Located at 14 Rue Baronie in Toulouse's historic city centre, the building suffers from a number of structural problems and is in a state of serious disrepair. The difficulty of working in a historic city centre, where spaces are pedestrianised and narrow, was the basis of the project's approach. A fairly simple structural principle was proposed, with a masonry base on the ground floor covered by a cladding. A timber structure is placed on top of this base, enabling dry assembly, prefabrication and shorter installation times outside the square's busy periods.
Once the principle of the building had been established, an analysis of the surrounding buildings within a restricted perimeter was carried out. The installation of a series of modenatures of different materials was designed on the basis of a calpinage to the size of the Toulouse brick. The part in direct contact with the square and the street, which supports all the upper levels, has a robust appearance. This wall is topped by a brick frieze that places the first floor on a single level on either side of the plot. This frieze connects the Rue Baronie building with the adjoining Rue des Puits Clos. From this point onwards, the façade takes on a different appearance, punctuated by wood-framed openings that extend into the volume, giving a glimpse of depth. The interplay between voids and semi-voids creates larger open-plan sections, while providing visual protection for the flats from the streets and square.