In 1988, the city of Nantes was going through its third industrial revolution, trying to regain its economic power of the last centuries. The call to launch an urban design competition with the intention of creating a leading technopole in France led to a controversial submission back then. Hans Kollhoff created a vertical neighborhood for the District la Chantrerie, showing visions of a compact city in the middle of nature without touching it. The design would face many obstacles today, if executed exactly as planned back in 1988. Material emission and energy consumption, but also living together and interacting on a daily basis in such a high-rise typology can quickly reach its limits.