Brutalist villa

The property enjoys a prime location, just a 10-minute walk from Castelnaudary, with its shops and schools. Carcassonne and Toulouse are easily accessible by train and car, at 35 and 45 minutes away, respectively.

Cycling, hiking, boating, numerous activities allow you to enjoy this region, traversed by the Canal du Midi (a UNESCO World Heritage site) and dotted with countless remnants of Cathar castles.

Here, the architect designed an elongated structure consisting of an oblique volume that follows the natural slope of the land. Embracing a Brutalist architectural language, Pierre Debeaux contrasts the raw, massive formwork concrete with the lightness brought by extensive glazing.

Inside, the reinforced concrete favored by the architect for its raw and austere character is warmed by ochre terracotta flooring, original woodwork, stone cladding, and wooden furnishings, creating a cozy atmosphere. Natural light animates the materials, enhancing a subtle layout logic (built-in storage, modular partition, sculptural concrete and stone fireplace).

In the spirit of artistic synthesis characteristic of the period, and in line with painter Jean Dubuffet’s theoretical stance that “art must be born from the material”, Pierre Debeaux commissioned artist Jean Hugon to create an exterior mural inspired by Don Quixote.

Pierre Debeaux (1925-2001) was a Toulouse-based architect who graduated from the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris in 1944. He began his architectural career in the 1950s, joining the agency “Les Trois A,” which designed several Corbusian-inspired projects, including the Haute-Garonne Departmental Archives (1950-1960).

An architect and surveyor passionate about mathematics, he used it to create innovative forms. Debeaux’s notable works include the buildings of the Pic du Midi de Bigorre Observatory (1951-1963), the Jacques-Vion Fire Station in Toulouse (1966), and the Pradier House (1976-1977), all of which are listed as Historic Monuments.

His work is marked by the use of reinforced concrete, enabling him to craft groundbreaking shapes. The omnipresence of concrete in his designs earned him the Academy of Architecture Award for “beautiful concrete.”

In 2003, the Centre Méridional de l’Architecture et de la Ville and the Conseil d’Architecture, d’Urbanisme et de l’Environnement of Haute-Garonne dedicated a retrospective to him, describing him as “one of the most powerful and original French architects of the second half of the 20th century.”