin’s structure, using timber for flexibility and sustainability, while blending public and exhibition spaces to foster social interaction.”

Only after the Suez Canal was blocked by the Evergreen container ship for six days, could people feel what it meant to be interconnected. The maritime transport sector has become undeniably crucial to our global society. However, this sector, in our minds, often times remains abstract, invisible. It’s not hard to see why: we cannot see global trade; we do not walk shipping routes.

Le Havre is a port city; the city was birthed with the harbour. Harbours explicitly tells how modern-day people view water: water is wet, land is dry. A map of a harbour shows a straight delineated line divide the land from the sea. The Brise-Vent, with this viewpoint, could be seen as a technology that further affirms this concept of land-water divide. It was built as a shield to keep the harbour and ships dry from storms. However, in the midst of a climate crisis, as sea level rise and cities sink, people are starting to realise something. Maybe the idea of wet sea and dry land was never a thing. What never was is now once again what it isn’t.

The point of our design wasn’t to push the reset button, since there is no such thing. Besides, the Brise-Vent was too alluring to be abandoned. The 20^th century technical marvel was something to be shown off, not be hidden. Also, the curvature and openings were, dare one say, iconic. The design we propose is a call and response between the original and the newly built. The new façade reimagines the ‘Port Ruin’ revitalized, acting as a beacon for the next phase of Port of Le Havre. The hung platforms add on to its structural engineering. The long galleries penetrating underneath the structure we saw in rhythm with the Brise-Vent; and those galleries becoming piers comes full circle.

For people to be able to see boat propellers turn and walk among moving ships underwater was crucial. To see the invisible and feel the abstract was something we wanted to offer with our design. Minor concerns like noise could be solved with new technology such as electric ferries, something the EU is already investing in. Also noticing the isolated area of the given site, especially by road, we saw this as an opportunity to offer a fuller experience of the port city.

To make the Brise-Vent wet might seem counterintuitive or ironic concerning its original purpose. However, by reconsidering the notion of a land-water divide, the base of this thought becomes unsteady. Once you see the land the harbour is built on as mere lines humans carved out from the sea, it is not hard to rethink the relationship.

“A project with great character but at the same very respectful to the existing structure. Great urban comprehension, Groundscapes and integrating the water to the spatial experience was unique, Great and complete graphics too.”

It was during a visit to the site that we realized everything was already there. The abandoned ruin of the Brise-Vent had withstood time, carrying an unsightly advertisement on its back. Its reverse side had always been neglected, yet within it lies a cavernous and reassuring shelter.

The process of the site’s renaturation is already well underway, with hardy plants breaking through the asphalt and covering the ground. A third landscape (“the sum of spaces where man leaves the evolution of the landscape to nature alone” – Gilles Clément), drawn by nature, is a treasure of perseverance within a harsh and polluted industrial context.

This entire ecosystem, which has fought slowly to exist, deserves to be preserved: the project will delicately anchor itself on the protected side and will be designed to be dismantlable, leaving the ruin intact. The rigorous nine-square grid will be highlighted, allowing the emergence of units, of artistic families. Each unit will blend into the sweeping curves of the windbreak. Technique will come in support of poetry.

MIfAA+ it’s:

Dreaming – A poetic place for artists, for those passionate about art, but also for the curious one; a place of shared emotions to behold the sea, a large central garden, all the oversized industrial objects, the oil tanks, the wind turbine blades, the tankers, parasols, a rectangular port.

A member of the network of contemporary art centers, the project will become part of a national initiative, producing and showcasing numerous exhibitions and artworks. It will also engage in international collaborations, enhancing its visibility and fostering artistic partnerships.

Contemplating – The exhibition halls, open to the north gallery, will offer large modular spaces where the artworks and architecture will blend harmoniously with the sounds and the surrounding industrial landscape, creating a unique journey punctuated by the Brise-Vent.

Two elevated pavilions, one for welcoming and the other for singular exhibitions, will enrich the island by creating a unique dialogue between art, nature, and history, while establishing the Brise-Vent as the site’s centerpiece.

Making – On the first floor, the space becomes more intimate. The workshops are set up, widely open to the north, offering an unobstructed view of the harbor landscape.

Living – On the top floor, 27 rooms will host hundreds of artists each year, with residencies of varying lengths, creating a constantly renewing environment. The living spaces are connected, interrupted by winter gardens, offering flexibility and privacy. A suspended mezzanine allows for views of the port of Le Havre.

Breathing – The southern part will feature a harmonious garden, a central space for community life and artistic expression, where a flowing path will contrast with the rigidity of the Harbor. The clearing, isolated by vegetation and shielded from the horizon, free from any use, it will become a sanctuary for contemplation and a place to gather for public events, alongside the auditorium.

“A poetic place for artists, for those passionate about art, but also for the curious ones, accepting the conditions in which the place is today: a third landscape.”

The Art Pipe: A Fusion of Heritage and Modernity

The city of Le Havre is steeped in history, and the iconic concrete arch, constructed in 1947, has stood as a sentinel against the harsh coastal weather for decades. Initially built as a protective structure following a major storm in 1946, the arch spans 270 meters in length and 21.5 meters in height, with its original purpose being to shield the city’s docks and infrastructure from wind damage. Today, this historical monument represents resilience, and our project aims to maintain that legacy by enhancing its form while respecting its purpose.

In developing this proposal, we have committed to preserving the visual integrity and materiality of the original concrete arch. The design does not alter the appearance or texture of the existing structure but instead builds upon it with a lightweight, flexible steel-and-glass cylindrical structure that floats above the arch. This new addition reimagines the arch as a museum space that seamlessly integrates modern architectural language with the industrial history of the site.

Architectural Concept and Cultural Reflection

The design of the museum takes direct inspiration from the city’s cultural and architectural identity, which has been shaped by its relationship with industry and the sea. Notably, many of the city’s prominent structures—including its church towers, factory smokestacks, and port landmarks—feature cylindrical forms. Even the culinary heritage of Le Havre, with dishes such as the Andouille de Vire, reflects this cylindrical identity. Through this project, we have embraced these forms as a symbol of unity between the past and present, allowing the cylindrical shape to be a recurring motif throughout the museum’s architecture.

The project emphasizes the fluidity of movement within the space. The cylindrical museum consists of three levels, each connected by a spiral circulation path, allowing visitors to experience the art exhibits and the panoramic views of the city and sea. The movement between these levels mimics the natural curves and flows of the city’s industrial structures, while also promoting seamless interaction between the different functions of the building, including museum galleries, art installations, and viewing decks.

A Contemporary Space with Respect for Tradition

In preserving the historical significance of the site, the landscape design is intentionally minimalistic, allowing the architecture to take center stage. This understated approach ensures that the museum harmonizes with its environment, reinforcing the coastal identity of Le Havre while framing the original arch as a testament to the city’s enduring spirit. The landscape design reflects a careful balance between function and simplicity, with subtle green areas and pathways that complement the larger urban context of the port.

In summary, “The Art Pipe” project seeks to create a dynamic space for cultural exchange, where the industrial past meets modern creativity. The transparent and reflective surfaces of the new structure emphasize the dialogue between the old and the new, ensuring that the original concrete arch retains its dominant presence, both visually and symbolically. By maintaining the material authenticity of the arch and introducing a lightweight addition that elevates its purpose, this project embodies a forward-looking vision while remaining deeply rooted in the heritage of Le Havre.

“The transformation of the giant concrete wall into the pipe is spectacular and accentuates the site’s horizontality.”

We envision a pedestrian pathway along the north side of the site, stretching across the sea to link with the upcoming Le Havre New Cruise Port (scheduled for completion in 2025) and the public landscape at Southampton Pier. This pathway, together with the central area of Le Havre, will create a smooth walking route from the city to the waterfront, offering an experience that blends history and modernity. The design idea draws from Auguste Perret’s planning ideology of connecting urban and waterfront areas, while aligning with the local urban development.

The pedestrian bridge will channel foot traffic to the northern side of the site, where we plan to position the expanded building. The ground floor will be elevated to serve as the main entrance, with a secondary entrance on the east for visitors coming from that direction. The vehicle traffic mainly comes from the northeast, thus a parking building will be established at the edge to address the space challenge of open parking.

The dense structural columns of Brise-Vent make it well-suited for housing the museum’s auxiliary spaces, while the open exhibition area will be located in the northern extension. The centrally positioned public spaces of the museum will connect vertically to the entrance below, dividing the exhibition areas into two sections to enable simultaneous exhibitions of various themes.

Brise-Vent looks out over the expansive sea, while the new extension faces the lively cityscape. This design harmoniously melds the environmental characteristics of both. On the seaward side, a park combining nature and art will be created with climbing plants extending onto the rooftop of Brise-Vent. This integration transforms the “Green Sailboat” into a symbol of environmental protection and sustainability. The plants will protect the concrete from weathering and provide passive energy saving through cooling the southwest-facing indoor and outdoor spaces. The extended building echoes the curved elements of Brise-Vent, with its cantilevered structure minimizing sea encroachment and maximizing the rooftop viewing platform. The shaded space below will create versatile exhibition areas, inviting visitors to enjoy a unique experience by the seaside.

Building upon the existing structure of Brise-Vent, we propose “lifting” its central roof to connect the outdoor spaces on both sides. The ground floor will feature a cross-shaped spatial layout with pedestrian pathways, housing the museum’s supporting functions and creating a vibrant cultural network of walkways. The roof will be equipped with cadmium telluride photovoltaic panels for active energy generation, with a viewing platform, a café, and art studios underneath.

The exhibition space will have electrochromic glass on its façade, allowing the glass transparency to be adjusted based on the exhibition content. In certain thematic exhibitions, visitors will be able to enjoy views of the sea when exploring the displays. Additionally, the base of the building will feature channel glass that reflects the ground-floor exhibits onto the building’s exterior, adding a colorful architectural presence to the city.

“The integration of sustainable elements like climbing plants and photovoltaic panels emphasizes environmental responsibility while enhancing the aesthetic and functional aspects of the site. By preserving the essence of Brise-Vent and introducing dynamic new spaces, this project creates a vibrant cultural landmark that celebrates Le Havre’s maritime heritage and future.”

In the historical rise and fall of the port of Le Havre, countless individuals have been or are participating in it. When Le Havre was still a small fishing village, fishermen turned it into a cozy harbor; when the city was transforming and developing, industrialists made it flourish; in the disaster of world wars, soldiers guarded their homeland here; after the war, architects rebuilt the beautiful home; later on, merchants, politicians, citizens, children, artists… all those who love it have shaped the life here, and they will also shape the future of Le Havre.

In Le Havre, what deserves more praise than the scenery, history and culture of the port are the people, the individuals, and their kaleidoscopic lives. This museum is not just a static exhibition venue, but a living space that can evoke emotions and allow everyone to find a resonance here. Life Kaleidoscope Hub rejuvenates this abandoned concrete structure by showcasing the life of every individual, turning it into a vibrant public space and the new heart of Le Havre’s cultural scene.

Therefore, I have designed a series of exhibition halls with different thematic characters, each presenting distinct emotional feelings through the color changes of stained glass and the light control of louvers. Within each hall, different spaces are separated by colored glass slices, which not only serve as the backdrop for displays but also, when people are inside, create layers of overlapping shadows between the glass panels, turning these shadows into an integral part of the exhibits. This fosters interactions among people, between people and exhibits, as well as between people and the architecture. Moreover, I have incorporated glass boxes into each interval of the concrete structure, serving as leisure and transition spaces.

Land is sacred for the Ifugao people. They believe that if we treat nature right, nature will provide and nourish us. This can be seen from their rich cultural history, in which they utilize nature as treasure in need to be tended to. From food, clothing, dwellings and pretty much everything one would need.

Pair the way of living of the Ifugao people and the breathtaking beauty of the Banaue rice terraces, then it wouldn’t come as a surprise that people travel across the globe to immerse themselves in that environment for a period of time as a way to take everything slowly.

The design of Huk-Ot focuses on this idea in generating a new found creative problem solution that is directly derived from its predecessors, the culture and the environment. By culling key points from these sources, the design process is able to produce something entirely new and yet still very familiar.

The core idea is the deconstruction and reconfiguration of the traditional Ifugao house. By integrating modern technological advancements in building, the design is able to be multi-faceted. This means that the beneficiaries to the built environment are not limited to only its users, but the community and environment it imposes itself on.

The Ifugao people are proud and are known for their woodcarving, weaving, and other handicrafts while they are not busy planting indigenous ‘tinawon’ rice on the rice terraces on the mountains of Banaue town. The handicrafts augment their families’ income while they continue to plant rice at the terraces, which are part of their culture, and continue to awe thousands of tourists from across the globe all year round.

In line with this idea, this project realizes the opportunity for the whole community of Banaue Rice Terraces to take part in the intervention of the resthouse. The design systemology is derived from their areas of expertise that are ingrained into their culture and the traditional ifugao house. In this way, this design intervention could not only help support the Banauan community financially, but at the same time empower the culture and pride of the Ifugao.

The design’s vision is the injection of a regenerative cycle of beneficial growth. The design of the resthouse does not only prioritize the experience of the tourists and guests that visit the Banaue rice terraces, but the overall health of the community and its surrounding environment. We believe that in today’s time, the designer’s intervention must take into account a multi-faceted approach to maximize fostering built environments that not only help a certain set of people, but everyone that is involved and the nature it imposes on.

“The project’s striking additive circulation path which maximizes harbor views, was the clearest iteration of projects which took a similar approach.”

MVMNT is a cultural institution, a spatial device, the zeitgeist, the port of Le Havre, the blow of the wind, the flow of the sea.

Le Havre’s windbreak now proudly bears the lettering MVMNT on its emblematic concrete sail. They are the initials of the new institution that has taken its place there: the Musée du Vent, de la Mer, de la Nature et des Technologies (Museum of Wind, Sea, Nature and Technologies in French).

This new venue is firmly rooted in the city’s local identity, bringing together workers, creators, researchers, residents, students and visitors to reflect on environmental issues and our common future, mixing media and institutions, exhibition typologies and messages.

MVMNT is also the epitome of the word mouvement (French for movement). Five of the letters inhabit the facade while the other four have slipped to the ground to become pavilions that organize the public space to the south of the structure. Mouvement is the conceptual core of the project, the backbone for all its design components. It is first deeply connected on a historical scale to the irreducible dynamism of the port of Le Havre, place of exchange through the centuries. It then echoes the urban scale, with the aim to bring back to life a forgotten architectural heritage and its neglected surroundings. This notion is present on the programmatic level too, by working around the living world through the essential elements of water and air – fundamentally necessary to all forms of nature – and through technologies and progress, which are by definition in movement, constantly evolving fields. Finally, on an architectural scale, the addition of a contemporary structure features a movable facade, enabling the museum to open up along its entire length for a season, a month, a week or a day, thus creating a hybrid space protected from the prevailing winds and flexible enough to host exhibitions, events, concerts, and so on.

This second skin accommodates the new walkways, connecting the 9 existing modules without disrupting the concrete structure, thus becoming the very expression of visitors moving vertically, horizontally and diagonally through the museum.

When closed, this new system of passageways fits within the concrete skeleton, preserving the iconic shape of the existing structure and providing a circulation spine for the various rooms distributed in the three levels of the building. In both configurations, the metal framework gives access to the top deck, offering a 360-degree panorama of the city, port and sea.

The moving facade is constituted by 8 rail-mounted cranes moving sideways through the existing openings of the concrete veil. The facade and the cranes are designed to resonate with the port’s materiality, activities and facilities, so characteristic of the city of Le Havre, its location and history.

The museum expands and retracts as events and seasons change: MVMNT breathes in harmony with the elements, adapting to natural and human forces… moving towards tomorrow.

Land is sacred for the Ifugao people. They believe that if we treat nature right, nature will provide and nourish us. This can be seen from their rich cultural history, in which they utilize nature as treasure in need to be tended to. From food, clothing, dwellings and pretty much everything one would need.

Pair the way of living of the Ifugao people and the breathtaking beauty of the Banaue rice terraces, then it wouldn’t come as a surprise that people travel across the globe to immerse themselves in that environment for a period of time as a way to take everything slowly.

The design of Huk-Ot focuses on this idea in generating a new found creative problem solution that is directly derived from its predecessors, the culture and the environment. By culling key points from these sources, the design process is able to produce something entirely new and yet still very familiar.

The core idea is the deconstruction and reconfiguration of the traditional Ifugao house. By integrating modern technological advancements in building, the design is able to be multi-faceted. This means that the beneficiaries to the built environment are not limited to only its users, but the community and environment it imposes itself on.

The Ifugao people are proud and are known for their woodcarving, weaving, and other handicrafts while they are not busy planting indigenous ‘tinawon’ rice on the rice terraces on the mountains of Banaue town. The handicrafts augment their families’ income while they continue to plant rice at the terraces, which are part of their culture, and continue to awe thousands of tourists from across the globe all year round.

In line with this idea, this project realizes the opportunity for the whole community of Banaue Rice Terraces to take part in the intervention of the resthouse. The design systemology is derived from their areas of expertise that are ingrained into their culture and the traditional ifugao house. In this way, this design intervention could not only help support the Banauan community financially, but at the same time empower the culture and pride of the Ifugao.

The design’s vision is the injection of a regenerative cycle of beneficial growth. The design of the resthouse does not only prioritize the experience of the tourists and guests that visit the Banaue rice terraces, but the overall health of the community and its surrounding environment. We believe that in today’s time, the designer’s intervention must take into account a multi-faceted approach to maximize fostering built environments that not only help a certain set of people, but everyone that is involved and the nature it imposes on.

“The MVMNT project presents a vibrant and playful cultural institution that revitalizes Le Havre’s windbreak. Named the Musée du Vent, de la Mer, de la Nature et des Technologies, it invites diverse groups—workers, creators, and visitors—to engage with environmental themes and local identity. The design emphasizes movement, with a flexible facade that opens up for various events and exhibitions, creating a dynamic space that adapts to the elements. The integration of walkways connects existing modules while preserving the original structure, enhancing the visitor experience. Overall, MVMNT is a captivating project that embodies the spirit of Le Havre and its rich history.”

The project takes shape within an existing exposed concrete structure, a raw and monumental volume that incorporates new elements: maritime containers converted into exhibition spaces. This architectural intervention establishes a strong parallel between the form and the content of the museum. Just as the containers, originally designed for a different purpose, find new function within the concrete void, the exhibited works—forgotten and rediscovered marine sculptures—are reborn in a context that enhances their value. The insertion of the containers is not only functional but also highly symbolic. These metallic volumes visually recall the maritime and port world, evoking the transport and preservation of precious objects, just like the sculptures on display, recovered from the sea and rescued from oblivion. The new museal function of the containers transforms their perception from mere industrial objects to guardians of art and history. The material contrast between the raw concrete and the metal of the containers further highlights the dialogue between past and present, between the ruin and the contemporary intervention. The interior setup of the containers is minimal to avoid distracting from the artworks. The sculptures are positioned to emerge like recovered treasures, immersed in diffused light that evokes the marine environment, aiming to offer visitors an immersive experience, a visual and sensory journey between past and present, between the memory of the sea and the new life of what has been recovered. Additionally, two pools have been designed within the structure to bring life back to the space that once touched the water but was inaccessible due to its port usage. These aquatic elements reestablish the connection between the building and its surroundings, inviting the public to experience water firsthand. The pools, set into the raw concrete, not only enhance the user experience but also emphasize the maritime theme, transforming a previously unused space into an active and contemplative place that celebrates both art and the sea. The introduction of aquatic elements within the building reestablishes a deep connection with the surrounding environment, inviting the public to engage directly with the water. The pools, embedded in the raw concrete, not only enrich the user experience but also amplify the maritime theme, turning a previously unused space into a lively and contemplative environment that celebrates both art and the sea. Moreover, the design of two distinct areas—the exhibition space and the sports area—will create a dual dynamic that explores two different uses of water. The first space will illustrate water as a means of transport, revealing how the sea hides lost treasures and fascinating stories along its routes. The second space, dedicated to the pools, will emphasize water as a tool for sports activities and community participation, allowing citizens to interact and directly benefit from this essential resource. This dual approach not only enhances the overall experience but also promotes greater awareness and appreciation of the various dimensions of this element.

Le Havre’s Triangular Trade and the Legacy of Slavery

Le Havre played a central role in France’s involvement in the transatlantic slave trade, and this legacy is reflected in the names of its streets. Rue Jules Masurier is named after a mayor who continued slave trading long after it was outlawed. Rue Begouen honors Jacques-François Begouën, a slave trader who advocated for slavery as essential to the economy.

The economic prosperity of Le Havre’s port and its industrial development were built on this foundation of exploitation. Despite this, the city’s recognition of its dark past remains minimal, with only a small plaque acknowledging its involvement in the slave trade. This project seeks to confront this silence and engage with Le Havre’s complex legacy through architecture, bringing the stories of the oppressed to the forefront.

Confronting History: A Moment for Reconciliation

There are global examples of communities confronting their past. In Asunción, a statue of dictator Alfredo Stroessner was dismantled and reassembled into a monument for those who resisted him, transforming a symbol of oppression into one of liberation. This idea of reconfiguring oppressive monuments serves as inspiration for our approach to the windbreak wall in Le Havre.

The windbreak wall, like a statue, stands as a physical embodiment of an oppressive history, a constant reminder of the transatlantic slave trade that built Le Havre’s prosperity. Its heavy, immovable presence symbolizes the weight of injustice and exploitation. By deconstructing and reconfiguring this solid structure, we aim to symbolically shatter the legacy of oppression it represents. In reassembling its elements into something dynamic, we turn it into a symbol of liberation, representing the breaking of the bonds of slavery. This transformation takes something that once stood for injustice and oppression and turns it into a beacon of hope and freedom.

Architectural Inspiration: Stability and Fragility

Our design draws on the work of John Hejduk and Benjamin Langholz, who explore the balance between stability and fragility in their architecture. Hejduk’s “The House of the Suicide” and “The House of the Mother of the Suicide” use architectural forms to protest Soviet oppression in Czechoslovakia, while Langholz’s “Stone 27” presents a fragile circular staircase of stones suspended on thin metal rods, creating tension between fragility and strength.

For Le Havre’s windbreak wall, we combine these themes. The existing concrete wall, heavy and stable, represents the oppressive forces of the past. Our intervention introduces a lightweight, translucent membrane structure that pierces through the concrete, symbolizing the fragility and resilience of liberation. This dynamic tension between the solid concrete and delicate membrane speaks to the fragility of freedom and the strength required to overcome historical oppression.

At the heart of this redesign is the transformation of the wall into a human rights museum. The museum will serve as a space for reflection, remembrance, and advocacy for justice and equality. Its architecture reflects the delicate balance between the strength of human rights movements and the fragility of their progress. By breaking free from the weight of history, the building becomes a symbol of resilience, transformation, and hope, representing a future that transcends historical injustices while honoring the ongoing fight for human dignity.

A PARADIGM SHIFT

The Dock Mill project is an invitation to reverse an age-old paradigm linked to elemental forces: “work with” rather than suffer. For centuries, human beings have harnessed the power of the wind to develop, navigate, feed, and enrich themselves, but paradoxically they have developed a fearful attitude and a relationship of rejection towards the wind. They have never been able to fully tame the wind, and their dislike has continued to grow. The gigantic wasteland of the “brise-vent,” a reminder of the city’s bygone golden age, is the symbol of this fear: its shape has protected the port from the wind, but it has never succeeded in taming it. How can we tame this elemental force again through architecture, so that we no longer suffer it, but celebrate it ?

CELEBRATING THE WIND

The proposed intervention involves preserving and highlighting the building’s plastic and formal heritage while embodying new, more resilient ambitions based on the major challenges facing humankind in the 21st century. The Docklands Mill, a true analogy to the windmill, will arouse the senses of visitors through the animation of its architecture, moving with the winds and storms. In this way, it will reveal and physically illustrate the very special character of an area dominated by elemental forces and monumental port infrastructures.

The windmill will draw the public into a museum space focused on teaching them about the wind, its history with humankind, cities, science, and many other fields. It will awaken the senses, popularize this force, and embody the great challenges that the wind can take up, thanks to an immersive energy production area that will be visible to all.

THE DOCK MILL : A RECONNECTION BETWEEN THE INDUSTRIAL PORT AND THE CITY

Although the link between Le Havre and its industrial port area is an integral part of the identity of the city and its inhabitants, it has deteriorated over the last 50 years. Today, the mill aims to rebuild this link. But how can we recreate this connection when the building’s geographical location makes it difficult to physically reconnect with the area ?

The mill’s traveling platform, a floating extension of the building, will sail through the waters of the estuary and the docks like a signal, reconnecting this little-known site with the area’s major urban, cultural, and festive centers. It will transport the public and be able to activate different public spaces in the city by mooring there from time to time.

This will make the building and the Museum of the Mill shine beyond its borders, enabling it to forge a strong place for itself in the collective imagination of residents and travelers. With this ambition, Le Havre will embrace its industrial identity loud and clear. It is thanks to the wind that this new symbiosis is taking shape, combining a shared imagination, federative programs, and reconnection through sustainable river mobility.

In order to renew Le Brise Vent and bring it back to the city, a banded functional system is proposed adherent to the pre-exisiting concrete structure, consisting of three striped volumes displaced with each other in a geometrical tension.

The A volume, a newly built closed structure in which the new museum, a concert hall, a library and a private office space are included. Covered in a continuous translucent plastic lattice, it shines during night, becoming a landmark when seen from downtown.

Te B volume, the inner one, contains the vertical comunications, the restrooms and other specific auxiliary spaces that support the main programs contained on A, as well as an interior hallway that horizontally distributes the building.

The C volume, being the pre-existing Brise Vent structure, contains commercial spaces linked to the interior hallway, as well as an exterior garden in which nature conquers the concrete strucutre, being a final exterior resting place after visiting the exhibitions.

A transversal exterior cutoff pierces all three stripes in the form of an exterior street. This space helps breaking the overwhelming longitudinal dimension of the building, as well as functioning as the main access and distribution lobby to the complex.

The remaining island is transformed into a new urban space, containing sportive equipment as well as the parking. The two proposed water canals allow the sea to enter this urban spaces, reminding us how this new architecture shines over the sea and becomes a new landmark on Le Havre’s night. 

The aim of this work, where the existing structure takes precedence, is not to disturb its current value, but rather to emphasize its great importance in the existing context through the implementation of a new architecture. The proposed approach assumes the adaptation of the preserved structure to new functions, giving it another life and adding various programs to encourage visitors to explore the nearby Le Havre port area. Its strong connection to the sea, as well as the experience of water, is a key factor in defining the proposed museum exhibitions.

Concept

The new volume, implemented behind the existing structure, has been added while preserving its primary role as a physical barrier protecting ships from various weather conditions. The proposed design reinterprets this function with a more ideological meaning, where ‘Le Havre’ protects the proposed spaces, assuming responsibility for its new role and simultaneously becoming a prominent landmark within the existing harbor context. The construction approach for the new building is based on the module of the existing structure, which establishes a clear layout for the new design.

Program

The new program has been implemented based on three main axes. The northern part is dedicated to the museum, featuring temporary and permanent exhibitions, integrated with social elements such as an auditorium, library, and a restaurant with a direct view of the water. The middle zone is dedicated to the main circulation, offering an open area that leads visitors through the structure. This space allows them to engage with the preserved structure. The southern zone, occupied by the existing wall, has been adapted primarily for supporting services, along with green areas for rest and contemplation. The existing facade openings have been maintained, allowing the greenery to intertwine with the interior spaces. This creates a stronger connection between the structure and the park developed in the nearby area. The proposed internal museum spaces are partially visible from the outside, as they extend beyond the main facade, forming various shapes. This design allows for more flexible adaptation of the future life of the building and creates a clear, cohesive layout for the external facade

Adaptation

The new part of the design proposal is specifically dedicated to museum spaces, which, through various exhibitions, aims to immerse visitors in an experience with water and deepen their understanding of the strong connections between the city and the sea. The area is organized around a new internal path, designed as a journey that guides users from the entrance through all the proposed zones, including an underwater exhibition. Finally, visitors reach a viewpoint overlooking the water, serving as the culmination of the journey. Its purpose is to highlight the main theme of the exhibition – the physical and spiritual relationships between water and humanity.

The Musée des Énergies Légères aims to revitalize part of Le Havre’s iconic Brise-vent, transforming this industrial edifice into a cultural space dedicated to renewable energies. The project seeks to harmoniously blend history and innovation by embracing the contours of this industrial heritage.

The first phase involves meticulously restoring the Brise-vent, removing later additions to reveal its original structure and raw, timeless aesthetic. This restoration honors the evocative power of industrial architecture while paving the way for new functional possibilities.

The project then focuses on adaptability and functionality. Networks and utilities will be routed along the upper walkway, which will serve as both a promenade and an observation point for the surrounding landscape—a solution combining efficiency with elegance. Stairs, positioned every two blowholes, will connect the three floors. Inside, the museum’s height under the beams will create a space for discovery and contemplation. Perforated corrugated metal, aligned with the beams, will offer subtle protection while maintaining the industrial aura of the Brise-vent.

The last three building spans will house the museum’s exhibition spaces, shop, and restaurant with an outdoor terrace. On the first floor, the auditorium, located at the prow of the Brise-vent, will serve as a versatile space. Laboratories with cross-views of the museum will be complemented by a mezzanine library overlooking the temporary exhibitions.

The museum will aim to raise public awareness about the wind, an invisible yet powerful force that shaped the Brise-vent. Through interactive installations, educational exhibits, and artistic works, visitors will discover wind as a sustainable energy source and a vital force capable of shaping our environment. The Museum of Light Energies will allow visitors to explore wind not only as a meteorological phenomenon but as a valuable resource for the future.

The garden of light energies, located on the south side of the structure, will serve as a model of energy autonomy for the museum. Incorporating wind turbines and solar panels, this garden will generate renewable energy while demonstrating the symbiosis between architecture and the environment. Rainwater collected from the curved facade of the Brise-vent will be stored in basins, and the replanting of local species will restore valuable biodiversity within the industrial port. On the north side, the project will enhance the urban fabric by creating bicycle parking, a skate park, a music stage, playgrounds for children, and thoughtfully designed contemplation spaces with views of the sea, port, and city. This mix of diverse functions will encourage soft mobility and seamlessly integrate the museum into its urban context.

The remaining spans of the structure will be available for shops, offices, and flexible spaces, responding to the area’s dynamic needs. The Musée des Énergies Légères will not merely rehabilitate a building but embody a bold vision for Le Havre, forging a connection between industrial history and the promise of an energy future while celebrating the dialogue between architecture, environment, and community.

Inspired by the communal spirit of the Dap-ay, the lodge features a spacious gathering area encircling a central fireplace, serving as the heart of the lodge (1). Here, locals and tourists can come together to share stories, partake in rituals, and immerse themselves in the vibrant tapestry of Ifugao culture.

Drawing inspiration from the traditional Bale housing of the Ifugao, Bahay Dap-ay combines thatched roofs crafted in the vernacular style with roofs made from local stone slates, reminiscent of the indigenous use of stone, notably on the rice terraces. This distinctive architectural choice not only honors centuries-old building techniques and materials but also symbolizes the resilience and independence of the Ifugao people.

The existing village landscape adapts to the natural contours of the land and rice terraces, flowing organically and seamlessly along the mountain environment. The layout of the lodge follows suit, creating a microcosm of Banaue society within. This thoughtful integration ensures that Bahay Dap-ay stands as a model of respectful and sustainable development, harmonizing new structures with the historical and environmental context of Banaue (2).

Guided by the walls of the rice terrace, there are winding pathways with tile patterns inspired by traditional Cordillera weaving (3). Bahay Dap-ay invites visitors to connect with the land and its people on a deeper level. With each step, visitors are immersed in the world of the Ifugao, with the lodge offering areas for gathering and quiet contemplation (4).

The architectural footprint is intentionally limited to highlight the significance of rice cultivation in the untouched areas of the site. Rice is central to the flourishing of the Ifugao people, and Bahay Dap-ay underscores its importance by surrounding all the buildings and pathways with rice and its waters. As an ever-present symbol and motif, rice serves as the foundation of both the lodge and the community.

Bahay Dap-ay is more than just a lodging facility; it is a living tribute to the Ifugao’s rich traditions and innovative spirit. By engaging with both the tangible and intangible cultural heritage of the region, Bahay Dap-ay provides an immersive experience that honors Ifugao heritage while promoting a sustainable future for the Banaue community.

It keeps watch over the sleepy shores of Le Havre. At the heart of the horizon, the huddled colossus stands like a screen. The mysterious edifice, as if weightless above the water, stretches its black shadow over the deserted quays. The whistling of the wind rushing through its skeleton sounds like the songs of sailors, sung to summon courage in a storm.

On the harbor side, as you get a little closer, the concrete wall takes shape. A veritable fortress emptied of its occupants, only the advertising writings visible on its skin bear witness to times gone by.

In the distance, on the city side, you can see a strange white sheet moving to the rhythm of the gusts of wind. At the foot of the sleeping giant, the plot of land left fallow is transformed into a fertile park where animals, plants and insects live in harmony.

A grid is drawn on the ground: it squares off, organizes, delimits sub-spaces and brings this vast expanse back to a scale that is familiar to pedestrians. The hollow joints left between the paving give a glimpse of rays of grass that extend to the horizon. 

The planted trees cast their refreshing shade over the ground, and the street furniture invites strollers to make the place their own. 

On the ground, where the concrete shell meets the earth, there are swirling staircases embedded in the structure, allowing you to leave terra firma and climb aboard the ship. You find yourself projected into the bowels of the monster. The strange moving sheet appears to us like a ship’s sail stretched by cables, its shape mirroring the curve of the building. The thin wall protects as much as it reveals the harbor landscape through its translucent fabric. Like a continuous line, a footbridge links the entire level, designed as a plateau capable of realizing all the possible. Its users can make it their own, and to walk across it is to awaken the senses. The result is a floor on which all kinds of cultural activities can take place. Exhibitions, screenings and performances of all kinds can coexist in a flexible, evolving space.

Leaning over the railing to contemplate the void, you can see an open-air street beneath your feet, where passers-by can wander freely. The concrete walls on the ground floor have been preserved, and the openings have been adorned with windows. These boxes become gallery spaces that can be rented out to artists at low cost to give them a place to exhibit their work. 

The top floor, under the sloping roof, is an observatory where you can spend a night under the stars. It’s an open-air museum where you can contemplate the stars and the city lights.

The Sea Cleanup Center is both a cultural, environmental and social space.

It brings life to the jetty of the “Brise-vent” and gathers various uses. These uses are centered around the theme of the museum, the Sea Cleanup. Located in the heart of the industrial port of Le Havre, it contrasts with this polluting environment and raises awareness of environmental issues and their solutions for a better future.

This center is far from the city center, and can be accessed by bike, boat, or on foot, using the pathways created from the city center for this project. The Sea Cleanup Center provides a scenic ending to this journey, from a long public footbridge. The walkway is the dynamic part of the project, that both distributes and provides views at various points of the harbor and the brise-vent. This walkway contrasts with the brise-vent through its red color, inspired by the industrial paint hues of shipping containers.

The second element, the brise-vent, is rehabilitated while preserving its original shape and structure, removing partitions and some floors. This choice preserves the heritage aspect of this unique form, which is part of the history of Le Havre. A curtain wall dresses the north facade of the building, with a design that echoes the facades of Auguste Perret, the most influential architect of the city.

Various uses inhabit the brise-vent. The museum occupies the end of the structure, combining three bays into a large continuous space. The rest of the brise-vent is intended for flexible and evolving uses, allowing a wide variety of functions that bring life to the place. Shops, NGOs, a bar, offices, and a research institute on maritime cleanup are housed in the brise-vent.

To the south of the brise-vent is a mound, continuing the curve of the brise-vent. It houses an art exhibition park and hosts the biodiversity of the heathlands. Here, too, there is a second walkway that runs through the park and its views along its length. This park blends areas of vegetation and shelters for wildlife with pathways dotted with platforms for contemporary sculpture exhibitions. An amphitheater facing the brise-vent hosts a stage for music, theater, and conferences.

The walk along the jetty offers a unique experience—through the nature that is brought back to this artificial space, through diverse programs that provide multiple reasons to visit, and through its walkway that offers exceptional views of the Brise-vent and the harbor.

The given site lies at the boundary between residential areas and agricultural land. For tourists visiting Banaue to experience the terraced rice fields, the Banaue Ground offers both a place of rest and a new experience. To present the terraced rice fields in their natural state, the Banaue Ground is built without any land reclamation or excavation. This allows tourists to fully experience Banaue’s terraced rice fields while providing residents with a space that retains familiar forms and atmospheres.

Banaue Ground serves as a buffer space where residents and tourists experiencing different perspectives can come together. Through offering various programs, it aims to grow into a sustainable building that adapts to the changes of the times.

The land, sustained by the Ifugao people through rice paddy farming, is submerged in water for half of the year. Adapting to this land characteristic, we shaped water spaces on the site and elevated the first-floor level above these water spaces. Drawing inspiration from the spatial hierarchy of Ifugao’s traditional houses, we planned the first floor to serve as public space and the second floor as private accommodation in separate units. The Banaue Ground, comprising two floors, was designed in a terraced manner to harmonize with the surrounding terrain’s elevation differences.

The overall structure of Banaue Ground is constructed with a wooden framework, reminiscent of traditional houses, aiming to blend seamlessly with the surroundings. Tourists experience traditional house forms through the wooden structures inside the rooms. The room designs reinterpret the gabled’s shape of Ifugao’s traditional houses and integrate with the flow of Banaue’s landscape through segmented structures of similar scale to neighboring buildings.

The courtyard, formed in a circular shape at the center of the first floor, allows for a seamless 360-degree view of the surrounding landscape. Natural light can be enjoyed from any space, and the roof of the courtyard is intricately connected to the Banaue‘s sophisticated irrigation system, channeling water into the area. This water circulates, creating a unique and captivating scenery for visitors.

The courtyard is proposed as a space with various possibilities, where visitors can experience and exchange cultures with the Ifugao people.

The second floor accommodations consist of five private rooms and one family room, accommodating a minimum of seven guests. After checking in at the first-floor lobby, tourists ascend to the second-floor rooms, embarking on a journey that connects them with nature. The private lodgings offer a serene retreat for guests’ next travels, providing a relaxing space with individual bathrooms and showcasing the magnificent landscapes of Banaue.

The building takes programmatic inspiration from both Pierre Nora’s “Lieu de Mémoire” and le Havre poet, novelist, and literary philosopher Raymond Queneau’s “Exercices de style” which posed that a single story be told in 99 different ways. In the same manner we propose that the Brise-Vent should function as place that acts as a container (ship) of memories and in which these memories and experiences should be formed by as many unique and differing spaces as possible. Every entry, corridor, nook, step, stair, walkway, studio, and hall are spaces for repeated reprogramming. The design achieves this with minor and major elements and the following processes:

• Temporariness: insertion of moveable and modular design elements. These are modular gallery walls, window sitting nooks incorporating temporary art, printable ceiling banners and a rolling programme of public art. Walls and windows open, sails shift and move.
• Lingering: a deliberate slowing of the speed at which people circulate throughout the interior and exterior. The design encourages meandering, stopping, pondering, and sitting by complex circulation: with numerous places to sit, lean, walk, observe, and view.

The proposal is a sensitive and potentially reversible Adaptive Reuse building: protecting the Brise-Vent’s Heritage Value. All elements from major structural elements to small seats and lean-tos are to be precisely installed and removable where possible. The Brise-Vent’s principal function: as wind barrier is also restored as a function of the new building.

Lieu de Mémoire: Major Elements

The long military and maritime trading context of the site, destruction in 1944, and recreation as a Major Sea and Riverport suggests a reworking of the architectural language of dock and shipyard for cultural purposes – through materiality and typical geometry. To this end we propose six major forms:

• La Tourbière: a rewilded wetland to the southern perimeter planned with the FDC76.
• A Phoenix: a circular walkway that echoes the function of the 1944 Phoenix Caissons.
• Linear buildings: tucked behind the sheltered northern façade that echoes the rhythm and forms of liner ships.
• A Funnel: a ships stair and vertical core that links all levels.
• Trois Longeron or 3 Spars: elevated walkways that stitch all building volumes and allow for panoramic views of le Havre.
• A New Sail: resembling an upturned boat’s hull peeking out from the ridgeline of the Brise: it’s function as shade, shelter of boats docked north and as ‘panneau d’affichage’ for le Havre.

The material language of the proposal revises and softens the cold hard functionality of steel and raw concrete of docks using local timber. Formal geometries echo that of industry: load-bearing frames, pilotis and trusses but constructed delicately, framed with timber, enclosed with finely detailed glass and bronzed aluminium. The proposal offers spaces to linger – through open access walkways, rentable artist studios, modular galleries, and small and large performance spaces: 99 ways and more to linger.