#COMMERCIAL ARCHITECTURE PROJECTS
650 oblong windows define anne démians' quai ouest in nancy
located five hundred meters from nancy’s place stanislas, this mixed-use project by anne démians’ french architectural practice features a distinctive stainless steel façade with 650 oblong windows.
named ‘quai quest’, the 10,000 square meter building includes numerous offices, a hotel and various retail outlets.built on the site of a former gasworks, the project seeks to align itself with the city’s historical past. an internal courtyard at ground level is directly connected to the café and dining facilities, while additional communal spaces all have access to the site’s shops and commercial outlets. in an attempt to encourage the use of public transport, there are only 88 car parking places provided.
'I designed and completed a compact building that would be immediately read and understood’, explains anne démians. ‘its walls are completely covered with stainless steel, studded with oblong bays from which round windows look out like eyes. above, I placed raised eyelids, a sign of alertness. the great perceived density is softened by the lightness of the stainless steel surface, bringing reflections of the changing sky onto the exposed surfaces and to the windows’.
