Colouring outside the lines for a better environment

An open mind. Not allowing yourself to be limited in advance by all kinds of formal obstacles. And a healthy dose of out-of-the-box thinking. These are the three ingredients for a powerful recipe. Master’s students in architecture at Hasselt University made full use of these ingredients for their final projects on the relationship between the Einstein Telescope and the environment. And that leaves us wanting more.

Titles

Several months of study on this subject yielded fascinating results, with intriguing titles such as Ligne 38, Back on Track, Unearthed Future, From Waste to Wetlands, Soil as a Sensor of Feeling the Unseen.

Key questions: how can the telescope be integrated as effectively as possible into the environment where it will be built? What opportunities might this offer for the environment? With a focus on sustainability and the sustainable transition that the landscape is already undergoing.

The projects will be involved in working on solutions to issues surrounding feasibility, concept development, construction and the period after the construction of the Einstein Telescope.

Empathy

The six working groups recently presented their ideas. These were not conceived behind a desk, but are largely based on conversations with residents in the search area and on identifying what they consider important. Conversations or surveys were conducted in accessible locations such as the chip shop, the village pub or the library. And, of course, by exploring the area themselves as students. Not only by observing and analysing, but also by “experiencing” the landscape. By walking, feeling, smelling or tasting in that environment. The Walloon municipality of Plombières was the most attractive choice of location for topics.

Cycle connection

What about Ligne 38: a combination of history, mobility and science. Memories of the Liège-Plombières railway connection, but soon with a cycle route for this route. With old train carriages as rest areas, as a location for bicycle rental and to listen in silence to the sound of gravitational waves detected by the Einstein Telescope.

Montzen Station

Another group placed a strong focus on Plombières. Together with residents who were interviewed, they thought about a new future for the station in Montzen (Plombières). The result was that the arrival of the Einstein Telescope, after a period of construction, could lead to a renovated Montzen station, making the somewhat isolated Plombières a connection point again and regaining its central function for the region.

Water

What can be done with the water that is expected to be extracted from the ground? Possible answers: use it to heat homes in the immediate vicinity, for agricultural irrigation, to cool elements in the telescope itself, or turn it into drinking water. One group of students is focusing on purifying the water certainly, for example using marsh plants. Any heavy metals are filtered out of the water, which enhances microbiological processes, resulting in biodiversity. After purification, the water can be stored in marshy areas. This idea also gives the region an ecological boost.

New life

It will not only be about water, but also about how the excavated soil can be used wisely. How do you give soil a new lease of life? The starting point is a destination that is good from an ecological and social point of view. Options according to one of the groups: use it for the construction of the Einstein Telescope itself, but also for housing or road construction, dyke reinforcement or for the creation of nature and recreation areas. A knowledge centre where researchers, students and “soil professionals” could follow the entire soil process would also be a meaningful option.

Past, present and future

While the potential uses for this land are often viewed with some concern, it is also possible to look at it through optimistic eyes. For example, by giving this land a new role in the landscape. A working group took as its starting point the underground fault lines in the soil of Plombières that intersect existing walking routes. By building a pavilion at three locations, not coincidentally in a triangle, these also reflect the underground Einstein Telescope in spatial terms. The new route that is created thus becomes a “journey” of observation, encounter and awareness. As you walk, the landscape tells its story of the (mining) past, the story of the walk of the present and the story of the future via the Einstein Telescope.

Intuition and perception

How can you perceive differently? A difficult question, especially when it comes to invisible, intangible gravitational waves. A more intuitive walk can help. For example, by walking on wet grass or muddy ground, listening to sound or the absence of it. It triggers your consciousness. The students who came up with the “Feeling the Unseen” project want to start a dialogue about what the Einstein Telescope can mean in ways other than purely scientific or social. The underground telescope as a catalyst for new experiences, as a connector of your senses.