Elen Rio

École nationale supérieure d’architecture de Bretagne
IG @elen.rio_

I am an architect based in Marseille, raised in Brittany in a family of independent makers where doing always came before talking. After graduating from the École Nationale d’Architecture de Bretagne, I joined the practice of Bernard Quirot, and more recently Antes Architecture. Alongside this, various participatory building projects have nourished a collective and exploratory approach that I continue to pursue today through Atelier Mare. In my practice, I seek to create bridges between scales, from space to object, whilst remaining attentive to uses and places. I enjoy setting styles and eras in dialogue, bringing out the value of the materials and craftsmanship that shape them. I advocate for a rooted architecture, capable of opening up new and sustainable imaginaries, far from standardised models.

Pavillon du Jardinier
The great Mediterranean palaces and their gardens have long revealed their secrets. Yet their outbuildings remain largely unseen. It is within this quieter world that a gardener sets up his workshop. Patiently, he gathers, adapts, and transforms whatever materials are close at hand. From this spirit emerged the Gardener’s Pavilion. It has none of the grandeur of a palace, but all the charm of a dream assembled from earth, tarpaulins, and salvaged treasures. Every detail pays tribute to the art of gardening and making, reminding us that no kingdom has a monopoly on style: it flourishes wherever curiosity and ingenuity meet.

Building a plant support, repairing a frame, saving a roof tile because it might come in handy one day: these small acts, accumulated over time, form a kind of unselfconscious beauty. The pavilion extends this simple and joyful way of shaping one’s surroundings. It invites us to rethink our idea of beauty. While overly designed spaces can feel rigid and controlled, improvised interiors often retain a sense of poetry, warmth, and humour. Here, the pleasure of making things by hand is inseparable from the belief that beauty should belong to everyone.

The architecture is deeply rooted in the Mediterranean and shaped by its materials: raw earth walls, a floor laid in a patchwork of reclaimed Marseille roof tiles, and a pergola woven from Provençal reeds. A garden hose becomes both a climbing vine and the water supply for a central basin made from cane paper and pine resin. Galvanised steel evokes the inexpensive planters found in everyday gardens. Together, these elements create a dialogue between the self-taught and the skilled, the natural and the artificial, always with a certain fondness for the absurd. This is not an architecture in search

WITH THE SUPPORT OF
POTERIE RAVEL
BOB CARRELAGE
APSARA CRÉATIONS
MERCADIER - TEINTES & MATIÈRES
MAKE’S CONCEPT STORE
FABIEN CAPPELLO
RAZ-DE-TERRE
CADATU TERRE CRUE
RIMAX - METALLERIE
ACAMPA STUDIO
ATELIER MARE
CIERGERIE DES PRÉMONTRÉS