Patio Jaures residence

The Francis Diana firm of architects selected terracotta, a material in the very DNA of the “pink city” of Toulouse, to cover this five-storey structure. With the Maax brick, a very long element with a particularly elaborate materiality, the building has a presence that is simultaneously strong and subtle. The whole is broken up into a series of volumes that respond to the adjacent buildings. To the right, the new project is integrated into the continuation of the existing structures, while to the left it overhangs them a little, subtly playing with a sense of progression from one facade to the other. At the centre is a patio that gives its name to the whole project, faithful to the spirit of Toulouse’s mansions. A further note of freshness: the blank wall is completely vegetated.
Predominantly clad in the Toulouse red colour, some elements of Patio Jaurès stand out in brown, marking the facade with a discreetly contemporary sequence. In the same spirit, ledges indicate each storey, as on a number of old buildings, while the frames of the floor-to-ceiling windows made from Corten steel stamp the structure with a more modern design language. The way in which the raw brick and the vertical faults studded with glass balconies alternate further reinforces the contrasting effects. This dialogue between bulk and lightness characterises this project and renders it truly unique.