Lot 8 Design And Research Laboratory / BC Architects & Studies + Assemble

Architects: Assemble, BC Architects
Area: 2,500 m²
Year: 2023
Photographs: Morgane Renou, Joseph Halligan | Assemble, Baptiste Chatenet | BC architects & studies, Joana Luz, Adrian Deweerdt | Atelier Luma, Laurens Bekemans, Maria Lisogorskaya | Assemble
Manufacturers: BC materials, LUMA Arles
Design Team: BC architects & studies, Assemble
Landscape Architecture: Chris Posma, SYNEFF Consult, Coldep, TPF-I, Marie Marquet, Florent Valentin, Dominique Cardon, Véronique Mure, Genre, Agence Paysage
General Constructing: Atelier Kara, La pierre au carrée, Leemniscaat, Menuiserie Correze, Tanzi, CVI, Guintoli, Novacier, Calvo, Fernandez & fils, CKAT, Le village, Tonello
Engineering & Consulting > Environmental Sustainability: SYNEFF Consult
Engineering & Consulting > Structural: Betrec
City: Arles
Country: France

Lot 8, a cultural and research facility designed by BC architects & studies & materials, Assemble, and Atelier LUMA in Arles, France, has transformed a 2,100 m² 19th-century train depot into a production and innovation hub for Atelier LUMA. The renovation of the Magasin Électrique supports interdisciplinary design and experimentation through dedicated spaces for timber, metal, ceramic, textile, algae, and mycelium labs, as well as offices, meeting rooms, a library, and a resource center. Completed as part of the larger LUMA Foundation initiative, the project emphasizes bioregional design by sourcing materials and knowledge from the Camargue region, Crau plains, and Alpilles mountains. The intervention promotes ecological and social transition through regional collaboration, training, and skill transmission.

Lot 8 design and research laboratory / bc architects & studies + assemble

Lot 8 is a renovation of the Magasin Électrique, a 2,100 m² 19th-century train depot in Arles, France. The project was developed by BC architects & studies & materials, Assemble, and Atelier LUMA to house Atelier LUMA, the design research laboratory of the LUMA Foundation. The new program includes specialized workshops for timber, metal, ceramic, and textile production, in addition to algae and mycelium laboratories, desk spaces, meeting rooms, a library, and a resource center.

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Atelier LUMA, active in Arles since 2017, engages with the local Camargue, Alpilles, and Crau ecosystems to research sustainable design methods rooted in geography, culture, and available resources. According to the team, “through investigating the resources and know-how in our bioregion, and connecting different fields of expertise, Atelier LUMA develops local solutions for ecological, economic, and social transition.”

The collaborative design approach emphasized bioregional design, a methodology promoting material sourcing and skill development from the surrounding territory. Local knowledge and partnerships informed every aspect of the building’s adaptive reuse, from materials to programming.

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The project integrates production and research while also functioning as an educational tool. Training programs and transmission projects are central to its long-term objectives, aiming to establish a model for sustainable design rooted in regional ecosystems and communities.