A U-boat base built by German forces occupying France during the Second World War has been converted into an arts venue by Berlin practice LIN Architects.
The massive concrete bunker, in the Atlantic city of St Nazaire, was designed to protect German submarines from Allied air raids. Since the war it has been used to store fertilisers, all the while rotting in the rain and blocking the city from its harbour.
Now it has been turned into a massive exhibition space for modern art and a concert venue – without sacrificing its severe aesthetic, says project manager Hans-Michael Földeak.
The massive concrete bunker, in the Atlantic city of St Nazaire, was designed to protect German submarines from Allied air raids. Since the war it has been used to store fertilisers, all the while rotting in the rain and blocking the city from its harbour.
Now it has been turned into a massive exhibition space for modern art and a concert venue – without sacrificing its severe aesthetic, says project manager Hans-Michael Földeak.