{"id":78878,"date":"2026-04-14T08:00:45","date_gmt":"2026-04-14T12:00:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/landartgenerator.org\/blagi\/?p=78878"},"modified":"2026-04-12T16:29:54","modified_gmt":"2026-04-12T20:29:54","slug":"in-fiji-marou-village-shapes-its-own-energy-future","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/landartgenerator.org\/blagi\/archives\/78878","title":{"rendered":"In Fiji, Marou Village Shapes Its Own Energy Future"},"content":{"rendered":"

Alberto Roncelli\u2019s circular solar pavilion chosen to deliver clean energy and water to Fiji\u2019s Yasawa Islands.<\/em><\/p>\n

The Land Art Generator Initiative (LAGI) and the Village of Marou are pleased to announce that The O<\/em>, designed by Italian-born, Denmark-based architect Alberto Roncelli (Roncelli Studio<\/a>), has been selected as the project to advance to full-scale construction in Marou Village following the conclusion of LAGI 2025 Fiji<\/a>\u2019s two-stage competition process.<\/p>\n

\"Light
\u201cThe O,\u201d by Alberto Roncelli (Denmark) incorporates solar photovoltaic, battery storage, and rainwater harvesting to produce 150 MWh of electricity and 1.2 million liters of filtered water each year. A winning submission to the Land Art Generator Initiative design competition for Fiji. LAGI 2025 Fiji is held in collaboration with the Village of Marou.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The selection marks the culmination of a global design competition that drew 205 submissions from 45 countries. The O<\/a><\/em> by Alberto Roncelli and Ligavatuvuce<\/a><\/em> by Young Kang were both named Stage 1 winners in June 2025, each receiving $100,000 USD to develop functioning prototypes. Both of these prototypes are currently on display to the public at the Fiji Arts Council in Suva through May of 2026. Their fabrication offered an opportunity to assess the two finalists against a set of criteria that included technical feasibility, cultural resonance, economic opportunity, and replicability.<\/p>\n

Shaped as a perfect circle 40 meters in diameter, The O<\/em> is a timber-canopied solar pavilion that integrates photovoltaic energy generation, rainwater harvesting, and a flexible public gathering space. The installation is designed to produce 150 MWh of electricity and 1.2 million liters of filtered water annually \u2014 directly addressing the electricity and potable water needs of Marou Village\u2019s 67 households. The hand carved beam on the prototype is by local Fijian artist Sonny from Yanuyanu Art and represents the symbols of Marou Village.<\/p>\n

\"Two
Sketch by Alberto Roncelli of The O, showing how the design can grow in its power capacity over time.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In a statement Alberto Roncelli wrote, \u201cOver the past nine months, meeting and working with the people of Marou has been a highlight of this project. Being on-site with the community allowed us to better understand the land, gather essential feedback, and implement design improvements already visible in the 1:1 prototype built in Suva. I\u2019m incredibly excited to take the next steps alongside the village and all our project collaborators to realize The O together, demonstrating what\u2019s possible for sustainable infrastructure across the Pacific. I want to thank LAGI for this great opportunity.\u201d <\/p>\n

\"Local
\u201cThe O,\u201d by Alberto Roncelli (Denmark) incorporates solar photovoltaic, battery storage, and rainwater harvesting to produce 150 MWh of electricity and 1.2 million liters of filtered water each year. A winning submission to the Land Art Generator Initiative design competition for Fiji. LAGI 2025 Fiji is held in collaboration with the Village of Marou.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Ilisari Naqau Nasau, Acting Chief of Marou Village, spoke to Elizabeth Monoian and Robert Ferry about what the project means to Marou. \u201cI remember the day we met and you explained the purpose of your visit,\u201d he said. \u201cI knew it was me you had been searching for. And I knew that it was you I was searching for. The previous Chief \u2014 my uncle \u2014 had just passed away. I was standing where I am today. Please do not take it lightly. Take it with a heart like my heart, loving and for my people.\u201d<\/p>\n

He sees the project as something larger than a single structure. \u201cWhat we are building in Marou together is a signal to our children that their village is a place where the world comes to learn,\u201d he said. \u201cWhen this is built, I want every person who visits to understand that this community has always known how to live well with this land. That is what we are showing with this project.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Local
\u201cThe O,\u201d by Alberto Roncelli (Denmark) incorporates solar photovoltaic, battery storage, and rainwater harvesting to produce 150 MWh of electricity and 1.2 million liters of filtered water each year. A winning submission to the Land Art Generator Initiative design competition for Fiji. LAGI 2025 Fiji is held in collaboration with the Village of Marou.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

“There were unexpected delays during prototyping, but Loma Mataika, Fiji-based architect and founder of Atelier153<\/a>, brought exactly the expertise and deep knowledge that the project demanded,\u201d said Elizabeth Monoian, LAGI co-founder. \u201cBecause of her leadership, the prototypes were ready for the stakeholder review, and the community’s response made clear that both designs had genuinely listened to Marou.\u201d<\/p>\n

Robert Ferry, LAGI\u2019s co-founder, added: \u201cOn the first night the prototypes were illuminated by the solar panels, the community came out to bless the projects with a kava ceremony \u2014 a moment none of us will forget. The solar batteries were already generating enough power that community members could plug in speakers and fill the space with music.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Photo
Prototype of \u201cThe O,\u201d by Alberto Roncelli. The full-scale installation incorporates solar photovoltaic, battery storage, and rainwater harvesting to produce 150 MWh of electricity and 1.2 million liters of filtered water each year. A winning submission to the Land Art Generator Initiative design competition for Fiji. LAGI 2025 Fiji is held in collaboration with the Village of Marou.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Development for construction is expected to begin in early 2027 after the rainy season. In addition to those already mentioned above, The O prototype building & design team included: Capital Construction<\/a>, Techlam NZ<\/a>, PTL Engineering<\/a>, Chand Engineering<\/a>, CBS Power Solutions<\/a>, and Fiji Arts Council<\/a>. Geotechnical engineering at the Marou Village site is being provided by Tonkin+Taylor<\/a> with Rockwell Pacific<\/a>.<\/p>\n

As the project moves forward LAGI will be working closely with funding partners, construction partners, and key government authorities, such as the Fiji Department of Energy, Fiji Rural Electrification Fund, and the iTaukei Land Trust Board.<\/p>\n

\"Night
\u201cThe O,\u201d by Alberto Roncelli (Denmark) incorporates solar photovoltaic, battery storage, and rainwater harvesting to produce 150 MWh of electricity and 1.2 million liters of filtered water each year. A winning submission to the Land Art Generator Initiative design competition for Fiji. LAGI 2025 Fiji is held in collaboration with the Village of Marou.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The O was co-developed in direct consultation with Marou residents, who participated in design workshops to shape programming for the installation’s public space \u2014 including proposals for a handicraft market, community garden, and cultural gathering functions. The project aligns with Fiji’s national goals for renewable energy, climate adaptation, and sustainable tourism.<\/p>\n

LAGI 2025 Fiji was delivered in coordination with Marou Village, the Fiji Department of Energy, the Fiji Rural Electrification Fund, UNDP, Arizona State University (LEAPS<\/a>), The University of Fiji<\/a>, Fiji Arts Council<\/a>, Crystal Island Fiji<\/a>, the Ministry of Tourism, and Tourism Fiji<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"Fiji's
Fiji’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Tourism, Hon. Viliame Gavoka delivers an address to Fiji’s Parliament on the LAGI 2025 Fiji design competition.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The national significance of LAGI 2025 Fiji was addressed directly in Parliament by Fiji’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Tourism, Hon. Viliame Gavoka. View the full address:
\nhttps:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=wqRwpWDhxN4<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Photo
Prototype of \u201cThe O,\u201d by Alberto Roncelli. The full-scale installation incorporates solar photovoltaic, battery storage, and rainwater harvesting to produce 150 MWh of electricity and 1.2 million liters of filtered water each year. A winning submission to the Land Art Generator Initiative design competition for Fiji. LAGI 2025 Fiji is held in collaboration with the Village of Marou.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

About the Land Art Generator Initiative LAGI is a US-based nonprofit that works with communities to design and build clean energy infrastructure as public art. Since 2010, LAGI has run open international design competitions across the UAE, New York City, Copenhagen, Santa Monica, Melbourne, Abu Dhabi, Fly Ranch, Mannheim, and now Fiji.
\nhttps:\/\/landartgenerator.org<\/a>
\nhttps:\/\/lagi2025fiji.org<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Alberto Roncelli\u2019s circular solar pavilion chosen to deliver clean energy and water to Fiji\u2019s Yasawa Islands. The Land Art Generator […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":23,"featured_media":78936,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"none","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[102,99,448,100,27],"tags":[451,437,13,454,48],"class_list":["post-78878","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-architecture","category-infrastructure","category-lagi-2025-events","category-land-art","category-solar-power","tag-lagi-2025-fiji","tag-regenerative-design","tag-solar","tag-the-o","tag-water"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/landartgenerator.org\/blagi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/78878"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/landartgenerator.org\/blagi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/landartgenerator.org\/blagi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/landartgenerator.org\/blagi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/23"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/landartgenerator.org\/blagi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=78878"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/landartgenerator.org\/blagi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/78878\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":78938,"href":"https:\/\/landartgenerator.org\/blagi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/78878\/revisions\/78938"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/landartgenerator.org\/blagi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/78936"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/landartgenerator.org\/blagi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=78878"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/landartgenerator.org\/blagi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=78878"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/landartgenerator.org\/blagi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=78878"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}