Organised by the Service National de la Jeunesse (SNJ), the Order of Architects and Consulting Engineers (OAI) and the Fonds d’urbanisation et d’aménagement du Plateau Kirchberg (Fonds Kirchberg), the hut Festival is a challenge that encourages the young to develop a hut project based on a theme. Two different challenges have been developed this year, the first one allows the youth from 12 to 27 to build a temporary hut and the second one allows students or new hires in architecture or engineering who are less than 35 to design sustainable huts. For the second challenge, the jury chose two huts designed according to the circular economy and Cradle-to-Cradle principles that will be set up in the Grünewald area: « Origin’s » and « MOMA ». ArcelorMittal Belval supported Origin’s providing the building materials.

Set up between Charles Bernhoeft and Edward Steichen streets, the hut is integrated in an urban area that is already in disruption with the huge traffic streams within the J. F. Kennedy boulevard (public vegetables garden, bocce, food trucks, etc.). The Origin’s project aims at increasing such a potential and at building a new urban landscape. Many traditional functions of the hut - hiding, resting, climbing, playing and watching – have been preserved while interpretation is encouraged by the Origin’s team composed of Delphine Fietz, Charlotte Seivert, Dariya Demydova, Eliki Diamantouli and Sebastian Persuric. Its structure is a ‘forest’ of steel masts, reminding the nature within the former Kirchberg. The roof is a canopy protecting the visitors and events.

« This minimalist architecture, as a plantation, offers a constructive approach and a tree metaphor to create a friendly micro-environment encouraging relationships between citizens. The hut can be used differently: tent, playground, basketball, beach volley, pergola, vegetation trellis, hammocks structure, etc. » explains Delphine Fietz, team member.

The structure required 35 beams and can be adapted or expanded afterwards. Indeed, the sustainable project wants to create and reinvent temporary uses depending on the needs. To develop this forest, the Origin’s team asked ArcelorMittal Belval for providing steel beams with three different heights based on concrete blocks. To be aligned with the circular economy and cradle-to-cradle principles, the steel beams have been chosen to reduce waste, to facilitate the construction, to decrease the costs and to enable reusing. Moreover, the steel provided by ArcelorMittal Belval is made from 95% recyclable materials and is – by nature - indefinitely recyclable all the while keeping its quality.

The hut village can be visited from July 15 to 30.