Brise-Vent Havre Harbour Museum

With the Brise-Vent Havre Harbour Museum project, LYT-X Studio proposes the conversion of a former industrial port structure on the historic waterfront of Le Havre, France. The site once played a central role in maritime operations before gradually losing its connection to urban life as port activities shifted.  The project – currently at concept stage – proposes the adaptive reuse of the existing building, repositioning it as a public cultural facility integrated into the city’s maritime and urban context.

The design envisions the retention of the existing fabric as the primary historical layer, introducing new architectural elements that extend its public capacity.  Historic structure and contemporary intervention are kept distinct yet bound within a single coherent framework.

Brise-Vent Havre Harbour Museum, a public cultural facility integrated into the city’s maritime and urban context

The most defining move is the extension of the existing curved roof into a continuous canopy along the waterfront edge. Rather than enclosing the museum within its boundaries, this gesture structures outdoor circulation, provides shaded public areas, and mediates the transition between the city promenade and the harbour. Beneath it, semi-open spaces and a sheltered courtyard create points of access from both land and water, positioning the building as a connective threshold rather than an isolated destination.

Public accessibility is embedded throughout the spatial organisation. The courtyard is envisioned to remain open beyond museum operating hours, allowing the site to function as a civic space independent of its cultural programme. Exhibition halls, a performance space, and flexible event areas are arranged to accommodate both curated programming and informal daily use, allowing the rhythms of the museum to overlap with those of the city.

Environmental performance is addressed through the logic of reuse itself. Retaining the existing structure reduces new construction, while the extended canopy provides passive shading along the waterfront. Courtyards and roof openings are designed to draw natural light into interior volumes, and the project's orientation takes advantage of coastal ventilation. These strategies align functional performance with the long-term sustainability targets of the intervention.

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