Wood’Art, ZAC de la Cartoucherie, Toulouse (FR)
The mixed-use eco-district “La Cartoucherie” will be built on a former industrial site on the left bank of the Garonne with a total of 3,100 m² apartments, 6,000 m² of commercial space and public facilities for schools, sports and leisure. The “Wood’art” complex that we have built – a nine-story hotel tower and two residential buildings – is part of the award-winning project in the Adiv’bois national competition in France. 75% of the buildings is constructed in timber – an increasingly popular choice in France.
Divided Master Plan
Together with Seuil Architecture, we have built a complex with flats, shops and a hotel on a 13,000 m² site. On the edge of the public square and lined by the tram axis, the nine-storey hotel tower sets a clear accent in the new district. Behind it, on the quieter west side, two residential complexes rise on a plinth with shops and public facilities. The lush green gardens on the roof of the plinth are visible from the square and provide common meeting spaces for the residents. They also form a reserve for biodiversity and limit the creation of heat islands. At ground level, a pedestrian street connects all the buildings, widening in some places to create space for café terraces. The buildings are 76 % timber constructions – a topic that is gaining more and more importance in France.
Clients: Icade for Patrimoine, Eklo, Gotham, Oppidéa
Location: F-31000 Toulouse
Architecture: Dietrich | Untertrifaller with Seuil Architecture
Project Management: Iana Vicq, Christoph Teuschl
Competition: 2017
Construction: 2019-2022
Area: 13,000 m²
Capacity: 95 privately financed and 42 subsidised flats, hotel with 100 rooms, 2,750 m² trade + commerce
Awards: Grand prix régional des Pyramides d’argent 2019
Partners
structural engineering: Terrell, Toulouse / timber construction: Maitre Cube, Paris / HAVCR: Soconer, Toulouse / acoustics: Gamba, Labège / costs: Sept, Muret Haute-Garonne / landscape: Idtec, Seysses /// photos: Aldo Amoretti
Total contractor: Maitre Cube, Paris
Hotel and residences in modular timber construction
The hotel and the residential buildings are constructed from two-dimensional, prefabricated wooden modules. This construction not only has a very positive effect on the energy indicators and the indoor climate, but also on the construction time and thus on the costs. Wood also provides a pleasant ambience and a high level of living comfort in the hotel lobby, on the facades, ceilings and balconies, both visually and haptically. The building complex consists of 76 % wood (5,300 m³). The material is used wherever its use makes the most sense.
Facades with Terracotta Slabs
Terracotta panels, echoing the local colour tradition of the “ville rose”, form a double skin of façade along the paths and passages of the tower and in front of the loggias of the flats. The visual unity of our architecture creates a distinctive reference point for the neighbourhood, while the diversity of the public spaces, the permeability of the blocks and the social and functional mix of the buildings guarantee a lively environment for the users.
Untreated Wood in the Apartments
In the flats, untreated wood surfaces offer a natural, healthy living environment for all the senses. Seeing, touching, smelling – wood awakens emotions and creates a sense of well-being. Underfloor heating, which is connected to the Eco-Quartier’s heating network, spreads mild radiant heat and increases this effect even further. Partition walls made of CLT (cross-laminated timber) enable modular construction and flexible adaptation of the flat floor plans if required.
Modern Timber Construction Technology
Isometry of the overall project
Modular construction for residential buildings and the hotel
The prefabricated modules are delivered to the construction site ready for assembly.
From the ground floor upwards, apart from a concrete core for the circulation, the entire superstructure was built in prefabricated timber, with the flats and the hotel consisting of prefabricated elements. This solution ensures less waste and faster construction times, which is an essential requirement for building in densely populated cities.
The residential district of La Cartoucherie shows that wood is an excellent building material, not only because of its ecologically sustainable qualities and its positive effect on the quality of living but also due to its affordability and constructional properties in large-scale, urban buildings.
Section
L1
The common base connects all the buildings. The basement houses shops and public facilities, while the park-like planting above provides an attractive recreational space for all residents.
The café enlivens the ground floor zone and, through its garden, also the square in front of it.