This social housing development is the finishing touch to the eco-friendly district devised by Bègles town hall in the South Bordeaux district. Bordered by the Garonne river and surrounded by nature, it was right and proper to draw the best out of its outstanding environment. Its fragmented form indeed allowed the views to be preserved and to incorporate vertical walkways and large balconies. Terracotta, which was the obvious choice because of its very nature as a raw material, enabled the architects to mimic the landscape still further.
Black and white were a must, so they took the approach of reproducing on the façade the pixelation effect you get when looking at the sky through the leaves in the treetops. This interplay of light and shadow, fascinating to look at, is supported by the Rully roofing tiles, assembled in matt and glossy black on the outer façades and in white on the inner façades. Like a walker in the undergrowth, the visitor is struck by the way the material’s appearance changes depending on the time of day, weather and even season. The material is alive and the building reacts. The external stairways provide landings with a view, so that life and links bring local residents together. So everyone feels like avoiding the lift to make the most of the gentle evening light on the foliage and gaze on the stirring visual effect of scudding clouds on the terracotta tile work… Environment, material form and the human element… For the Taillandier architects, leaving no stone unturned and taking every last detail into consideration, this is the price for obtaining a unique symbiosis between flora and buildings.
"