Plant screen, open views of the surrounding landscape, and a hortus conclusus

The Fondation Pescatore, located at the breathtaking site of the former Fort Berlaimont, has been a residential facility for senior citizens since 1892. The new building designed by architecture firm XDGA fits seamlessly into this historic locale.

The building aims to create multiple small environments that evoke feelings of community and home for residents. Oriented towards the Kirchberg Plateau, each unit has clear views out onto the surrounding landscape.

The site is woven into Luxembourg City’s green belt, a design from the end of the 19^th century inspired by Frederick Law Olmsted’s Central Park in New York. Our project seeks to produce a sense of continuity with the city’s park system by extending and preserving particular open views onto Three Acorns Park. To the north of the site, our project features a plant screen. This dense belt of trees and vegetation strengthens the site’s connection with surrounding greenery, and reduces noise pollution from Boulevard Robert Schuman.

A courtyard with an enclosed garden sits at the center of the new structure’s built environment. The garden bursts with lush vegetation, offering residents a very different experience from the open views and the plant screen. This style is reminiscent of the traditional hortus conclusus, a design that evokes the Garden of Eden. A hortus conclusus is generally small and enclosed, yet lush and brimming with flowers. In our project, the garden’s planting composition is modeled after the nearby forest. We draw particular inspiration from the forest edge, the zone where tree and groundcover layers converge. This slice of forest is transported to the city center, creating a complex and rich living environment. European beech is the dominant species of the tree layer, while companion species include oak, field maple, and European hornbeam. The herb layer carpets the soil in flowering groundcover, including sweet woodruff, wood melick, and wood anemone.

The forest garden is framed by a hardscape pathway surfaced in granite and limestone, mirroring paving materials used in public spaces throughout the city. The pathway is perfect for residents to enjoy immersive strolls among the lush vegetation. The pathway connects to the main hall, the welcome space shared by residents and visitors. Numerous vantage points overlooking the forest garden can be found in the new building’s upstairs winter garden, offering a delightful and rare closeup of the canopy layer.