At La Fabrique – Rêves de Ville, everything is free to help you understand the sustainable city

EDF service counters turned exhibition hall

In October, we were welcomed at La Fabrique – Rêves de Ville by Ingrid, development manager, and Morgane, who works on the venue's communications. La Fabrique is part of the urban planning department of Le Mans Métropole.

The building dates from 1936. It was the administrative building of the Île-aux-Planches gasworks, then EDF offices. The current exhibition hall housed service counters, where people came to pay their bills or top up their electric meters. Bought by the Métropole, the venue opened in October 2019, closed again with Covid, and has only really been alive since 2021. “It's still a fairly young place,” the team sums up.

The sustainable city, in all its forms

For a venue devoted to urban planning, ecology quickly became essential: “you can't think about a city's development without thinking about ecological issues.” Urban planning and architecture, but also mobility, waste, carbon footprint, renewable energy, nature in the city: the venue is open to the general public Tuesday through Saturday and shows three to five exhibitions a year, each running one to four months. There is at least one big general-audience exhibition a year; the shorter ones are aimed more at insiders.

Around each exhibition, there's a program: guided tours, workshops, talks, lectures, urban walks. Right now it's “Psychanalyse urbaine : les territoires sont des gens comme les autres,” through January 2, 2027. On the calendar, among other things, a repair café on Saturday, October 10, a stand-up evening with the Greenwashing Comedy Club on Thursday, October 15, and an urban walk from the Mille camp to the Bruyères housing development on Saturday, October 17. Through the rest of the year, shows, lectures, and workshops are added.

Spring, outdoors

Every spring, La Fabrique organizes the Mois de la nature en ville: workshops, talks, tours, and walks, many of them outdoors, with the City's gardeners, landscapers, and horticulturists. In 2026, the theme was the nourishing city: meetings with farmers from the metropolitan area, farm visits.

For classes, professionals, and students

The venue hosts a huge number of school classes and supports the eco-delegates of middle and high schools. Time is set aside for urban planning and architecture professionals; the Sarthe architects' association meets there every month. The entire second floor, a 400 m² open space, is made available to the École des beaux-arts, whose students work on site.

If a topic interests you, a small resource center lets you consult books on urban planning and greening cities, with a corner to sit down.

This place is really worth a visit: share this article with someone who cares about their city.

Getting there

• Address: 5 boulevard Anatole-France, Le Mans.
• Hours: Tuesday through Friday 8:30 AM to 6 PM, Saturday 1 to 6 PM. Closed Sunday and Monday.
• Price: free, “everything we offer.” Exhibitions have free admission; workshops, tours, and walks usually require registration.
• Program: a printed program is published for each exhibition; the La Fabrique page on the Métropole's website also has information.
• Phone: 02 43 83 10 90.
• The La Fabrique page on Sortir au Mans