Villa Fal
Renovation of Villa Fal into a contemporary co-working space combining shared work areas, offices, and a reception hall. The project preserves the building’s historic character while introducing flexible, light-filled spaces that encourage collaboration, meetings, and events, creating a lively place for everyday use and collective activities.
Built in 1911 by François-Serge de Yturbe, Villa Fal features a Palladian architectural language inspired by Wagner’s opera Parsifal. Transferred to the City of Biarritz in 1965 and later used as a secondary school until 2012, the building now accommodates new functions that resonate with its history and character.
The rehabilitation proposes a measured transformation, carefully attentive to the memory of the place. The Villa is reimagined as an open and vibrant co-working space, structured around a central hall that plays a unifying role. Conceived as a place for meeting and social interaction, this hall incorporates a food service offer and hosts private events. A series of flexible spaces complete the program, dedicated to training sessions, conferences, and workshops, reinforcing the collaborative spirit of the project.
The intervention focuses primarily on enhancing the architectural heritage while adapting the building to its new uses. The project includes the de-sealing of the forecourt, restoration of existing architectural elements, and the creation of English courtyards with landscaped terracing around the Villa. These features organize access, ensure universal accessibility, and bring natural light to the semi-buried lower ground floor spaces.
Openings at this level are extended down to floor level to form French doors opening onto the English courtyards, in keeping with the existing façade composition. The overall volumes of the building are preserved, with no alteration to its silhouette or roof heights.
Villa Fal now brings together workspaces and places for social exchange, accommodating both daily activities and collective moments. A restrained architectural rehabilitation, where each intervention forms part of a continuous dialogue between built heritage and contemporary use.
