The former College de Foix is located in the historic centre of Toulouse, near the Place du Capitole. The building and its keep, dating from 1457, are listed and house various social institutions run by nuns.
When the ensemble was extended to include a nursing home for the elderly, the existing courtyard was closed and the opportunity was taken by the firm of Lettelier Architectes to create a second ceremonial courtyard, which corresponds to the adjoining cloister. The architectural language chosen here brings modern and traditional building forms into harmony.
The basic idea for the design of the façade was to let its reflections, movements and softness remind us of a gently moving water surface, thus creating a metaphor for a peaceful, quiet life. The four levels of the building are clad on the outside with TECU® Gold copper sheets and have randomly appearing window openings.
TECU® Gold was chosen to both do justice to the traditional character of the historic location and to create spectacular lighting effects of great finesse and elegance. TECU® Gold is a copper alloy which, once installed, gradually develops into a very elegant, matt brown-golden surface which is reminiscent of the precious metal with its own unique character.
KME MATERIAL
TECU® Gold
PROJECT
EHPAA – Notre Dames de la compassion
ARCHITECT
Alex Lettelier Architectes
INSTALLER
Louffignal SARL
PHOTOGRAPHER
© Les Yeux Carrés
FIND OUT MORE
› www.kme.com/tecu
› www.letellier-architectes.com