Human Rights Museum.

Le Havre played a pivotal role in France's involvement in the transatlantic slave trade, and its streets still bear the names of those deeply connected to this history. Rue Jules Masurier is named after a former mayor who continued trading slaves long after it was legally abolished. Rue Begouen honors Jacques-François Begouën, a statesman and slave trader who campaigned to maintain slavery, arguing it was essential for the economy. Rue Jean Baptiste Eyries is linked to the shipping family of artist and writer Jean-Baptiste Eyriès, who was also involved in the trafficking of slaves. Similarly, Rue Lestorey de Boulogne reflects the legacy of a ship-owning family whose sons were extensive slave traders, and Rue Massieu de Clerval commemorates another figure tied to the slave trade. The economic prosperity of Le Havre's port and its industrial development was built on this history of exploitation and forced labor. Despite this deep connection to the past, the city's recognition of its role in the slave trade is limited, with only a small plaque serving as a memorial. This project seeks to confront this silence, using architecture as a means to engage with the city's complex legacy and bring the stories of the oppressed to the forefront. In the redesign of Le Havre's windbreak wall, we integrate these dualities of stability and fragility to create a thought-provoking transformation. The existing concrete wall, with its imposing and immovable nature, stands as a symbol of the oppressive forces of history, particularly the city's involvement in the transatlantic slave trade. Our intervention introduces a lightweight, translucent membrane structure that seems to pierce and disrupt the solidity of the concrete. This membrane, representing new beginnings, contrasts sharply with the wall's heavy, stable presence. Together, they create a dynamic tension that speaks to the fragility of liberation and the resilience required to overcome the weight of historical oppression. This project seeks not only to physically transform the windbreak wall but also to challenge and redefine the narratives that have long dominated Le Havre's landscape. By dismantling and reimagining symbols of oppression