Solum Installation
SOLUM INSTALLATION
Atelier Faber
ARCHITECTS
Atelier Faber
DESIGN TEAM
Luca Antognoli, Gabriel Pontoizeau
CONSTRUCTION
Vereal
PHOTOGRAPHS
Giaime Meloni, LUGA
YEAR
2025
LOCATION
Luxembourg
CATEGORY
Installations & Structures, Cultural Architecture
English description provided by the architects.
Solum is a spatial and landscaped installation that draws attention to the importance of soil permeability in managing the water cycle.
On the site of an old well in Luxembourg City, the work spotlights the gradual reclamation of inert soil by living organisms, restoring its porosity, which is essential in the fight against drought and flooding.
The layered installation superimposes a band of reeds, an allegory of wetlands, on pillars of Luxembourg sandstone, the stone that enabled the formation of the largest aquifer in Luxembourg.
The result is an archaic and primitive landscape that enhances the site's natural environment.
The project is based on the lush plant life and the aesthetic and functional dynamics of the flora present on the site, reflecting the restoration of vegetation after the end of human activity.
This rich and diverse flora has developed on its own, without human assistance or watering, and is by definition the vegetation most adapted and resistant to the site's soil and climate.
The landscaping work will aim to support this flora by increasing the density of the shrub layer, with ruderal annual perennials in nitrogen-rich soils, and grasses and annual plants in dry soils.
The structure is made of reeds and Luxembourg sandstone.
