the cloud collective installs temporary ruins in saint nectaire

the cloud collective installs temporary pavilions in saint nectaire
all images @ ludovic combe

at an altitude of almost 900 meters, in the fields above the small town of saint nectaire in france, the cloud collective has designed and built ‘temporary ruins’, two short-term pavilions for the 2015 horizons – arts-nature en sancy festival. during this fair, artists, architects and designers are invited to create non-permanent in situ installations around the summit of puy de sancy. on this occasion, the cloud collective was selected to occupy a site with one of the most alluring views of the massif. 

video courtesy of the cloud collective / ernest films

it was the wideness of this view which motivated the particular materiality of the viewpoint pavilions: a layering of 32 mm thick polycarbonate sheets, supported by a wooden structure of poles and joists. these polycarbonate sheets were sized according to their standard industrial dimensions, allowing the majority of the material to be salvaged from factory left-overs. the layering aims to create a view of the landscape which is both fractured and blurred, while at the same time framing two important architectural elements: the romanesque church of saint-nectaire and the medieval castle of murol.

the two pavilions are located on top of the puy de sancy, the highest mountain of the central massif

as the light changes during the passing of the day, so does the appearance of the viewpoints. the polycarbonate creates peculiar reflections and fractured compositions of the color of the sky, the surrounding vegetation and the passing clouds.

the choice of colors and materials for the pavilions doesn’t interfere with the landscape

inside the pavilions, the views are directed to the church and to the castle

the polycarbonate gives fractured views

the pavilions have merged with nature and coexist harmoniously

construction of the pavilions

construction diagrams

designboom has received this project from our ‘DIY submissions‘ feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.