L’Aiguilleuse is a project that transforms a former 1960s railway signal box into a small kiosk-bar located at the heart of the Jardins de l’Estuaire, a new public park on the Île de Nantes, France.
Originally part of the Nantes-État railway infrastructure, the building once controlled train movements entering the station. As the surrounding railway landscape gradually disappeared, the signal box remained as a small but distinctive fragment of the site’s industrial history.
Rather than replacing it, the project gives this existing building a new public use. The former technical building becomes a place for meeting, resting and light catering, extending the life of this railway heritage while preserving its identity.
With a floor area of 36 sqm, the interior is dedicated to the operation of the kiosk-bar. Its relationship with visitors therefore takes place largely outside.
The interventions are deliberately understated and legible. The ground floor opens widely onto the public space. Three façades open widely with bi-fold windows and folding metal shutters, revealing the counter and turning the building into an open pavilion connected to the surrounding park.
The red-orange colour highlights the metalwork, joinery and façade lettering, reinforcing the building’s presence in the landscape. Two large painted lettering compositions contribute to the new identity of the place.
The intervention preserves several characteristic elements of the former signal box, including the original clock and railway signalling lights. These elements are integrated into the new identity of the building and maintain a direct connection with its previous use. At night, the upper level becomes a luminous signal within the park.
The programme for the new venue was developed through a public consultation process involving local residents and future users.
The new name “L’Aiguilleuse” refers to the former railway signal operators, while its feminine form also contributes to a broader effort to the feminisation of names in public space.
By transforming this railway signal box into a new public venue, L’Aiguilleuse becomes a new urban landmark within a district undergoing major transformation.
