Multi-unit Housing in a Park

Monges-Croix du sud is an urban development in Cornebarrieu, directly next to the town centre. Its 57 hectares form a district served by a parkway or landscaped highway and crossed by many pedestrian paths. The parkland is already shaped by woodland, landscaped hedgerows, and several thousand trees (oak, ash, willow and eucalyptus).

The development is located on a flat piece of land on the fringes of the woods within this residential park. Two square buildings occupy the western part of the plot. These two-storey residential buildings with courtyards create a strong horizonal bar that contrasts with the vertical foliage of the wooded areas. All the apartments are dual aspect, looking out onto the courtyard and garden. The façades and floors are made from a solid timber post-and-beam structure.

At the entrance to the site, there are two longer buildings containing terraced houses. The houses are separated by unbaked clay-brick walls, which form the buildings structure. A single material (charred timber) has been used for all the outer walls in the development. The charred timber creates the right dialogue with the woodland and has the advantage of not changing colour over time.

The structure of the empty spaces is as important as the constructions themselves. The unbuilt spaces are meadowland open to the district’s residents.

As a whole, the landscape offers varied features, with meadow, a residential park, and woodland. The project won the NoWatt Occitanie competition for its meticulously researched hybrid low-carbon structure and for using local materials.