Car park and intermodal station in Nantes

France

Located in Bouguenais, southeast of Nantes, the car park and intermodal station in Nantes responds to Nantes Métropole’s commitment to improving the city’s public transport network. Winner of a public competition, the development includes a park-and-ride facility and an intermodal bus and tram station, connected by a continuous canopy that ensures sheltered pedestrian routes.

The parking structure accommodates 782 cars, 20 motorcycles, and 50 bicycles, distributed across three covered levels and a fourth open-air level. It includes electric vehicle charging stations and offices for bus drivers. The design balances operational efficiency with a sensitive integration into a low-density residential area of high environmental quality.

To achieve this, the project incorporates landscaped courtyards along the façades, aligned with the vertical circulation cores. These patios increase in size with each level, allowing natural light to enter and creating green terraces. The building’s volume is softened by rounded corners and a perforated metal louver façade, which ensures natural ventilation and lighting while giving the structure a lighter appearance.

Vehicle circulation is managed through a double helical ramp system, allowing for separate ascending and descending flows without crossings. This configuration also facilitates the natural turning radius of buses, which circulate around the building and enter and exit from the same street, as required by the client. The bus station runs parallel to the parking structure and the tram line, minimizing transfer distances between transport modes—particularly important given the proximity to Nantes Airport.

The car park and intermodal station in Nantes also includes two surface parking areas, a pedestrian and cycling path that crosses the site east to west, and a landscape strategy that prioritizes native species and preserves existing trees. IDOM was responsible for the full scope of the project—from concept design to construction supervision—including architecture, engineering, urban planning, and signage.

Architectural design : Architecture : Transport