Atelier LUMA

Atelier LUMA over the years

Atelier LUMA was founded in 2016. It brings together a team of designers, engineers, scientists, and experts from the fields of culture, craftsmanship, humanities, and social sciences and innovation, who explore the potential of non-extractivist, and often discredited, local materials, such as invasive plants, agricultural coproducts, algae, and industrial waste.

Housed since 2023 in Le Magasin Électrique, Atelier LUMA operates as a collaborative platform, working with local actors and partners, including farmers, craftspeople, and manufacturers to create sustainable and local solutions. Over the years, Atelier LUMA has expanded its research scope and reach from the Arles bioregion to the international level by taking part in European projects and accompanying other institutions in their research.

A series of implementations of Atelier LUMA’s work can be seen in the Parc des Ateliers.

For The Tower, Atelier LUMA developed wall cladding panels made of salt naturally crystallized in the salt flats. The sanitary facilities are adorned with bioplastic tiles charged with algae-based dyes and invasive and dye plants, the result of research into local production of bio-sourced and biodegradable plastics. Finally, the walls of the Drum Café are covered with a coating based on sunflower pith, a residual raw material from the sunflower oil industry.

Le Magasin Électrique

In 2023, Atelier LUMA completed the renovation of Le Magasin Électrique, the building that centralizes its activities, at the end of a three-year pilot and experimental project.

Conducted in collaboration with BC architects & studies, and Assemble, the renovation project was an opportunity to implement the Lot 8 project, a large-scale applied research for a bioregional architecture, guided by principles of locality of the resources used and sustainability of equipment.

Atelier LUMA is committed to sharing the knowledge gathered through its activities and with its collaborators, by co-producing and participating in exhibitions, workshops, talks and other public events. The team also regularly publishes specific works, such as the book Bioregional Design Practices and the publication Algae Review.