Three recent architecture graduates have completed an in-depth investigation of France's most heavily nuclearized region, the Cotentin Peninsula, offering a unique perspective on how nuclear energy shapes both landscapes and communities. Caroline Iribe, Oriane Passaquin, and Jason Néhou presented their groundbreaking project to a packed audience and jury at the National School of Architecture of Paris-Belleville (ENSAPB).

The trio chose to move away from traditional architectural building designs to focus on researching how nuclear power has become embedded in this particular landscape. Their project represents a departure from conventional thesis work, instead exploring the complex relationship between nuclear infrastructure and territorial identity in the Manche region, including its marshlands, industrial structures, and collective memories.

Each student brought a distinct perspective to the collaborative effort. Caroline, already familiar with the region, wanted to vary the scales of analysis from the most intimate to the most global, in order to capture the social and economic influences that structure this territory. "What motivated me was the human and radiating impact, no pun intended," she explained with humor.

Oriane's approach complemented Caroline's by focusing on industrial megastructures and how they shape both spaces and social relationships. The Cotentin Peninsula, heavily marked by nuclear energy, emerged as an obvious subject of study. She said she was struck by the "opacity" of this industry, which led her to question not architectural design itself, but the role of the architect when faced with such territories.

Jason brought a more intimate perspective to the analytical work. Originally from Bricquebec-en-Cotentin and having family members who work in the civilian nuclear industry, he grew up in a region shaped by atomic energy. "You shouldn't bite the hand that feeds you," he said with realism. After leaving for Paris to pursue his studies, he wanted to return to his homeland to confront his personal memories with the stories of other residents. "I kept all my friends from here. I wanted to reconnect. As I did throughout my studies."

Their project, titled "L'Aire de l'atome" (The Atom's Area), positions itself somewhere between art, anthropology, and visual mediation rather than presenting itself as a technical study. "We started in mid-February with a long period of technical analysis," Oriane explained. However, they quickly became "overwhelmed" by the mass of information and turned to the "reterrestrialization" method proposed by anthropologist Ange Pottin. The idea was to understand the atom not as an abstract element, but as a concrete presence in the territory.

Based on their fieldwork, documents, and testimonies, the students emphasized human narratives to avoid having a purely technical perspective. This approach is presented in what they call the "alcoves of Cotentin": a series of speculative stories that extend their investigation. They explore possible futures for the territory through three different trajectories.

The first scenario envisions continued development, with the arrival of new reactors like the EPR3 and the emergence of projects such as the "Aval du futur" (Future Downstream). "This part is much more focused on theory," according to Jason. The second explores a scenario of progressive dismantling, raising unprecedented economic and social questions - "that one is more down to earth." The third, darker scenario projects the hypothesis of a major incident or crisis, a scenario that resonates with certain fears in the local imagination.

To present their work, the three young architects designed a three-part exhibition. Visitors are invited to wander through a journey that progressively reveals fragments of their research: documents, newspaper excerpts, stories, maps, images, and sensory devices. The exhibition explores different fictional scenarios about the transformation of Cotentin through nuclear activity.

"We are neither engineers nor scientists," they clarify. "We are architects. Our role is to create accessible representations, to give form to the invisible." Ultimately, they hope to organize community outreach around this subject directly in Cotentin with local residents, bringing their findings full circle to the communities most affected by nuclear development in the region.