Lake Geneva has always influenced the local weather. But as we face a changing climate, understanding patterns of air flow between the lake and Lausanne is now more important than ever. Differences in temperature between the lake and the land force air to move across the open water, cooling through a process of evapotranspiration before blowing through the city and offering welcome relief from the summer heat. Jardin d’Éole, located at the end of Quai du Vent-Blanc, seeks to reveal the winds and breezes generated by Lake Geneva in all their diversity.

A simple device installed on the quay provides a space to play and keep cool, while adding a new element to the waterfront vista. Water from the lake is pumped and sprayed along a ring-shaped structure, producing a continuous curtain of water in which visitors can take refuge, make merry or simply contemplate the horizon. The breezes disturb this curtain of water, revealing both their direction and strength and constantly reshaping the landscape. Jardin d’Éole is a catalyst: a sensory compass rose where the climate dynamics of Lake Geneva—so fundamental to our livable future—play out before our eyes.