Aristote

Philippe Rol

• Architects

TAA Agency presents one of its projects: “Aristote,” a new student residence comprising 199 units in Toulouse (Occitanie Region, France).

The project is located in the city of Toulouse, south of the city center, near the A620 highway and not far from the Paul Sabatier University complex. The Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences and the “Faculté de Pharmacie” metro station (Line B) are situated directly east of the site. To the southwest, the Route de Narbonne (D113)—a major thoroughfare—provides access to the highway and the city center. Several bus stops are also located nearby, including “IUT” and “Caubère.”

The site previously contained an office building (from ground floor up to four stories) scheduled for demolition. A single-story residence is also being removed to create a longer street frontage on Chemin de la Pélude. Part of the site housed an access road for a neighboring residential building, which will be preserved and upgraded. The rest of the area was an impermeable surface used as a parking lot for the former office building, now removed. Due to its predominantly paved surface, the site had no notable vegetation.

photo_credit Philippe Rol — Philippe Rol

Building Layout, Organization, and Volumes

The building is designed to extend from the public domain to the rear of the plot, in accordance with local regulations. A frontage is created along the street to reinforce the existing built alignment along Chemin de la Pélude. This part of the building rises to two and three stories, harmonizing with the surrounding suburban context.

We paid particular attention to how the building connects with Chemin de la Pélude, stitching together the site with its neighbors while preserving their privacy. Technical and service areas are located on the ground floor: underground parking access ramp, waste collection area, and transformer room. A passage beneath the first wing ensures access for neighboring properties. The upper floors include a caretaker’s residence and student apartments. The building then rises to three and four stories, adapting to the neighboring residential volumes. One wing aligns with an existing easement, forming a defined street edge. This part of the project includes shared spaces (lobby, breakfast area, common rooms) on the ground floor with generous ceiling heights. Student housing occupies the upper levels. The structure steps back in places to create visual openings toward the landscaped surroundings. The design uses orthogonal volumes to reflect the organized character of the neighborhood and echo the surrounding buildings.

Architectural approach

The architectural language is based on a repetition of window modules across the façades, creating a coherent identity for the development. The design is intentionally understated and in dialogue with neighboring residential buildings, using rhythmic, grid-based compositions aligned with the layout of student units.

In the communal and coliving areas on the ground floor, a sequence of vertical windows enlivens the base and clearly signals shared functions. These are aligned with the window grid of the upper floors for visual coherence.

Parapet walls are made of stained concrete, emphasizing the horizontal character and simplicity of the overall structure.

Materials and Colors

The façades consist of concrete elements clad in brick veneer, punctuated by aluminum-framed windows that allow ample natural light into the student rooms. For key ground-floor spaces (breakfast area, gym, study room), large vertical aluminum windows enhance interior comfort, reinforce the function of these areas, and foster a connection to the outdoors. Parapets are treated in stained concrete. All window frames are in aluminum.The window design aims to animate the façade while optimizing indoor comfort. Most window units feature glazed lower panels to maximize natural light in the living areas. These openings are placed in the primary rooms of the apartments. In non-essential areas, recessed wall features echo the façade rhythm without requiring daylight.

Bioclimatic Design Principles

The student residence is designed with user comfort and environmental performance in mind. In addition to creating green roofs and increasing ground permeability, the project integrates passive design strategies. The façade materials provide thermal mass (cast-in-place concrete walls and brick cladding).

Ventilation is carefully studied to ensure thermal comfort in the corridors, compensating for the mono-orientation of many units. Where possible, natural ventilation is achieved through operable windows at corridor ends, enabling natural airflow and passive heat removal during summer. Tree planting around the site contributes to outdoor comfort by creating shade and cooling microclimates.

Landscape Design

Relationship to the Environment

Ideally located near the heart of Toulouse and well connected to the surrounding suburban fabric, the site also benefits from proximity to major roads (D113 and A620). The Garonne riverbanks and Canal du Midi form an important ecological corridor at the city level, contributing to biodiversity at the neighborhood scale.

The project's goal is to preserve and enhance ecological value while creating new uses, especially ecological continuity at the plot edges. It prioritizes natural connections and a diverse landscape palette. Planted borders help reconnect the site to adjacent green spaces. Landscaped areas include wildflower meadows and a variety of planted beds. Dense and diverse young plantings are planned to rapidly establish an ecologically resilient green mass.

Two rooftop terraces (on the 2nd and 3rd floors) serve as additional green spaces, linking the landscaped ground level with the upper floors and adding immediate visual greenery upon completion.

The combination of dynamic planting styles and maintenance strategies throughout the project fosters biodiversity while ensuring year-round landscape quality. In the area near the bicycle parking, planters and seating elements will create inviting, green outdoor spaces. These planters are intended to be used for shared urban gardens, offering a playful and functional addition to the landscape.