Reading pavilion
Esch-sur-Alzette
This design project envisions a reading pavilion situated in front of the Luxembourg Learning Centre (LLC) in Belval, Esch-sur-Alzette — a parametric architecture intervention that turns industrial leftovers into a sculptural public space.
The pavilion is conceived as a lightweight canopy structure, an umbrella-like form generated through computational design, using a combination of reclaimed rail bars as the primary structure and arched bricks as the infill — an unexpected mashup of vaulted tradition and post-industrial storytelling. Beneath it, benches made from railway sleepers are arranged with minimal cutting, preserving the material’s character while embracing a low-impact construction strategy.
All materials are sourced from a nearby railway deposit site, less than 500 meters from the proposed site, minimizing transport emissions and embodying the principles of local material reuse. This ultra-short supply chain and the reclamation of structural elements contribute to a calculated negative carbon footprint — a rare feat in architectural proposals, and a strong case for the environmental potential of upcycled design.
More than just a place to sit, sip, and study outdoors, the Reading Pavilion aims to serve as a pilot project—a bold prototype for integrating circular economy thinking into the public realm. By reimagining what discarded infrastructure can become, it invites students, visitors, and design skeptics alike to see sustainable architecture not as a compromise, but as an aesthetic, and a strategy.