The project by Valentiny HVP, Biodiversum, an information and visitor centre in a famous nature reserve, blends perfectly into its natural surroundings.

In the 19th century this large piece of land at border of Luxembourg, Germany and France was used as a sand pit. Extraction of sand transformed the environment, forming lots of little lakes, which became Haff Remich Nature Reserve in 1998.

Last year the park was given a visitor centre, a structure that looks like the overturned hull of a ship, inspired by the homes of the ancient Celts in the area. Made entirely out of timber on a ferroconcrete frame, the Biodiversum is a monumental construction with huge spaces put together by hand, plank after plank.

Light filtering in through the big windows overlooking the lake gives the place a sacred atmosphere, ideal for the permanent exhibition it hosts about the park and its ecosystem, designing primarily to instruct young people on the topics of ecology and conservation.