The transformation of a submarine base in Saint-Nazaire into a public space for contemporary arts and music.

The submarine base of Saint-Nazaire, constructed by the German Navy in World War II on the harbour basin of the old town has an enormous scale (295 x 130 x 18 m) with concrete walls up to 9 meters thick. This raw and impressive structure was transformed with minimal interference. Two of the 14 former submarine cells were transformed into two cultural elements: LiFE and VIP. A new defined street traversing the entire base creates interaction between the bunker cells.
          
The hall for the international centre for emerging art forms (LiFE) is a minimalistically equipped “Monospace”. It is situated in a former submarine basin and can be opened up towards the harbour through a large, retractable gate.

VIP, a “venue for contemporary music”, occupies one of the volumes inside the bunker. A hall for 600 people was created in a simple cubic space enclosed by a steel frame, which also contains a bar, a balcony, and an archive.
    
A hanging“light carpet” covers the internal street running along former tracks. The street connects the various spaces already in existence with newly created spaces. This “Gallery” possesses an enigmatic atmosphere.

A staircase leads from the gallery, through the roof, to an experimental platform. A geodesic dome from the Berlin Tempelhof Airport serves here as a “think tank” for art and music projects.