Résidence Saint-Léon
property details
for a Hub House co-operative coliving project

Environment ✧ gentle agricultural valleys with rolling woods

Services ✧ none; all in town 20mins bike/10mins drive

Access ✧ 10mins pickup station: 2h Bordeaux/Toulouse (+4h Barcelona), 4h30 Paris; airport at Lourdes (~1h transit/45mins drive)

Dedicated units for full-time residence.

Area ✧ local town of Pau is lovely and whilst there's no transit the property is covered by anytime pre-bookable transport but given how short the drive is having licence-free electric cars and bikes would make more sense and give more freedom
✦ it's a little city of only 75k but there's lots of villages within 30mins drive; the city has multiple "coworking" spaces, but onyl 2 have ergonomic desks and very few at that, nor being particularly dynamic with few events, so a rural hub could be appealing dynamised with talks, meals, workshop events…
✦ activities would mainly be foccussed around the property thus would need to operate events, residencies and programmes yet has ample capacity
✦ some strolls in the neigbouring woods, but fairly limited; longerr walks with multiple loops 15mins along lane, also good for biking
✦ 10mins bike/scoot is a station which in 25mins arrives at hillsides with good paths climbing 1000m

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climate is generally mixed with few grey days but fair proportion of showers, thus remains green

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long easy riverside paved greenway from town (15mins bike) for 1h30 bike returning to town by train, or by bus if walking
✦ there's horse riding and gentle sup/kayak nearby (also a pro river course in town); not much else however plenty of villages, towns and reasonably interesting countryside, and the city itself
✦ 30mins drive to hills for hiking, plus multiple towns and villages within this distance
✦ via ferrata/canyoning 45mins
✦ 1h drive skiing
✦ coast is 1h30 driving or by transit thus is a plausible daytrip else easy for a couple of days away

Property ✧ delisted Nov'24, thus potentially sold
✦ this kind of property disposal is not particularly uncommon, indeed I've previously visited one that was a bit smaller, older and having a station: see my report
✦ owned by the ADGESSA association and closed only in 2021 due to (moderate) age and facilities no longer meeting (accessibility) standards, plus financial issues, replaced with a new build elsewhere; auction failed thus quick disposal whilst there's still no broken windows, before vandals ransack and it falls into ruin…
✦ annual property taxes would not be insignificant so would requre a good number of dedicated units

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in the Valée Heureuse — happy valley

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facade is fairly ugly, but trellacing and pergolas with climbing plants, plus some sections with floral/abstract murals would easily transform it
✦ 64 rooms arranged around 4 internal courtyards (55m2 2nd, 40m2 3rd, 2x90m2 4th and 5th) on 6 floors set into the hill at the back, inc ground and 1st floor garages
✦ appears rooms should easily convert to ensuite coliving though showers will certainly need refitting and possibly enlarging in which case 3 rooms might become 2, and doubles would be knocked through as 2, whilst studios and apartments would be 3+; probably the structural layout/load bearing walls would have few restrictions on this due to being a modern building with limited depth in each span
✦ many of the rooms have sloped roofs above and thus if too small might have their ceilings removed for mezzanines
✦ many steps and access points allowing for areas of interaction or isolation; some dedicated units could have external access
✦ 80m2 1st floor, and 100m2 of 4th floor south facing (mountain views) roof terrace/balconies, one could be turned into an orangerie, 45m2 4th floor
✦ min 450m2 of unused flat roof
✦ still in very good condition and usable except obviously needing refitting; rooms appear to have operational double-glazed windows and roller blinds, however some common spaces would need double-glazing but adequate temporarily as-is
✦ 25,000m2 garden; nice driveway with a grassy section but mostly wooded
✦ also has 600m2 of utility spaces e.g. garages, most opening to the south parking thus great for workshops and activities
✦ far too big to attack all at once but could be combined with an intentional community in which units are sold for permanent use organised around facilities suiting different groups that don't overly impact each other but remain connected, e.g. workspaces and family spaces
✦ roofs are metal so will need replacing at some point (maybe 10–20 years), but easy and not expensive, some parts of the roof being terraces and others being flat will also need maintenance and possibly resealing, else also covering witrh lightweight roofing
✦ likely contains significant amounts of asbestos-vinyl flooring (very expensive to unglue and remove) however could probably simply lay parquet over it

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example reallocations:
✦ dorms unlikely and uncessary given the preexisting room layout probably being sufficiently low cost, and if not, the less desireable ones could super-basic or some having bigger shared bathrooms
✦ 8 basic/single = 8 (1 ea)
✦ 12 standard/double = 18 (1.5 ea)
✦ 6 plus/studios = 12 (2 ea)
✦ 6 apartments = 21 (3-4 ea; 1-2 bed/families)
✦ ==59 rooms reallocated for 34 units typically no more than 30 people, but peaking up to 40; apartments and standard likely to be used much of the time, with studios and basic less
✦ 20+ units using common cooking; 12 units independent and participating in shared meals a few times a week
✦ gives a rather high capacity which is undesireable, so a reduction would be preferable unless with more common spaces (i.e. 2 kitchen/dining areas) or less utilisation (i.e. dedicated owners not fully utilising)

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much of the existing layout could be preserved almost eliminating the need for new plumbing; works would only be required for removing walls to enlarge units, and where halls might be eliminated as fewer access points would be required; refitting would be nominal (laying new floors over existing, fitting new kitchens, bathrooms, and probably ceilings)

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5th quiet
  ✧ plus rooms (could get A/C), small library
4th mixed
  ✧ large lounge with terraces, courtyard and bar-workspace (might get A/C); ideally needs an extra west window
  ✧ studios with exterior access
  ✧ laundry
3rd casual
  ✧ kitchen, dining, ideally more east windows for breakfast bar, and also ideally some banquettes; with terrace ideally extended over courtyard to shade; probably new lintel in centre for single longer table down centre with stations along sides; A/C unnecessary due to limited use (could pump air from an adjacent basement)
  ✧ quiet small courtyard (probably glassed over as conservatory with workspace)
  ✧ plus studio/apartments; A/C possible
2nd casual
  ✧ focus workspace (chapele, west windows), casual workspace (south windows) onto huge terrace (e.g. yoga) probably part orangerie/lounge; A/C unnecessary as low and set into hill (could pump air from an adjacent basement)
  ✧ large courtyard
1st casual
  ✧ (playroom), cinema, gym, sauna, storage
  ✧ apartments with direct garden access (family friendly)
ground
  ✧ workshops, bikes, recording studio/karaoke bar

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whilst this doesn't include many secondary spaces some rooms would be unallocated and thus they would be possible, e.g. a small tv room, some painting studios, additional workspaces, callrooms… (though few of these would be required as most rooms would have a perch desk)

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the 2 mixed use floors would occasionally be lively but leaving the other one quiet, however this layout does not seperate focus from casual workspace — would be better to swap 2nd/3rd but then new plumbing would be required for kitchens, if not significant, but would allow for better seperating uses