Pavillon Source Bel Val

 

Design of a thematic pavilion by FORM SOCIETY in cooperation with artist Serge Ecker. The exhibition of the pavilion addresses the history of the again unearthed mineral spring of Bel Val in Luxembourg. In the late 19th and the early 20th centuries the water of the spring has been bottled and sold as Bel-Val table water in many parts of the world. In the second half of the 20th century the spring has been overbuilt by the ARBED steelworks and rediscovered after the demolition of the works. The pavilion is located in a park which is now part of the former industrial area.

Inspired by the circles formed by a drop on a water surface, the design of the pavilion is based on a diagram of interacting concentric circles defining the organization of the programmed areas of the pavilion. Links to the park, the local surroundings and the establishment of a visual axis to the location of the original spring add to the force field affecting the formal articulation of the pavilion. The exhibition is structured into five thematic sections with the spatial installation of “the hidden spring” in its center.

The pavilion is composed of three independent and demountable components: The exhibition, the canopy and the kiosk. This concept follows the idea of a phased re-use of the pavilion. After the exhibition is dismantled, kiosk and canopy can be used as a unit. The kiosk continues to serve the visitors of the park or it can be dismantled and rebuild somewhere else.