The wooden installation of the UV laboratory reframes the public space in Lyon
Installed at Les SUBS in LyonARCADIA by UV Lab is a responsive web architecture installation developed as a long-term project unfolding between 2025 and 2027. It was designed as public structure and an evolving spatial environment, h wooden The installation reinterprets the historical idea of Arcadia through a contemporary urban context. The project was carried out in collaboration with students from the École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts de Lyon (ENSBA).
Drawing from the ancient Greek concept of Arcadia as a refuge and collective gathering, the project examines the relationship between ecological thinking, public space and social coexistence within the city. Instead of acting as a static object, ARCADIA acts as one habitable frame consisting of terraces, balconies, raised platforms and circulation paths that encourage movement through the structure.
The installation does not present a single frontal facade or fixed viewpoint. Its spatial organization gradually unfolds through ascent, circulation and changing perspectives. Visitors move through multi-level sequences of platforms and openings that frame views towards the Saône River and the Fourvière hill, while drawing attention to material textures, shadow conditions and the immediate spatial atmosphere.
all images courtesy of UV laboratory
Wooden Platforms and Open Balconies make ARCADIA
The construction reaches a height of approximately ten meters and constantly changes perception depending on proximity, light conditions and movement within the space. Openings within the frame allow wind, sound and public activity to become integrated elements of the architectural experience.
Designed as a transformable structure, ARCADIA consists of modular elements that are meant to be assembled, modified, disassembled and reconfigured during its three-year lifespan. This adaptability allows the facility to accommodate multiple forms of employment, including performances, gatherings, temporary retreat and informal public use, without defining a single function.
The project was developed in collaboration with students from the École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts de Lyon, mirroring the UV workshop StudioThe approach to architecture as a collective and participatory process. Through its evolving structure and open program, ARCADIA positions public space as a shared environment shaped by interaction, transformation and coexistence over time.
The wooden installation that responds to the space is located at Les SUBS in Lyon
ARCADIA has been conceived as an evolving public architectural environment
