Giboire launches the transformation of the Bretagne tower

Urban wart or major element of the Nantes landscape and heritage, in Nantes, the Bretagne tower and its 144 m high leaves no one indifferent. Michel Giboire, president of the eponymous group which presents itself as “the most Nantes-based of Breton promoters”, is one of those who think that this building designed by architect Claude Devorsine and consulting engineer Marcel André still has a bright future ahead of it. and, in particular, because of its location in the city center.

The story of this tower, launched in 1965 and completed in 1976, has never been simple. ” It took 10 years between its conception and its inauguration and during those years the world changed with the arrival of the oil crisis. Finally, this tower, symbol at all car with its ramp designed to access a service station, arrived at the wrong time and it took years to fill up, in competition with the outlying areas which were beginning to grow,” sums up Michel Giboire.

A huge empty shell

In 2017, the discovery of traces of asbestos dust in certain smoke extraction shutters of the building led to the gradual dormancy of the tower. Since June 2020, this marker of the city of Nantes is onlya huge empty shell and only two people occupy it to ensure the necessary maintenance. The co-owners, including the Giboire group, had to continue to bear the charges (1 million euros per year) while all rental income was eliminated. “During these two years, we continued to acquire thousandths to reach 66% by the end of 2022,” says Michel Giboire. In recent days, an agreement has been reached with the Lamotte groupowner of 10%, which now brings Giboire’s share to 76%. This position within the syndicate led the promoter to carry out a complete transformation project for the tower.

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