Les Abattoirs Housing / ppa architectures

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Text description provided by the architects. Building on an exceptional site. In a key position between the old suburban neighbourhood and the urban fabric formed by the Allées Charles de Fitte lanes, the site is opposite Toulouse's emblematic Abattoirs museum. The position is exceptional, with open, far-reaching views over quality green spaces (the Raymond VI gardens, the centre of the city block, and the river Garonne) and the historic city centre. It is very visible, marking the extremity of the row of lanes and the corner where they meet the Rue de Bourrassol. Different scales. On an urban scale, the project assumes a position and massing that seeks to continue the range of existing scales of building, completing the city block: On the lanes, the large scale of the neighbouring 11-storey building. Rue de Bourrassol, the 7-storey apartment buildings. At the centre of the block, the 2- and 3-storey suburban houses. On the scale of the boulevards, the fragmentation of the volume creates a varied relief from 6-storey to 9-storey. The facade on the lanes side is sequenced by a play of occasional full-height returns, creating the impression of five attached buildings and establishing the individual identity of each. The preserved historic facade is integrated into the overall composition. On the ground floor, two undercrofts lead through to the centre of the block, ensuring the preservation of the historic Abattoirs passageway.