Place Alsace-Lorraine

A royal square providing structure to the fortified 18th century town, this huge square is a symbolic space in the reconstruction of Lorient. The architect Jean-Baptiste Hourlier worked on it from 1947. The ground floor shop buildings surrounding the square display are uniform in architecture and materials. Behind this classical appearance however, with the use of stone and slate roofs, the square is quite modern, especially in its method of construction. Prefabricated stone plaques were inserted using a crane into a concrete framework: a technique that met the urgent need for reconstruction. On the ground, the grids of paving and slabs was designed to create a forecourt in front of the church putting it into perspective, with parking originally limited to the side areas under the trees.