National School of Architecture in Nantes

Its exceptional urban architecture was designed by Lacaton & Vassal — winners of the 2021 Pritzker Prize. It is home to over a thousand students, and prepares them for the state diploma in architecture.  Here, individuals are also trained to be scenographers, naval architects, architect-engineers and urban planners.

Now affiliated with Nantes Université, the institution has decided to be even more invested in the city and surrounding region, offering its students a range of cultural activities that focus on the domains of architecture, the city, and the environment. With its emphasis on experimentation, it uses the greater Nantes region to propose other ways of thinking about the environment, and of inhabiting urban, suburban and rural territories.

Within this highly strategic environment, ensa Nantes offers training that integrates architects into society and opens them up to a wide range of professional practices that will prepare them to meet today’s challenges.

The building itself also opens out onto the region, thanks to its roof and terrace, both of which offer a unique panorama of the city. (Access to the terrace is currently closed to the public)

Studio Katra is a creative studio made up of a multidisciplinary team that creates worlds and images revealing cities and territories. Discover their floor painting on the ground outside the Pôle des Arts Graphiques, permanent work of the inter-school itinerary implemented in 2023.