Residential village Le Gabriel: from urban planning to housing

At Saint-Jory, north of Toulouse, France, the construction of the village Le Gabriel includes the new Senior Services Residence, affordable housing units, small condominiums, and a medical center. But the project is also an urban planning study to enhance existing landscape axes and create a dynamic and architecturally valuable entrance to the city

A renewed entrance gateway to the town of Saint-Jory

The focus of the TAA Taillandier Architectes Associés studio is to provide solutions through its urban planning and architecture projects that contribute to improving the quality of life of users. In the case of Le Gabriel, the urban aspect is addressed first and foremost by creating, in the three hectares designated for the project, a settlement that, in addition to its specific functions, serves as an entrance gateway to the town of Saint-Jory, renewing the aesthetics and with a view to reassessing the original landscape design

Urban planning and green design

Through the green design and arrangement of new buildings, the urban planning project reveals the existing bocage landscape. The landscape's main lines oriented north-south, the Canal du Midi, the railway, and the tree-lined plane tree avenue that is the national road, are reconciled in Gabriel with the east-west grid of the plots of the old peasant houses of the traditional settlement. Thus, the new village, with buildings that do not exceed three floors or the height of the plane trees, follows the layout of the vernacular market gardening houses, preserving the original perspective views

New dynamic urban facade and soft mobility

Traveling along the main road, Route de Paris, you will then encounter the new urban facade of Gabriel which, with its progressive dynamics, shapes the entrance to Saint-Jory. The paths within the new urban development are simple and focused on pedestrian traffic and “soft” mobility that adheres to the 20 km/h zone project. The program is varied between the residence for the elderly with a medical center, dwellings and small condominiums, allowing for playing with the archetypal elements of Toulouse architecture: inverted sloping roofs in ceramic, exposed bricks, smooth white volumes...

The program and materials of Gabriel

The Résidence Services Séniors presents itself with the raw lacquered concrete base and the upper floors in exposed bricks; a glass restaurant connects the two volumes that make up the residence. The social housing, at reduced prices, are pure, white volumes, varied in the slopes of the roofs on two, three, or four sides. The two-family homes are also treated with white plaster. The condominiums are, finally, simple volumes in exposed bricks enriched by the metal pergola that offers pleasant outdoor spaces to the residents

Gallery

Photo credits
Top image, content and gallery images: Copyrights Roland Halbe

Designers credits
Maître d’oeuvre: TAA Toulouse | Cheffe de projet Associée: Aurélie Guinel | Cheffe de projet: Laurie Corrocher | Cheffe de projet Adjointe: Ana Nevado Funès | Assistantes cheffes de projet: Delphine Chauvière | Conducteur de travaux: Amar Tahmi
Maître d'ouvrage : Uniti Habitat

PEOPLE

Taillandier Architectes Associés - TAA

42 Rue de Cugnaux, 31300 Toulouse, France 8 Rue des Tanneries, 75013 Paris, France