The FRAC (Fond Régional d’Art Contemporain) centers contain the public contemporary art collections of the different regions of France. These collections are preserved, catalogued and publicly displayed through exhibitions or leases to galleries and museums. The FRAC of the Nord-Pas de Calais region is set up in a unique and emblematic building of the port of Dunkerque, an old boat warehouse known as AP2. It is a huge and completely empty volume (35 meters tall). The project’s main aim is to preserve the hall exactly as it was.

The new volume, of the same size, is built and attached to the old one. This new building, which will house the complete program, is delicately juxtaposed without a desire to rival or mimic the existing building, searching for duplicity as a deliberate reaction to the island’s marked identity. Beneath a light and bioclimatic envelope, a prefabricated and efficient structure generates free-flowing spaces, making the floors more flexible. The new public facility is an adaptable volume suitable for a variety of activities, from conventional exhibitions to important international artistic events.