Developing functional soils from excavated materials
The OpenSkyLab (OSL) collaboration is a multi-year research and development initiative dedicated to transforming excavated geological materials into functional soils. By operating an open-air field observatory, it examines how materials generated during large-scale underground construction activities can be reused to produce quality-controlled soils suitable for application in urban environments, landscaping and brownfield restoration.
OSL has been established within the framework for the Future Circular Collider (FCC) feasibility study, a particle accelerator research infrastructure that would be in the Geneva basin. A key challenge associated with such large-scale underground construction projects is the management and valorisation of excavated materials generated during construction.
Within the Geneva basin, these excavated materials consist mainly of molasse, a common sedimentary rock formation widespread across Switzerland and neighbouring regions of the Alpine foreland.
Rather than classifying this material as waste and disposing of it in landfills, OSL explores opportunities for its reuse as a valuable resource, in line with the avoid-reduce-compensate (ARC) approach.
THE CURRENT CHALLENGE
Current approaches typically rely on the addition of large proportions of organic amendments, such as compost, to improve the physical, chemical and biological properties of excavated materials. Given that, excavated materials typically contain low levels of available nutrients and organic matter, this is essential.
However, such organic amendments are a limited resource that is also essential for agriculture, raising the question of how to construct functional soils with low external inputs. There is also limited long-term monitoring of soil function after constructing soils and implementing science-based vegetation management protocols. As a result, broader and more systemic deployment is hindered. Additionally, specific processes for the construction of soils from molasse have not yet been developed.
OSL collaboration addresses these gaps
by moving beyond ad-hoc treatments to propose quality-managed Standard Operating Procedures for soil engineering. By providing a demonstration of living, evolving soils under local weather conditions, the initiative facilitates essential engagement with regulatory bodies, local authorities, practitioners and the public. Ultimately, it seeks to support a shift toward local and industrial-scale reuse of excavation materials in the Geneva basin and beyond.
The OSL approach
A two-step soil engineering process
Project Team CERN
Meet the scientists and teams working on this project
Sophie Valette
Project leader
I coordinate the activities in a way to achieve the foreseen goals: define functional recovery thresholds for molasse based constructed soils and develop soil construction and management guidelines (Standard operating procedures). I am an Environmental engineer (with a diploma in Sustainability) and very interested in regenerative agriculture and agroecology. The rest of the time, I also take part in environmental studies on the Future Circular Collider.
Emile Steenman
Agronomist
I contribute to the technical and scientific follow‑up of the OpenSkyLab, from field work and sampling to data analysis and reporting. My background spans horticulture, agronomy, and research on alternative farming approaches (e.g., agroecology, and regenerative agriculture). I am particularly interested in soils, plant ecology, agricultural practices, and in the broader interactions between farming systems, their environment and the people involved in them.
Christiana Staudinger
Plant-soil interactions
My research focuses on plant-soil-microbe interactions in natural and agricultural ecosystems. I coordinate the scientific aspects of the OpenSkyLab collaboration and appreciate the interdisciplinary exchange with my colleagues. I am especially interested in finding innovative applications of molasse-based substrates that address local needs and have the potential to enhance regional climate resilience and self-sufficiency.
This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation programme (grant agreement N°951754).
Project Partners
Photogalleries
Operation
Operation on the OpenSkyLab project
Camera Pictures
Pictures from the on-site camera
Construction
OpenSkyLab project during construction phase (2024)
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