Archive · Coming soon
Photographie — la palissade de chantier devant La Goutte de Lait, place Louis Brichaux — 16:9
On site
Works begin
Planning permissions granted. At La Goutte de Lait, works start in November 2026.
Manifesto project
La Gouttede Lait
Saint-Nazaire Seafront
- Architecture
- Cellar
- Grocery
- Light dining
- Gatherings
- Art of living
A Nazairian story that continues
Formerly the Maison de la Mère, this Reconstruction-era building regains a nourishing purpose: two homes, the Ad Astra Architecture practice and La Goutte de Lait, a place of taste and craft open to the city and the seafront.
- 1894
- The Gouttes de Lait movement was born in Fécamp to feed and support young children and their mothers.
- 1951
- The Maison de la Mère, 7 place Louis Brichaux, was inaugurated in Saint-Nazaire. This modern facility was devoted to maternal and infant health.
- Today
- Ad Astra Architecture imagines a new life for this witness of the Reconstruction, faithful to its history and turned towards the uses of today.
Photograph · Coming soon
Photograph — staircase and original glass-block wall — natural light, black and white — 2:5
Photograph · Coming soon
Photograph — the actual building seen from place Louis Brichaux, rounded volume and glass-block bay — 3:2
The project at a glance
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Living heritage
Refurbish rather than replace, and return the building to the daily life of the people of Saint-Nazaire. The programme brings together two homes, an architecture practice and a place devoted to taste and craft.
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A neighbourhood address
Create a place where people come for a coffee, a lunch, a good bottle, a gift or a sweet break.
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Buying local
Work with producers, estates, craftspeople and independents.
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Year-round activity
A place designed first for the residents of Saint-Nazaire, with visitors adding to this dynamic.
From a building to a living place.
A landmark building of the Reconstruction, transformed into a living place, open to the city and its territory.
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01
Existing
The 1951 volume, its glass blocks, its staircase.
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02
Transform
A new programme within the preserved envelope.
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03
Open up
The ground floor opens onto the square and the promenade.
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04
Inhabit
Two homes, a practice, a place for gathering.
Plan · Coming soon
Drawings — plans, section and axonometric of the project, fine line on ivory background — 16:9
La Goutte de Lait at the heart of the seafront
7 place Louis Brichaux, 44600 Saint-Nazaire
A project useful to the territory
A heritage, commercial and urban scheme designed to strengthen life along the seafront and in the Sautron district.
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Preserving a witness of the Reconstruction
The refurbishment preserves the memory of the building and gives it back a daily use.
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Bringing the seafront to life
The project extends the promenade with a welcoming address, visible and alive in winter as in summer. A stop on the route, it links the coastal path and the seafront promenade to the promenade Robert Badinter.
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Showcasing the craft of producers and craftspeople
The selection favours independent producers, winemakers and craftspeople, as well as local businesses.
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Completing Sautron’s commercial offer
The project aims to complement the existing offer and contribute to the vitality and appeal of the Sautron district.
The project’s commitments
- Independence
- An independent place, free to choose its products, its producers and its programme.
- Restraint
- Quality products chosen with care, durable materials, timeless architecture and understated signage.
- Seasonality
- Products, menu and gatherings evolve through the year and with the rhythm of the seafront.
The project’s stakeholders
Ad Astra Architecture
Architectural design · Project management · Project direction
Neïla Saidi, architect HMONP, founder of the practice. For La Goutte de Lait, the practice accompanies the project from site analysis to completion, as well as the development of its identity and programme.
City of Saint-Nazaire
Public spaces · Surroundings
Development of the surroundings of La Goutte de Lait and redevelopment of the district’s public spaces (to come).
La Goutte de Lait
Retail · Dining · Events
La Goutte de Lait refers to the future place and its operating project. A dedicated company will run its commercial activity, dining and events programme.
Milestones
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01
Planning permissions
Obtained
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02
Site works
From November 2026
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03
First public opening
Summer 2027
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04
Full opening
2028
News
Journal“See you at La Goutte de Lait.”
- Heritage
- Uses
- Craft
- Hospitality
A project conceived by Ad Astra.