The SoLid experiment, short for Search for Oscillations with a Lithium-6
detector, is a new generation neutrino experiment which tries to address the
key challenges for high precision reactor neutrino measurements at very short
distances from a reactor core and with little or no overburden. The primary
goal of the SoLid experiment is to perform a precise measurement of the
electron antineutrino energy spectrum and flux and to search for very short
distance neutrino oscillations as a probe of eV-scale sterile neutrinos. This
paper describes the SoLid detection principle, the mechanical design and the
construction of the detector. It then reports on the installation and
commissioning on site near the BR2 reactor, Belgium, and finally highlights its
performance in terms of detector response and calibration.