Design in details. Nantes. Architecture.

" Urban design is really the language of the city. When you walk down a street, everything you see has been designed. The width of the sidewalk, where trees are planted, the scale of the trees, how the street furniture interacts."
Amanda Burden (Director. NYC department of city planning) in Gary Hustwit's movie "Urbanized".

The more I learn about design, whether it is urban design or product design, I get more and more curious about the people behind the creations which surround us in our everyday life.
As I travel the world, I take photographs documenting streets, buildings, objects, things and views which inspire or impress me.
There are cities, which were thought of in a better way than others. In these cities, you feel like you could take a picture of whatever part of the street and still get a very balanced view/background. This is because buildings in the street didn't appear there randomly, they were designed to be in a certain way, in a certain place.
Unfortunately, for a lot of cities, that is not the case. Some cities are left to the whatever project decision the developer has, not having the proper regulations to influence the choice. Cities grow, the demand for affordable housing is rising as people move to the cities from rural areas. The cost-oriented thinking forces developers to cut the cost of the project to the minimum, and recreate ugly blocks over and over again, not bringing any beauty to the city, neither the visual satisfaction to the neighborhood inhabitants or people passing by.
But let's focus on the good examples. I will start taking more notes about the creations I like and get deeper in their history, researching their creators. It is not only about the angle and the light in the frame anymore, but it's also about knowing the details.

Let's get started.
France, Loire Atlantique, Nantes. Ile de Nantes.

Here, the 3 buildings with 2 on the foreground and one slightly behind. From left to right:

#UNIK - 2017
Architect: Sandra Planchez (SPLAAR)
http://splaar.com

More info (fr)


HABITER LES QUAIS II - 2010
Architect: Lionel Dunet
https://architecturedunetetassocies.com/

More info (fr)


25 DY Rive Gauche - 2007
Architects: Hervé Beaudouin and Benoit Engel
http://www.beaudouin-architecte.com

More info (fr)


All of the buildings are listed on the http://www.iledenantes.com

#UNIK
HABITER LES QUAIS II
25 DY Rive Gauche