Archive · Coming soon
Photographie — la palissade de chantier devant La Goutte de Lait, place Louis Brichaux — 16:9
Notebooks
Works begin
Planning permissions granted. At La Goutte de Lait, works start in November 2026.
Manifesto project
La Gouttede Lait
Saint-Nazaire Seafront
A Saint-Nazaire story that carries on.
La Goutte de Lait becomes a manifesto project for Ad Astra, bringing together architecture, heritage, transformation, new uses, hospitality and know-how.
Photograph · Coming soon
Photographie bandeau — le bâtiment depuis la place Louis Brichaux, volume arrondi et baie en pavés de verre — plein écran
01
The Reconstruction building
Archives Historical photographs Plans
The former Maison de la Mère, this Reconstruction-era building recovers a nourishing purpose: two homes, the Ad Astra Architecture agency and La Goutte de Lait, a place for taste and know-how open to the city and the seafront.
- 1894
- The Gouttes de Lait movement is born in Fécamp to feed and support young children and their mothers.
- 1951
- The Maison de la Mère, 7 place Louis Brichaux, opens in Saint-Nazaire. This modern facility is devoted to maternal and child 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.
Archive · Coming soon
Archive — la Maison de la Mère à son inauguration, 1951, photographie historique — 4:3
Plan · Coming soon
Plan d’archive — le bâtiment de 1951, plans d’origine — 3:2
02
Before the works
Photographs before works Drawings Architectural elements retained
The 1951 volume, its glass blocks, its staircase: what deserves to be kept guides the project.
Photograph · Coming soon
Photographie — escalier et mur en pavés de verre d’origine — lumière naturelle, noir et blanc — 2:5
Photograph · Coming soon
Photographie — éléments conservés : garde-corps, menuiseries, carreaux, noir et blanc — 4:5
Photograph · Coming soon
Photographie — le bâtiment réel depuis la place Louis Brichaux, volume arrondi et baie en pavés de verre — 3:2
03
From a building to a living place.
Plans Sections Drawings Intentions
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 retained envelope.
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03
Open
The ground floor opens onto the square and the promenade.
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04
Inhabit
Two homes, an agency, a place for encounters.
Plan · Coming soon
Dessins — plans, coupe et axonométrie du projet, trait fin sur fond ivoire — 16:9
04
A lively address throughout the day
- Architecture agency
- Wine cellar
- Delicatessen
- Café
- Light dining
- Encounters
- Homes
Drawing · Coming soon
Dessin — futurs intérieurs : le comptoir, la cave, la salle ouverte sur la place, trait fin — 16:9
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Living heritage
Rehabilitate 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 agency and a place devoted to taste and know-how.
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A neighbourhood address
Create a place people come to for a coffee, a lunch, a good bottle, a gift or a gourmet break.
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Buying local
Working with producers, estates, craftspeople and independents.
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Activity all year round
A place designed first for the inhabitants of Saint-Nazaire, with visitors completing this dynamic.
05
Producers, winemakers, craftspeople
Producers Winemakers Craftspeople Contractors Manufacturers
The selection favours independent producers, winemakers and craftspeople as well as local businesses. The project is meant to complete what the Sautron neighbourhood offers and to take part in the life of the seafront.
Portrait · Coming soon
Photographie — un artisan ou un producteur au travail, mains et matière, lumière naturelle — 4:5
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Preserving a witness of the Reconstruction
The rehabilitation keeps the memory of the building and gives it back a daily use.
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Bringing life to the seafront
The project extends the promenade with a welcoming, visible address that lives in winter as in summer. A stop along the route, it links the coastal path and the seafront promenade to the promenade Robert Badinter.
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Showcasing know-how
Independent producers, winemakers and craftspeople, local businesses: those who will make the place.
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Completing what Sautron offers
The project takes part in the life and appeal of the neighbourhood.
06
Following the transformation of the building
Works at La Goutte de Lait begin in November 2026. This sequence follows the transformation of the building step by step.
Stages
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01
Planning authorisations
Granted
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02
Works
From November 2026
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03
First public opening
Summer 2027
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04
Full opening
2028
Photograph · Coming soon
Photographie — le chantier de La Goutte de Lait, noir et blanc, à partir de novembre 2026 — 3:2
The players of the project
Ad Astra Architecture
Architectural design · Project management · Project direction
Neïla Saidi, architect HMONP, founder of the agency. For La Goutte de Lait, the agency 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
Landscaping of the surroundings of La Goutte de Lait and redevelopment of the neighbourhood’s public spaces (to come).
La Goutte de Lait
Retail · Dining · Events
La Goutte de Lait is the name of the future place and its operating project. A dedicated company will run its retail activity, dining and events programme.
Site notebook
Editions07
The living notebook of La Goutte de Lait
After the opening, this section will become the living notebook of La Goutte de Lait: the menu, the encounters, the seasons.
“See you at La Goutte de Lait.”