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

The Fondation Pescatore, located at the site of the former Fort Berlaimont, has been a residential facility for senior citizens since 1892. The new building designed by architecture firm XDGA creates multiple small environments that evoke feelings of community and home for residents. Oriented towards the Kirchberg Plateau, each unit has 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. Particular Open views onto Three Acorns Park have been preserved and extended to produce a sense of continuity with the city’s park system. To the north of the site, dense belt of trees and vegetation strengthens the site’s connection with surrounding greenery, a plant screen. An enclosed garden sits at the center of the structure’s built environment. This style is reminiscent of the traditional hortus conclusus. In our project, the garden’s planting composition is modeled after the nearby forest  particular inspiration from the forest edge. In this 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 which connects to the main hall, the welcome space shared by residents and visitors. The winter garden on the first floor offers a delightful and rare close up of the canopy layer.