Positioned at the center of Southeastern Louisiana University’s campus, AION unfolds as both a public landmark and a spatial narrative shaped around memory, movement, and collective identity. Conceived by X-Topia + CRGArchitecture as part of the university’s centennial celebrations, the installation transforms a highly active campus intersection into a place of reflection, gathering, and exchange.
The project takes its name from the Greek word “Aion,” meaning “eternal,” framing the monument as an evolving marker of continuity between past, present, and future. The design translates the rhythms of campus life into an inhabitable architectural form. Pathways, visual connections, and patterns of movement observed across the university informed the geometry of the installation, allowing the piece to emerge directly from the social and spatial dynamics of the site.
Located between the renovated D. Vickers Hall, the Student Union, and the Memorial Fountain, the intervention operates as connective tissue within campus life. The surrounding buildings and pedestrian flows become part of the experience, with the monument framing views, guiding movement, and creating moments of pause from multiple directions. Its porous structure encourages visitors to move through and around it, producing constantly shifting perspectives and layered visual relationships.
Formally, AION is composed of three interconnected elements: a textured ground plane, a structural spine, and a series of aluminum fins arranged chronologically. Embedded within this composition are significant dates from the university’s history, transformed into structural and visual anchor points that collectively construct a three-dimensional timeline. More than 100 custom-designed fins are attached to a CNC-bent triangular aluminum framework, giving the installation a sense of rhythm, density, and motion.
The monument’s material palette was developed in response to Louisiana’s climate conditions. Powder-coated aluminum components provide durability against extreme weather while maintaining the precision and lightness of the overall form. The installation balances sculptural presence with functionality, operating simultaneously as a landmark, shaded gathering point, and social catalyst.
What distinguishes AION is the way it visualizes institutional history without becoming overly monumental or closed off. Instead, the project remains open, accessible, and interactive—inviting students, faculty, and visitors to occupy the space in their own way. Through transparency, layered geometry, and circulation, the installation reinforces the university’s emphasis on connection, lifelong learning, and shared experience.
As both a centennial marker and a contemporary civic gesture, AION reflects Southeastern Louisiana University’s evolving identity while projecting a future grounded in resilience, curiosity, and collective growth.
AION Project Details
Project Name: AION
Location: Hammond, Louisiana, USA
Project Type: Centennial Monument and Public Art Installation
Year: 2026
Status: Completed
Built Area: 100 m²
Architecture Firm: X-Topia + CRGArchitecture
Architects: Marcella Del Signore, Tatiana Teixeira, and Cordula Roser Gray
Fabricator: Curious Form (William Nemitoff)
Client: Southeastern Louisiana University
Software: Rhinoceros3D, Grasshopper3D
Materials: Powder-coated aluminum tubes and CNC-bent aluminum fins
Photographer: Bryce Ell
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