Laurence Robert and Sébastien Argant
Outside La Maison de l’Architecture, you will find asphalt: the surface most commonly used in France to ensure traffic is smooth, as well as dust and mud-free.
Yet this bituminous horizon has come to dominate land development, favouring what is “clean” over what is “living.”
The earth disappears beneath a protective coating.
The earth is therefore forgotten.
“Under the Asphalt, the Earth!” is an act of rediscovery.
A 25x2m strip of asphalt has been removed to reveal the soil underneath. The reclaimed material is reused on site to make a sculptural statement, as though scraped away and piled at one end. In this rediscovered terrain, original, local plants like spreading pellitory, reclaim the space, resulting in a wild, spontaneous jungle. Renowned French landscape designers, Laurence Robert and Sébastien Argant, lead this project.
Robert and Argant are co-directors of La Terre Ferme, a landscape architecture studio.
Exposition Histoires d’écoles, les paysages scolaires à Nantes
These “school stories” highlight the architectural and landscape heritage of Nantes’ public elementary schools, showcasing designer and technician expertise in shaping future schools to meet societal, environmental, and pedagogical goals of tomorrow.
28 Rue Fouré, 44000 Nantes
How to get there?
Parking(s) nearby: Parking Cité des Congrès, Parking Baco-LU 1 côté gare, Parking Baco-LU 2 côté CHU, Parking Hôtel Dieu, Parking Feydeau, Parking Gare limité 1h
Public transport: Cité des Congrès, Monteil, Lieu Unique, Hôtel Dieu
Self-service bicycles: Station Naolib Vélo libre-service Cité internationale des congrès (n°54), Station Naolib Vélo libre-service Olivettes (n°53), Station Naolib Vélo libre-service Magellan (n°55), Station Naolib Vélo libre-service Baco (n°52), Station Naolib Vélo libre-service Lieu unique (n°61), Station Naolib Vélo libre-service Château (n°50), Station Naolib Vélo libre-service Gare de nantes sud (n°70), Station Naolib Vélo libre-service Ricordeau (n°38), Station Naolib Vélo libre-service Madeleine (n°40), Station Naolib Vélo libre-service Duchesse anne (n°49)
Closed today.
From june 26th 2026 to september 6th 2026
from 13h00 to 19h00 on tuesday, wednesday, thursday, friday, saturday, sunday
From september 7th 2026 to november 28th 2026
from 14h00 to 18h00 on tuesday, wednesday, thursday, friday, saturday
Visible 24/7.