Architecture | Mateo Arquitectura's "Gray Flannel Suit" Part I | CFile

An interview with Pascal Dalloux regarding the housing project in Toulouse, France. Video shot by Josep Lluís Mateo.

The vogue for white glazed bricks of New York City buildings (mainly apartments) in the 1960’s and 1970’s has been satirically described (and not too flatteringly) as the “white polyester suit” of architecture. Over time they have gathered their fans.

At the moment there seems to be a rush of extremely handsome grey brick buildings worldwide. They share a certain soft chic, richness of tonality and offer a wide range of simple pattern options often using black brick as a highlight. In this issue we focus on three of these “gray flannel suits” of architecture. Links to the other posts in the series appear below.
Our first building in the showcase was created by the Mateo Arquitectura firm of Spain. The volumes make up a series of family dwellings in Toulouse, France. The firm, according to Design Boom, wanted the structures to appear as a unified set through balconies and their unique exteriors.
Black and white bricks emphasize this point. The proportions of black and white vary among the structures, one being dark, another light and another mixed evenly.
This post includes an interview with Pascal Dalloux, of the bricklaying company Les Briqueteurs Reunis, which has been building facades for three generations. He states:

“For us, producing this kind of work is something that forms part of our lives, (they) will remain forever because these are out-of-the-ordinary buildings. They allow us to show our knowledge, convey this philosophy, this quality of the work.”

Above image: Mateo Arquitectura’s work on a housing development in Toulouse, France. Photograph by Adrià Goula.

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