Residence Origami, this open block proposal of residential apartments designed by Agence Bernard Buhler is situated in the Borderouge Integrated Development Zone (ZAC). As a 4-storey block it will house 9 apartments per floor totalling around 45 for the whole block.
© Agence Bernard Bühler
The most striking features are the façade treatment on both sides. The south facing side made of wood decorated cladding will provide shade and some amount of privacy to the balconies behind. The irregular polygonal openings with coloured vertical louvre system add more to the composition and uniqueness of the façade.
© Agence Bernard Bühler
The other façade seeking probably to contrast the other is treated in vivid yellow colour with protruding glass-protected balconies in some areas paints a serene clear picture of this side.
© Agence Bernard Bühler
The irregular but pure rectilinear sides of the facades, cladding and balconies perhaps give the building the origami name from the popular Japanese paper art.
Project info:
Architects: Agence Bernard Bühler
Country: France, Toulouse
Area: 3489 m²
Year: 2012
Photographs: Vincent Monthiers , Agence Bernard Bühler
Hassan Yakubu is an editor at Arch2O with a deep academic and professional background in architecture, planning, and urban infrastructure. Currently pursuing his Ph.D. at Cornell University, his editorial focus spans climate urbanism, sustainability transitions, and the intersection of infrastructure and STS. Hassan brings a sharp critical lens shaped by fieldwork in Accra and policy research across Africa. With prior experience leading pedagogical initiatives and contributing to architectural practices in Rabat and Accra, his writing brings clarity, academic depth, and a global perspective to contemporary urban issues and design thinking.