Impluvium Installation
Impluvium Installation
Banco!
ARCHITECTS
Banco!
PHOTOGRAPHS
Banco!
AREA
14 M²
DESIGN TEAM
Bourguignon Quentin, Delebecque Marin, Doin Luc, Vinel Arthur
YEAR
2023
LOCATION
Fourneaux, France
CATEGORY
Urbanism, Installations & Structures
Text description provided by architect.
The Impluvium was created as part of a call for projects by the agricultural and cultural park, led by the Ferme de Vernand and the Polyculture Association.
This park aims to reimagine the transformation of the farm into a place that is nourishing, ecological, and shared, bringing new images, representations, and practices to rural, agricultural, and living spaces.
It aims to strengthen the agroecological practices already in place (agroforestry, maximum diversification of productions, food autonomy, rotational grazing, etc.).
At the same time, it seeks to open up the site further and offer opportunities to interpret the agricultural landscapes and environments it encompasses.
The project is located at the edge of a pond, a human-made feature whose original purpose is not precisely known.
However, regardless of its initial function, its value today goes beyond that and lies in several aspects.
It is an environment that shelters significant and specific biodiversity, contributing to the richness and complexity of the agricultural and cultural park within which it is situated.
It serves as a water reserve, which can be used for watering when necessary. Finally, it has become a pleasant spot for the local residents.
The installation takes the form of a micro-architecture that creates a relationship with the pond in several ways, inviting reflection on our relationship with freshwater as a rare and increasingly fragile resource, and as a fundamental element of the ecosystems to which we belong.
By referencing the ancient archetype of a roof that brings rainwater to a basin at its center, the installation highlights water collection and storage.
This ancient practice serves various purposes and remains central today, particularly in rural and agricultural areas.
Through temporary storage of water, the cycle is slowed down, with an additional step inserted into the process that links it to the pond, where the water will eventually be released.
The project thus showcases the rhythm and volume of rainfall, its abundance or scarcity, with variations affecting the amount of water collected and temporarily stored.
As a place for pause, this pavilion offers shelter to contemplate the lake and the surrounding landscape, inviting visitors to consider how we use water — for utility, recreation, or nourishment — and to reflect on the role of freshwater in a global cycle.
