The second Forêt Monumentale is being held in the Roumare woods, in the French region of Normandy. It is an open-air artistic promenade, featuring thirteen monumental installations in dialogue with the landscape.

Prominent among them is Compluvium, a pavilion by P + S Estudio de Arquitectura, the Spain-based practice of Francisco Parada and Laura R. Salvador. This 25-square-meter building is an allegory of water, an omnipresent element in an area of frequent rains.

The structure is based on a virtual cube of 5 x 5 x 5 meters, with inward-sloping roofs that let rainwater collect in the center of the pavilion, creating a space that functions as both a shelter and a water collector.

The pavilion is built with three main materials: wood for the structure; resin-reinforced fiberglass as a protective, watertight membrane; and locally manufactured linen for the pavilion’s skin, black outside and in its natural tone inside. The use of materials like wood and linen honors the memory of constructions in the region, striking up a conversation between territory, art, and sustainability.