Architects: Mateo Arquitectura
Area: 13,628 m²
Year: 2013
Photography: Adrià Goula
Lead Architects: Josep Lluís Mateo
Structure Consultant: BOMA Inpasa
Landscape Architects: Manuel Colominas
Client: Kaufman & Broad
City: Toulouse
Country: France
Viviendas en Toulouse by Mateo Arquitectura in Toulouse, France, is a 13,628 m² housing development completed in 2013. The project comprises four distinct volumes arranged around a semi-private garden. Each volume uses black and white brick in varying proportions to optimize light and define spaces. The design emphasizes craftmanship, with a garden that mimics the nearby Garonne River.
In Toulouse, near the airport and the river Garonne, Mateo Arquitectura designed a housing development focused on optimizing living conditions within each unit.
The design prioritizes the domestic experience over abstract concepts by breaking down the overall structure into four independent but interconnected volumes (A, B, C, and D) arranged around a semi-private garden.
Volume A formalizes the entrance street, its mass exaggerated to enhance perspective. Volume B, detached and centrally located, is designed to reflect light inward. Volume C twists its form to construct corner, while Volume D, a lighter three-story structure, gently encloses the complex at the rear like a fence.
Volume A, B, and C feature a mix of black and white in varying but complementary proportions.
Volume A, facing the street, is predominantly black (80% black, 20% white), while Volume B, intended to reflect, is its opposite (80% white, 20% black). Volume C, positioned at the corner, is evenly balanced (50% white, 50% black).
All thee volumes share zinc roofs with a consistent pitch, with the roof on Volume B sliding down its rear facade. In contrast, Volume D is clad in wood, emphasizing its lightness and softness.
The buildings were designed to highlight the expressive potential of artisanal craftmanship, creating a sensible framework for human interactions.
The garden recreates the nearby Garonne River’s meander, using characteristic materials such as gravel and sand, along with vegetation like poplars.
Project Gallery
Project Location
Address: Toulouse, France.
Location is for general reference and may represent a city or country, not necessarily a precise address.
