Local Stone And Recycled Pallets Form Dry-Built Pavilion
A temporary pavilion in Pollença, Mallorca, explores how locally available and reused materials can support lower-impact construction. Designed by Aulets Arquitectes, the structure combines large blocks of natural stone with a timber canopy made partly from recycled wooden pallets.
Named Futur Habitable, the pavilion was created for the 2025 edition of the town’s annual fair. It formed part of a three-year programme examining design and production. Following editions focused on rethinking design processes in 2023 and timber in 2024, the final programme considered how nearby materials could inform future building practices.
Minimally Processed Natural Stone
The pavilion’s supports consist of large stone blocks stacked to form thick, irregular walls. Their rough edges, saw marks and variations in orange and cream remain visible. Some blocks extend beyond the layers below, giving the walls an appearance closer to a quarry stockpile than conventional masonry.
This approach allows the stone’s scale and surface to define the architecture. Rather than covering the material with a smooth finish, the design retains clear traces of extraction and processing. The pavilion uses the weight of the blocks and a dry construction method to create its substantial supports.
A Canopy Made With Recycled Pallets
A broad timber canopy spans between the stone piers. Its deeper structural frame consists of beams, while recycled wooden pallets form the outer section of the roof. From a distance, the canopy appears as a single horizontal plane. Viewed more closely, the repeated slats reveal the pallets’ original form.
The design gives an ordinary component from transport and storage a different function without disguising its familiar dimensions. Its lightweight, modular appearance also creates a clear contrast with the mass of the stone below.
Architecture As A Threshold
Positioned across a pedestrian route, the pavilion acts as a low and wide gateway. Visitors move between the stone supports, while the central opening frames a view towards a nearby church. The canopy provides a short area of shade before the path continues into the surrounding garden.
Mature trees reach close to the roofline, connecting the geometric structure with the existing landscape. The project demonstrates how minimally processed local stone and reused timber elements can be combined in temporary architecture.
Futur Habitable was selected as a finalist in the 2026 FAD Awards for Ephemeral Interventions. The jury highlighted its dry construction and its use of local and recycled materials.
Source: designboom
Photos: Grimalt de Blanch / Jose Hevia / Aulets Arquitectes