In the traditional village of Vlachokerasia, a contemporary residence reconnects its owner with a family site in Arcadia, organizing private and communal functions on two levels while using stone, large openings and a restrained material palette to establish continuity between memory, architecture and landscape.

 

Patrion House in Arcadia by OfficeTwentyFiveArchitects is located in the traditional village of Vlachokerasia, on a plot closely connected with the owner’s family history. The site once contained the ruins of his great-grandfather’s home, making the new residence not simply an intervention in the Arcadian landscape but also a return to a place of personal and generational significance.

The architecture responds to this context through a clear two-level organization, extensive use of stone and large openings towards the surrounding terrain. Rather than reproducing local building forms literally, the project establishes continuity through material, proportion and its direct relationship with the landscape.

 

Private spaces within the terrain

The residence is organized across two levels according to a clear distinction between private and communal functions.

The lower level accommodates the quieter areas of the house, including the bedrooms and a playroom. Its position gives these spaces a more protected character and strengthens their relationship with the terrain.

Above, the communal functions are brought together around the kitchen and living room. Their arrangement around a central core creates a more open setting for daily life and social interaction, establishing a deliberate contrast with the more enclosed character of the lower level.

The vertical distribution therefore does more than separate functions: it creates two different spatial conditions, moving from retreat and privacy below to openness and gathering above.

 

Stone as a connecting material

Stone defines both the exterior character and the principal interior surfaces of the house.

Its continuous use across the envelope and selected internal walls reinforces the relationship between architecture and place while creating a material link between the site’s past and its contemporary occupation.

Rather than being treated as a decorative finish, stone gives the residence weight and a sense of permanence. Against it, large glazed openings introduce a contrasting degree of transparency, drawing daylight deep into the interior and opening uninterrupted views towards the Arcadian landscape.

The combination of solid stone surfaces and expansive glazing becomes the project’s principal architectural contrast: enclosure and exposure, material density and visual openness.

 

A restrained interior palette

The interior design by Stones & Walls follows the same restrained approach.

A soft, neutral palette is developed through wood, stone and metal, complemented by lighter textures and contemporary detailing. The interiors avoid excessive ornament, allowing the material qualities of the architecture and the views beyond the openings to remain prominent.

The use of timber introduces warmth alongside the more mineral character of the stone, while dark metal elements provide sharper accents and define individual details.

At the centre of the living area, a cast-iron fireplace operates as the principal focal point. Its strong material presence anchors the communal space without competing with the surrounding landscape.

 

Landscape, memory and contemporary living

The character of Patrion House emerges from the relationship between three elements: the family history associated with the site, the physical presence of the Arcadian landscape and the requirements of contemporary domestic life.

The residence does not attempt to reconstruct the past formally. Instead, OfficeTwentyFiveArchitects use the material continuity of stone, the organization of the house within the terrain and the framing of long views to establish a more indirect connection with the place’s history.

Inside, Stones & Walls extend this approach through a limited palette that remains closely tied to the architectural materials. The result is a residence where the distinction between tradition and contemporary design is deliberately softened: stone and landscape provide continuity, while generous openings, clear spatial organization and restrained detailing establish its present-day character.

 

The project was first published in print in Maison de Campagne 2025.

Simultaneous heating and cooling with reduced refrigerant charge and greater installation flexibility

Panasonic Heating & Cooling Solutions expands its VRF portfolio with the new ECOi EX MF4 series using R32 refrigerant. Designed for commercial buildings requiring simultaneous heating and cooling, the three-pipe heat recovery system combines high seasonal efficiency, reduced refrigerant charge and compact dimensions with increased flexibility for complex HVAC installations.

 

Greater efficiency with less refrigerant

A key feature of the ECOi EX MF4 series is the optimized refrigerant charge. According to Panasonic, the use of R32 allows the system to operate with 41% less refrigerant than an equivalent R410A system, based on internal testing of a 12HP model with 80m of piping.

The reduced refrigerant requirement is combined with heat recovery, allowing different zones of the same building to be heated and cooled simultaneously. This makes the system particularly relevant to commercial applications where thermal requirements can vary significantly between spaces and throughout the day.

 

High seasonal efficiency across a wide temperature range

The series is designed to maintain performance under significantly different climatic conditions.

For the U-10MF4E8 model, seasonal efficiency reaches 308.3% in cooling mode and 171% in heating mode. The operating range extends from -20°C in heating to +52°C in cooling, supporting year-round use in locations subject to both low winter temperatures and demanding summer conditions.

The combination of heat recovery and broad operating limits allows the system to address projects where different orientations, uses and occupancy patterns create simultaneous heating and cooling requirements.

 

Compact dimensions and installation flexibility

The new generation also focuses on reducing the space required for mechanical equipment.

Depending on the model and configuration, the installation footprint can be reduced by up to 43% compared with previous generations. A lighter chassis facilitates transportation and handling, while the more compact dimensions can simplify integration into buildings where available plant space is limited.

For larger or more complex projects, the system supports a total piping length of up to 500m, allowing greater freedom in the positioning of indoor and outdoor units.

This flexibility is particularly relevant to commercial buildings where HVAC design must respond to multiple zones, long distribution routes and restrictions imposed by the architecture or existing technical infrastructure.

 

Safety and system integration

The ECOi EX MF4 series has been developed around the requirements associated with R32 refrigerant.

Panasonic states that its safety devices comply with the relevant requirements of CEI EN 60335-2-40 and EN 378 (ISO 5149), supporting the integration of the system into contemporary commercial applications.

The wider ECOi EX platform also provides different connectivity and control options, allowing HVAC systems to be incorporated into centralized or remote building management strategies.

 

Indoor air quality and comfort

Compatible air-to-air indoor units are equipped with Panasonic’s nanoe™ X technology, developed to support improved indoor air quality in conditioned spaces.

The system can also be combined with different ventilation solutions, enabling designers and installers to approach cooling, heating, ventilation and indoor environmental quality as parts of an integrated HVAC strategy.

With the ECOi EX MF4 series, Panasonic Heating & Cooling Solutions places the emphasis on the combination of energy performance, reduced refrigerant charge, compact equipment and system flexibility, addressing the technical demands of contemporary commercial buildings.

 

Panasonic

 

Three independent residences on a steep plot in Trikala, Corinthia, reinterpret the archetypal mountain house through local stone, glass and a careful response to the natural terrain, maintaining privacy while opening uninterrupted views towards the Corinthian Gulf.

 

Slope in Trikala, Corinthia by gnb architects is a small complex of three independent residences positioned on a steep site at the edge of the lower district of Trikala. The plot opens towards the eastern horizon, with uninterrupted views across the opposite mountain slopes and towards the Corinthian Gulf, making topography, orientation and visual continuity the principal parameters of the composition.

The project seeks to reinterpret characteristics of the local mountain architecture through a reduced contemporary vocabulary. Rather than reproducing vernacular forms, the design simplifies the archetypal mountain dwelling and limits its architectural expression to a small number of materials and clearly defined volumes.

 

Following the natural slope

The arrangement of the three residences is determined directly by the terrain.

To reduce the footprint of the construction and adapt the buildings to the steep gradient, two units are joined at the highest part of the plot, while the third is positioned farther down the slope.

The displacement creates sufficient distance between the residences to ensure privacy, while preventing the lower unit from interrupting the views of those above. Instead of establishing a single continuous building front, the complex follows the descending geometry of the site.

The architecture consequently becomes part of the slope rather than an independent object imposed upon it.

 

A simplified mountain archetype

The form of each residence is derived from the reduction of a familiar mountain-house typology to its most essential elements.

A simple stone volume is protected by a pitched tiled roof, establishing a direct reference to the built character of the wider area. The reference, however, is deliberately abstracted. Ornament and secondary formal gestures are removed, leaving the volume, roof and openings to define the architectural identity.

Three sides of each residence remain predominantly solid, with relatively few and small openings. This allows the local stonework to retain a sense of weight and enclosure.

The eastern elevation follows the opposite principle.

 

Stone and glass

Towards the horizon, the solid envelope opens almost completely.

The eastern wall of each residence is replaced by a large glazed surface, creating direct visual continuity between the interior and the distant landscape. The contrast establishes the main architectural logic of the project: local stone represents mass and enclosure, while glass introduces transparency and openness.

The two materials are not used as surface treatments but as complementary spatial conditions.

From the side and rear elevations, the residences appear compact and grounded. From the east, the volume becomes substantially lighter, with the interior exposed towards the view and natural light entering across the full width of the façade.

This sharp distinction between solid and transparent surfaces gives the otherwise restrained buildings their contemporary character.

 

Suspended above the terrain

The eastern side of each residence extends into an outdoor living area.

Lightweight metal balconies with timber decking project beyond the building line and above the steeply descending ground. Their construction deliberately contrasts with the heavier stone volumes behind them.

Because of the inclination of the plot, these platforms are elevated among the surrounding vegetation, creating the sensation of being suspended between the branches of the taller trees and the open sky.

The outdoor spaces consequently operate as an extension of the glazed eastern elevations, bringing everyday use closer to the landscape while maintaining a relatively limited physical intervention on the terrain.

 

A contemporary reading of local architecture

Slope is based on a restricted architectural vocabulary: stone, glass, tiled roofs and lightweight metal structures.

The project does not attempt to imitate the traditional architecture of mountainous Corinthia. Instead, gnb architects isolate some of its most recognizable characteristics—the compact stone volume, the pitched roof and the relationship with the slope—and rework them according to contemporary requirements for light, openness and visual connection.

The placement of the three residences follows the terrain, while the contrast between the enclosed stone sides and the fully glazed eastern elevations establishes a clear relationship between protection and view.

Through this combination, the complex retains a strong connection with the material and morphological character of the region while responding directly to the particular qualities of its steep site.

 

The project was first published in print in Maison de Campagne 2024.

The conversion of the former Xenia hotel in Florina into The Lynx Mountain Resort combines structural and functional upgrading with a new relationship to the surrounding forest landscape, opening the existing building towards distant views while retaining its original architectural identity.

 

The Lynx Mountain Resort in Florina by De.Ar Architects transforms the former Xenia hotel through an extensive architectural intervention that addresses the existing structure, the guestrooms and public areas, as well as the building’s relationship with its densely wooded setting. The renovation upgraded the hotel from three to four stars, reorganizing its capacity to 38 rooms and 98 beds while introducing new hospitality and leisure functions.

Rather than replacing the existing building with an autonomous new composition, the project works with its original volume and structural logic. The intervention opens the previously more enclosed envelope towards the mountain and the city, using large glazed surfaces, successive outdoor areas and a new architectural layer that gives the complex a more unified contemporary identity.

 

Transforming the existing Xenia

The modernization required substantial work on the original building.

The existing structural system was comprehensively reinforced, while the roof was reconstructed with a new metal frame and asphalt shingles. New mechanical and electrical installations were incorporated, and the basement was extended to support the upgraded programme.

The architectural strategy nevertheless remains focused on the existing building rather than on the visibility of these technical interventions. Its original geometry provides the basis for the new composition, while additions are used to improve functionality, environmental performance and the relationship between interior and exterior.

The redistribution of the programme accompanies the hotel’s upgrade. Guest capacity was reduced in order to provide larger rooms and enhanced common facilities, including reception, dining and leisure areas, alongside the casino and other complementary functions.

 

Opening the building towards the landscape

A central objective of the design is to integrate the hotel into its forest setting while making the surrounding landscape more present within the architecture.

Large sliding glazed openings replace more limited visual connections, extending views towards the hill, the city of Florina and the distant horizon. Glass balustrades on successive levels preserve these sightlines, reducing the visual weight of the boundaries between the rooms, terraces and landscape.

A lightweight external construction of metal and glass is introduced as a new layer around parts of the existing shell. Combined with the thermal upgrading of the façades, it allows daylight to penetrate deeper into the building and establishes a stronger degree of openness without erasing the original structure.

The new elevation consequently operates as both environmental envelope and visual filter, bringing the different periods of the building into a more coherent whole.

 

A restrained mountain materiality

The external material palette responds to the strong seasonal changes of the Florina landscape.

Earth-toned surfaces are combined with darker textures on the roof and metal elements, allowing the building to sit more quietly against the wooded terrain. The envelope was also designed in response to the considerable temperature differences that characterize the region throughout the year.

The contrast between transparent and solid surfaces gives depth to the façades. Glazing reflects the surrounding vegetation and sky, while darker structural and cladding elements reinforce the horizontal and vertical lines of the composition.

The resulting architecture maintains the robust character required by the mountain climate while becoming substantially more open than the former hotel.

 

Interiors between view and privacy

The interior design by thingk interiors develops the same relationship with the landscape through a warmer and more tactile material palette.

In the guestrooms, the design gives priority to the views while maintaining privacy. Darker elements frame the openings and built-in functions, while walnut timber, stone and metal establish a contemporary interpretation of a mountain interior without relying on literal rustic references.

Wall coverings, carpets and textiles introduce softer surfaces and warm tonal variations. Direct and indirect lighting are combined with carefully controlled decorative elements, creating an atmosphere that balances comfort with the more rigorous geometry of the architecture.

The public areas adopt a more open spatial character. Transparency, continuous surfaces and permeable divisions reinforce the sense of spaciousness and visual connection with the exterior, while the darker palette of selected architectural elements provides continuity between the different functions.

 

Landscape as an extension of the forest

The landscape design develops a dialogue between the linear geometry of the architecture and the less regular structure of the surrounding vegetation.

Paving strips, prismatic planters with concealed linear lighting and canopies establish a system of clear reference points around the building. Their linearity remains legible both during the warmer months and when the landscape is covered by snow.

Planting follows a more fluid logic. Rather than creating an isolated ornamental garden, new vegetation is conceived as an extension of the wider forest ecosystem. Existing mature planting is retained where possible, preserving both ecological continuity and long views towards the horizon.

The outdoor spaces consequently mediate between the rebuilt hotel and the surrounding terrain rather than separating the two.

 

A renewed relationship with place

The transformation of The Lynx Mountain Resort is based on the reuse and substantial upgrading of an existing hospitality building.

Structural reinforcement, a reconstructed roof, new building services and a reworked envelope address the technical demands of the conversion, while the architectural strategy concentrates on reopening the former Xenia towards its surroundings.

Through glazing, lighter external structures, a restrained material palette and a landscape scheme that continues the character of the forest, De.Ar Architects redefine the hotel as a more outward-looking building. The interior design reinforces this approach through natural materials, visual continuity and an emphasis on the relationship between the guestrooms, common areas and the landscape of Florina.

 

The project was first published in print in ek252 | November 2020.

Set against the dense fir forest of Parnassos, Hermitage 1310 organizes eight independent residences within two pitched-roof volumes, using extensive glazing, local stone, timber and black metal to establish a continuous visual relationship between domestic space and the mountain landscape.

 

Hermitage 1310 in Parnassos by Yiorgis Lampathakis is conceived around the experience of living within the forest, away from the busier settlements of the wider Arachova area. The dense fir trees and the morphology of the green ravine become the principal references for the design, with transparency used to bring the landscape visually into the interiors.

Extensive glazed surfaces open the residences towards the wooded slopes, reducing the visual boundary between inside and outside. The surrounding landscape is therefore not treated as a backdrop to the architecture, but as a constant presence within everyday life.

 

Two volumes on the slope

The complex consists of two building volumes, both defined by pitched roofs. Each contains four independent residences of 80m², organized vertically across three levels.

The steep terrain determines the system of access. Entry takes place from the higher side of the slope by means of metal bridges leading directly to the intermediate level of each residence. This central floor accommodates the shared living and dining functions and develops partly as a double-height space.

Above it, a bedroom and bathroom are positioned on a mezzanine overlooking the main living area. At ground level, depending on the residence type, the programme includes either two bedrooms with bathroom facilities or one larger bedroom with its own bathroom.

The section therefore allows the residences to follow the topography while preserving open visual connections between their different levels and the forest beyond.

 

Stone, timber, metal and glass

The material palette combines local grey stone, timber, black metal and glass.

Stone gives weight to the lower and more enclosed parts of the volumes, while timber is used on roofs and floors. Black metal defines balconies, entrance bridges and a series of smaller architectural details. Against these solid materials, the unusually large glazed elevations create direct visual contact with the surrounding vegetation.

Custom-made elements developed from standard industrial steel sections extend this material language into the interiors. Produced through conventional metalworking techniques, they serve as storage elements, partitions and small pieces of furniture. Ski racks are incorporated directly into the railings of the entrance bridges, connecting everyday mountain activities with the architecture itself.

 

A restrained interior

The interior design remains deliberately limited in order to preserve the sense of openness.

Light timber chairs are paired with black metal dining tables, while sofas and rugs draw their colours from the surrounding landscape. The interiors avoid unnecessary visual density, allowing the material character of stone, timber and metal to remain clear.

At the centre of each double-height living space, a black metal wood-burning stove establishes a vertical reference point. Its chimney emphasizes the height of the room without obstructing the view, while the large glazed elevation directs attention towards the wooded slope.

Thin linear lighting elements on walls and ceilings provide discreet illumination and reinforce the perspective towards the forest after dark.

 

The landscape as part of daily life

Transparency remains the project’s most important spatial device.

From the central living areas to the bedrooms and circulation spaces, large areas of glazing maintain continuous visual contact with the surrounding vegetation. The architecture frames the landscape while allowing changes in weather, light and season to become part of the interior atmosphere.

The external landscape design follows the same restrained approach, allowing the buildings to remain closely connected with the existing forest character rather than establishing an autonomous ornamental garden.

Rainwater and melting snow collected from the timber roofs are directed to an underground cistern and reused. Exterior lighting is similarly kept to a minimum, maintaining the darker atmosphere of the forest and limiting its impact on the immediate environment.

Hermitage 1310 therefore combines a compact residential programme with a strong sectional response to the mountain terrain. Through transparency, material restraint and carefully controlled interventions, the buildings establish a direct relationship with the forest while maintaining the comfort and privacy required for residential use.

 

The project was first published in print in ek273 | December 2022.

A 90m² apartment in Thiseio is renovated through selective retention rather than complete replacement, restoring its original parquet and marble floors while introducing palladiana made from marble offcuts, limewashed walls and a discreet upgrade of the existing building fabric.

 

The Thiseio Residence in Athens by Fineline Studio occupies a 90m² apartment from the 1960s, a few streets below the Acropolis. Rather than stripping the interior back to the concrete frame, the renovation begins with the material qualities already present in the apartment, restoring original parquet and marble floors and limiting new interventions to those required for its new use as short-term accommodation.

The existing apartment is treated as a material resource rather than an obsolete shell. Original surfaces are repaired where possible, while new elements are designed to complement rather than conceal them.

 

Restoring the existing floors

The most important material decision concerns the floor. Beneath later laminate finishes, the architects uncovered the apartment’s original parquet and marble surfaces. Instead of removing them, they were repaired and retained as part of the new interior.

Where new flooring was necessary, palladiana was laid using marble offcuts that would otherwise have been discarded. The technique recalls a material language once common in the Athenian polykatoikia, but is reintroduced here through reclaimed stone rather than as a nostalgic reproduction.

Old and new flooring meet on the same plane, allowing the transition between the original apartment and the contemporary intervention to remain clearly visible.

 

Palladiana from marble offcuts

The new palladiana provides both a practical and a material connection with the existing apartment. Fragments of marble in varying shapes and tones are incorporated into the floor rather than being discarded.

Their irregular composition contrasts with the linear geometry of the restored parquet while sharing a common mineral character with the existing marble. The distinction between preserved and newly introduced materials therefore remains legible without interrupting the continuity of the interior.

 

Few new elements, multiple functions

The apartment was prepared as a short-term let for a boutique hospitality developer, leading to a deliberately limited number of new additions. Open wardrobes reduce the need for extensive new joinery, while limewashed walls provide a simple, tactile finish.

Microcement is used in the bathrooms and on the kitchen counters, creating continuous surfaces that remain visually restrained against the retained floors.

A single integrated bench defines the edge between the kitchen, dining and living areas. Combining seating with storage, it organises the shared space without introducing an additional partition, concentrating several domestic functions within a small number of architectural elements.

 

Upgrading the existing fabric

A significant part of the renovation remains largely invisible. New glazing, insulation and upgraded building services are incorporated within the existing fabric without changing the material character of the apartment.

According to the project data, these interventions reduce operational energy demand by 46% and remove the need for oil-fired heating. The environmental upgrade is achieved primarily through improvements to the building envelope and technical systems rather than through a visibly technological interior, allowing the retained parquet, marble and existing spatial character to remain central to the project.

 

Reuse as a design method

The Thiseio Residence is defined less by the addition of new materials than by the decision to retain what was already available. Original parquet and marble floors remain visible, reclaimed marble becomes new palladiana, and a limited palette of limewash and microcement provides a quiet background for the existing fabric.

Fineline Studio uses the renovation to demonstrate how a typical Athenian apartment can be updated without erasing the material evidence of its period. New elements are concentrated where they are functionally necessary, while the existing construction is treated as the starting point of the design rather than as something to be removed.

The result is a contemporary interior in which the distinction between preserved and newly introduced materials remains deliberately legible.

A 3,100m² workplace for BESTSECRET in Munich translates the fashion platform’s restrained visual identity into a spatial environment defined by exposed concrete, mirrored surfaces, timber, textiles and flexible zones for collaborative and focused work.

 

The new BESTSECRET offices in Munich by HENN occupy seven floors of a building designed by LRO Lederer Ragnarsdóttir Oei at the iCampus near Ostbahnhof. Completed in 2024, the 3,100m² interior accommodates around 125 employees and translates the identity of the online members-only fashion platform into a physical workplace through a restrained palette, contrasting textures and an emphasis on transparency.

Facing the city centre from the northern edge of the development, the building opens towards the Werksviertel and, in the distance, the Alps. The interior responds to this urban position by placing more open and communicative functions towards the active city side, while spaces requiring greater concentration are located along the quieter edge.

 

From digital identity to physical space

BESTSECRET’s digital platform is characterised by a reduced visual language intended to provide a neutral setting for multiple fashion brands. The interior follows a similar principle.

Warm grey walls, exposed concrete ceilings and light-grey seamless floors establish a restrained background rather than competing with the people, furniture and objects occupying the workplace. Reflective and mirrored surfaces extend the perceived dimensions of the spaces, while an extensive use of textiles introduces a direct reference to the fashion industry.

The material language relies on deliberate contrasts. Cool mirror surfaces are paired with warm timber; galvanised metal and exposed concrete are offset by curtains, upholstery and custom-made wooden furniture. The result is a workplace where industrial materials coexist with softer elements associated with domestic interiors.

 

Transparency across the floors

Despite differences in programme, the seven levels share a consistent principle of openness. Glazed partitions create visual continuity across each floor and allow views to extend from the centre of the building towards the exterior. The workplace is therefore divided functionally without becoming a sequence of isolated rooms.

On the ground floor, the boardroom is positioned so that it remains visible from outside and directly addresses the city. Opposite it, a lounge kitchen with a large communal table provides an informal meeting point for employees working on different floors. The lower level thus becomes both a representative and a collective part of the workplace.

 

Different settings for different ways of working

The upper floors introduce a broader range of working environments. Communicative co-working zones are complemented by quieter think-tank rooms intended for focused tasks. Floor-to-ceiling curtains allow these areas to be subdivided further, so the spatial arrangement can respond to changing requirements without relying exclusively on fixed partitions.

The distribution of functions is linked to the building’s orientation: open collaborative areas face the more active city centre, while rooms for individual concentration occupy the quieter side. Rather than organising the workplace around a uniform desk layout, the project creates a sequence of settings for different forms of work, communication and retreat.

 

Contrasting material qualities

Material contrast becomes one of the main tools for differentiating these settings while maintaining a coherent identity. Exposed concrete and galvanised metal retain the direct character of the architectural shell. Against them, custom-made timber furniture extends along the perimeter walls, incorporating benches, shelving and other smaller-scale functions.

Textiles soften the more industrial surfaces both acoustically and visually, while curtains operate simultaneously as material elements and as flexible spatial boundaries. The contrast between rigid and soft, reflective and matte, raw and finished surfaces gives the interior variation without requiring a broad material palette.

 

A workplace organised around openness

The BESTSECRET offices combine a lobby, workspaces, meeting rooms, a lounge kitchen, coffee bars and an event area within the seven-storey interior. HENN approaches these programmes through transparency, flexible zoning and a clear distinction between collaborative and focused environments.

The company’s restrained digital identity is translated into architecture not through literal branding, but through the controlled use of colour, material and reflective surfaces. The result is a workplace in which the neutral background associated with BESTSECRET’s online platform becomes a framework for everyday activity, while timber, textiles and communal spaces introduce a more informal dimension to the corporate interior.

A compact black volume at the Autonomous University of Durango uses permeable metal screens, suspended external staircases and a planted entrance threshold to regulate daylight, natural ventilation and the transition between the campus and its laboratories.

 

Torre Negra in Durango by Jonathan Corral Arquitectos is a 1,094.40m² laboratory building within the Alamedas Campus of the Autonomous University of Durango. Developed between 2024 and 2025, the project accommodates laboratories for different disciplines within a compact volume that establishes a recognizable presence while remaining connected to the academic structure of the campus.

The architecture is organized around the contrast between a dense black envelope and a series of permeable elements. Metal screens regulate solar exposure, daylight and ventilation, while suspended staircases extend circulation towards the exterior. At ground level, rosemary, lavender and water features establish a softer landscape threshold before entering the building.

 

A planted threshold

The arrival sequence deliberately contrasts the material density of the building with the landscape surrounding its entrance.

Rosemary and lavender are combined with water features to create a planted transition between the campus and the laboratory building. Rather than approaching the black volume directly, users move through a softer foreground that slows the transition towards the interior.

The landscape therefore becomes part of the architectural sequence. Its lower scale, texture and sensory character establish a counterpoint to the abstract geometry and dark materiality of Torre Negra.

 

A façade that filters light and air

The principal façade is defined by a continuous metal screen.

The system limits direct solar exposure while allowing diffused daylight and natural ventilation to reach the interior. Selected elements are rotated slightly from the main plane, introducing controlled irregularities into the otherwise repetitive surface.

These variations create changing degrees of opacity and transparency according to the position of the viewer and the angle of light. The envelope consequently performs both an environmental and compositional role.

Rather than treating solar control as an additional technical layer, the project incorporates it into the primary architectural expression of the building.

 

Suspended staircases as intermediate spaces

The vertical circulation is positioned partly outside the main volume through a system of suspended metal staircases.

These elements do more than connect the different levels. Their partially exposed configuration places circulation between interior and exterior, allowing views towards the surrounding campus while users move vertically through the building.

The staircases therefore extend the spatial experience beyond the enclosed laboratories. They introduce moments of exposure, changing light and visual contact with the exterior within an otherwise compact building.

 

Permeability towards the campus

The secondary façade, facing the interior of the university campus, follows the same environmental logic.

Metal slats create a surface that appears comparatively solid from a distance but becomes permeable at closer range. The system supports cross-ventilation while maintaining visual continuity with the internal circulation areas.

The contrast between apparent mass and actual permeability becomes one of the defining characteristics of Torre Negra.

The building can therefore maintain the visual strength of a compact black volume without becoming environmentally or spatially sealed from its surroundings.

 

An active envelope

The project concentrates much of its architectural identity in the treatment of the building envelope.

Repetition establishes order, while small rotations and changes in permeability introduce variation. The same elements that give the façades their distinctive appearance also regulate sunlight, ventilation and visual relationships between the laboratories and the campus.

Jonathan Corral Arquitectos use a limited set of operations—screening, repetition, suspension and controlled permeability—to respond simultaneously to climatic, functional and spatial requirements.

Torre Negra consequently operates as a compact technical building whose architectural expression emerges from the performance of its envelope rather than from applied formal gestures.

A 1960s public building in central Athens is converted into a 24-room boutique hotel, with a new planted façade, an open ground floor connected to the city and guestrooms organized around Greek materials and subdued natural tones.

 

The Social Athens Hotel by OOAK Architects transforms a public building dating from the 1960s into a contemporary 24-room boutique hotel. The 1,370m² project is organized over eight levels, combining accommodation with restaurant, reception and fitness functions while establishing a more direct relationship between the building and the surrounding city.

The intervention develops two distinct conditions. At street level, the hotel opens towards public life through its restaurant and the existing arcade. Above, the guestrooms become progressively more private, while the new white façade uses undulating surfaces, planting and changing light to establish a recognizable identity within the urban fabric.

 

A new façade towards the city

The existing building acquires a completely new external identity.

The white façade introduces a sequence of undulating forms whose perception changes according to daylight and shadow. References to classical Greek architecture remain abstract, translated through repetition, depth and the contrast between illuminated and shaded surfaces.

Instead of the projecting balconies typical of Athenian apartment buildings, planting is integrated directly into the façade. Vegetation forms an intermediate layer between the guestrooms and the city, increasing privacy while softening the relationship between the interior and the street.

The elevation consequently acquires depth and variation without relying on a conventional repetition of balconies.

 

Opening the ground floor to the city

At street level, the project deliberately establishes a more public character.

The bar-restaurant is integrated into the ground floor as a meeting point for both hotel guests and city residents. Its programme extends into the existing public arcade, allowing the boundary between interior and exterior to remain visually and functionally porous.

Lighting reinforces this continuity, while the reception retains a separate and more protected entrance. The two functions can therefore coexist on the same level without the restaurant operating simply as an extension of the hotel lobby.

The columns of the arcade are clad in mirror, multiplying reflections from the street and emphasizing the public character of the base of the building.

 

A compact double-height reception

The reception occupies a deliberately compact area while making use of the existing double-height volume.

Mirrored surfaces extend the perceived dimensions of the space, while a more concentrated colour palette distinguishes it from both the exterior and the guestrooms above. Red marble is used on the floor and stair, while a cobalt-blue reception desk becomes the principal colour accent.

The intensity of the materials and colours gives the entrance level a more outward-facing character that responds to the movement and activity of central Athens.

On the accommodation floors, however, the design language changes considerably.

 

A quieter material language in the guestrooms

The six floors of guestrooms and suites contain different room typologies but share a common material approach.

The vivid atmosphere of the ground floor gives way to subdued natural tones and materials sourced from Greece. Stone and textiles introduce characteristic textures, while purpose-designed elements combine more than one function within the rooms.

Marble bed headboards turn an ordinarily decorative component into an architectural surface, while built-in sofas can also function as desks.

This shift in colour and material establishes a clear transition between the extroverted character of the lower levels and the quieter environment of the accommodation areas.

 

From public space to privacy

The hotel programme develops vertically according to different degrees of public and private use.

The ground floor and mezzanine accommodate the bar-restaurant, breakfast area and reception. The six upper levels contain the guestrooms, while the top floor includes a gym with open views towards Lycabettus Hill and central Athens.

OOAK Architects therefore redefine the 1960s building not only through its renovation but primarily through a new relationship with the city. The redesigned façade establishes a new urban presence, the ground floor extends into the arcade, and the accommodation floors create a more protected interior behind the expressive exterior.

 

The project was first published in print in ek277 | May 2023.

Set among the vineyards of the Uco Valley and facing the Andes, La Vigilia Winery combines four solid volumes of black-pigmented concrete with oxidized metal, controlled natural light and a sequence of spaces that separates the technical demands of wine production from the slower experience of visitors.

 

La Vigilia Winery in Mendoza by González Olsina & Vega Arquitectos is located within The Vines of Mendoza in Los Chacayes, Tunuyán, approximately 85km southwest of the city of Mendoza. Completed in 2022, the 1,700m² winery forms part of a wine and gastronomic destination together with the nearby ROPE Restaurant, with vineyards and the Andes establishing the wider context for the architecture.

The project is conceived around a dual condition: a technically precise production building and, at the same time, a more contemplative setting associated with the culture and temporality of wine. Production, storage, tasting and meeting spaces are therefore organized within a clear system of volumes and circulation routes, while material, light and shadow regulate the transition between the open landscape and the more enclosed interior.

 

Four solid volumes

The public programme is organized around four equidistant volumes of black-pigmented concrete.

They accommodate the entrance hall, tasting room, meeting room and production offices, while a precise internal circulation system connects the different functions and separates the movement of staff from that of visitors.

This organization allows the working areas to operate directly and efficiently, while the visitor route develops more gradually.

The winery is therefore not experienced as a single open hall. A sequence of spaces introduces different levels of enclosure, orientation and visual contact with the production process and the surrounding landscape.

 

A slower route for visitors

The project distinguishes between two forms of arrival.

Access to the productive areas is direct, responding to the operational requirements of the winery. The visitor approach, by contrast, is extended into a deliberate sequence connected with the gardens, vineyards and distant mountain range.

At the main entrance, repeated vertical planes form a semi-covered threshold. Solids and voids establish a measured rhythm of movement, light and shadow before the interior is revealed.

Axis and proportion reinforce the clarity of the route, while the alternating vertical elements give depth to the otherwise low and horizontal composition.

 

Production at the centre

The productive core occupies the centre of the building.

Wine is produced and aged in vessels made of concrete, ceramic and terracotta, creating a working environment where different techniques and stages of the process remain spatially concentrated.

A laboratory is positioned within a Vierendeel beam above the production space. From this elevated position, technical work can take place with direct visual control over the different stages below.

The arrangement combines the practical requirements of production with a clear architectural section, turning observation of the process into part of the internal spatial organization.

 

Black concrete and oxidized metal

The material palette reinforces the weight and horizontal presence of the building within the vineyard.

Externally, black-pigmented concrete gives the volumes a dense and restrained character against the openness of the landscape. Above them, an oxidized metal crown introduces warmer golden and earthy tones, establishing a chromatic relationship with the vineyard, particularly with the changing colour of the leaves during autumn.

Inside, natural concrete receives a bush-hammered finish that exposes its mineral aggregate and gives the surfaces a rougher, less uniform character.

The contrast between the dark exterior concrete, weathered metal and more tactile interior surfaces establishes variation without expanding the material palette unnecessarily.

 

Light as part of the spatial sequence

Natural light is tightly controlled throughout the winery.

At the entrance, sunlight passes between the repeated vertical planes, producing alternating bands of brightness and shadow along the approach. Inside, lower light levels create a more concentrated environment around the production and ageing areas.

The project uses this contrast to distinguish the openness of the vineyard from the controlled conditions required within the building.

Rather than illuminating every area uniformly, light is used selectively to reveal material surfaces, direct movement and differentiate the successive spaces.

 

Architecture between production and landscape

La Vigilia Winery is ultimately structured by the relationship between technical function, landscape and a carefully controlled visitor experience.

Its compact volumes contain the practical requirements of winemaking, while the entrance sequence, tasting areas and circulation spaces slow down the movement through the building and maintain an awareness of the vineyards and Andes beyond.

González Olsina & Vega Arquitectos use black concrete, oxidized metal, repeated vertical planes and controlled light to establish a winery whose architectural identity emerges directly from production, material and territory rather than from applied imagery.

A late-1970s duplex residence in Athens is renovated without erasing its original character, retaining the sculptural spiral stair, built-in cabinetry and ceramic surfaces while introducing a new layer of petrol blue, orange and red.

 

The duplex residence in Athens by Nefelia Studio approaches renovation as a process of continuity rather than replacement. Built in the late 1970s, the house already possessed a distinct architectural language, defined by a sculptural spiral stair, extensive built-in cabinetry, double-height spaces and original ceramic surfaces.

Instead of reducing the interior to a neutral shell, the intervention preserves these existing elements and uses colour and material to give them a new presence. The original spatial organization remains largely intact, while targeted additions establish a contemporary layer without concealing the age of the residence.

 

Working with the existing architecture

The renovation begins with the decision to retain the qualities already embedded in the house.

The original cabinetry, stair and ceramic finishes are treated as active components of the new design rather than as elements to be removed. Their proportions and positions continue to organize circulation, storage and the relationship between the different spaces.

This approach allows the architecture of the late 1970s to remain legible while avoiding a literal restoration of the period. The new interventions are clearly contemporary but develop through a direct relationship with the existing interior.

 

Petrol blue and an orange stair

Colour becomes one of the principal tools of the renovation.

Existing built-in cabinetry is retained and finished in a deep petrol blue. The continuous colour transforms the storage surfaces into a defining architectural element, organizing movement through the house and framing views between adjacent areas.

At the centre of the residence, the original spiral stair is reinterpreted in vivid orange. Its curved geometry and saturated colour emphasize its sculptural character and establish it as the main visual anchor within the double-height interior.

Rather than introducing colour as a decorative layer, the project uses it to clarify existing forms and reinforce their role within the spatial composition.

 

A new kitchen within the existing language

The newly constructed kitchen follows the same approach.

Petrol-blue cabinetry continues the colour established by the existing built-in elements, while glossy orange ceramic tiles introduce a reflective surface. A bright red sink adds a third, concentrated colour accent.

The combination is deliberately expressive but remains tied to architectural elements rather than loose decoration. Colour defines volumes, distinguishes functions and responds to changing light across the surfaces.

The kitchen consequently reads as a new intervention while remaining connected to the broader chromatic language of the residence.

 

Preserving the original bathrooms

The bathrooms demonstrate the same strategy of selective retention.

Original ceramic wall tiles are carefully preserved and combined with contemporary materials, fittings and restrained sanitary ware. The existing surfaces are not concealed in an attempt to make the rooms appear entirely new.

Instead, differences between the original construction and the contemporary additions remain visible.

The result acknowledges the age of the house while adapting the bathrooms to present-day use, maintaining a direct material connection with the original interior.

 

Colour, form and memory

Throughout the duplex, the intervention avoids unnecessary alteration of the existing spatial organization.

The project concentrates on the elements that already give the house its identity and strengthens them through colour, new finishes and carefully positioned additions. Built-in cabinetry remains part of the architectural structure, the spiral stair retains its central role and original ceramic surfaces continue to register the period in which the residence was built.

Nefelia Studio uses the renovation to establish new relationships between these existing elements rather than replacing them.

The house consequently retains the character of its late-1970s architecture while acquiring a distinctly contemporary chromatic identity. Petrol blue, orange and red become architectural tools within a project where continuity is valued over erasure.

A linear shell divides a sloping plot in Achaia between an olive grove and a residential garden, organizing a 220m² house around uninterrupted views towards the Gulf of Patras and a sequence of sheltered semi-outdoor spaces.

 

The residence in Achaia by Façade is located in Kato Kastritsi and develops as a 220m² ground-floor house with a basement. Completed in 2023, the project uses linearity as both a formal and organizational principle: an elongated architectural shell crosses the site, separating two distinct landscape conditions while containing the main domestic functions.

On one side lies the existing olive grove, conceived as the quieter part of the plot. On the other, the residential garden forms the principal outdoor area for everyday use. The house occupies the boundary between the two and directs its main spaces towards the Gulf of Patras.

 

A linear shell across the site

The central design gesture is a continuous linear volume that cuts through the plot.

Rather than treating the residence as an autonomous object surrounded by landscape, the building becomes an element that reorganizes the site itself. Its position distinguishes the olive grove from the garden and establishes two different conditions of occupation.

The elongated geometry also reinforces the idea of the house as a shelter. The principal domestic functions are contained within a single architectural shell whose orientation, proportions and degree of enclosure respond directly to the landscape.

This linearity extends from the overall form to circulation and the internal distribution of the residence.

 

Living towards the Gulf of Patras

The house is oriented towards the open horizon and the Gulf of Patras.

Its interior spaces are arranged sequentially along the main axis, allowing the distant view to remain present throughout the residence. Circulation follows the same direction and reinforces continuity between the different domestic functions.

The transparency of the main elevation establishes a direct visual relationship between interior, garden and horizon. Instead of limiting contact with the landscape to individual openings, the principal living areas maintain a continuous visual field towards the exterior.

The garden consequently operates as an immediate extension of the interior, while the sea remains a more distant point of reference.

 

Semi-outdoor spaces within the shell

The geometry of the shell generates a series of protected outdoor areas.

These semi-outdoor spaces emerge as extensions and recesses of the principal volume rather than as independent additions. They provide shade and shelter while maintaining continuity between enclosed rooms and the garden.

The intermediate zones are fundamental to the project, mediating between the solid presence of the architectural envelope and the openness of the landscape.

They also extend everyday domestic life towards the exterior, allowing the relationship between indoor and outdoor space to remain active throughout the house.

 

Enclosure and transparency

The northwest elevation expresses one of the principal contrasts of the residence.

The solid presence of the linear shell is set against the transparency of the spaces it contains. Opaque and glazed surfaces perform complementary roles: the former reinforce protection and enclosure, while the latter maintain visual continuity towards the garden and the Gulf of Patras.

The elevation therefore operates less as a conventional façade and more as the open side of the shelter, where the long internal sequence meets the landscape.

The contrast between mass and transparency makes the protective character of the architecture legible without turning the residence inward.

 

A boundary between two landscapes

The residence is ultimately organized around a clear relationship between a line, two landscape conditions and a distant horizon.

The elongated shell divides the plot while simultaneously connecting its different parts. Behind it, the olive grove retains a quieter character; in front, the garden becomes part of everyday domestic life and opens towards the sea.

Façade uses circulation, orientation, transparency and semi-outdoor spaces to expand the idea of shelter beyond simple enclosure. The geometry provides protection, while the continuous relationship with the garden and the Gulf of Patras keeps the house open towards its natural setting.

 

The project was first published in print in ek290 | September 2024.

Exposed concrete, natural textures and Brazilian furniture define the renovation of a 130m² apartment in São Paulo, where a reconfigured plan opens the social areas while retaining visible traces of the building’s 1970s structure.

The Jardins Apartment in São Paulo by AVAA Arquitetura is a 130m² residence within a building dating from the late 1970s. Designed for a couple, the renovation combines a complete infrastructure update with a reorganization of the original floor plan, while preserving structural elements such as the exposed concrete beams.

Rather than concealing the age of the building, the intervention retains selected existing elements and places them in dialogue with new timber surfaces, natural textures and contemporary furniture. The result is organized around greater continuity between the social spaces and a material palette that connects the apartment’s existing structure with the personal references of its residents.

 

An integrated social area

The new layout gives priority to the shared areas of the apartment.

The previously enclosed kitchen is opened towards the living and dining spaces and organized around a large central island. The kitchen consequently becomes part of everyday social activity, accommodating both meal preparation and gatherings with friends and family.

Access to the service area is concealed behind a flush door incorporated into the timber panelling of the dining area. Secondary functions are therefore absorbed within a continuous architectural surface, maintaining visual continuity across the main living space.

The living and dining areas are designed to support different activities without requiring fixed divisions. A double-sided sofa separates a more informal sitting area from the television zone, while a continuous bench extends along the room, providing seating and integrated storage.

 

Existing concrete and natural textures

Materiality establishes a direct relationship between the original building and the new interior.

The exposed concrete beams are retained as visible traces of the 1970s structure, allowing the construction of the building to remain legible within the renovated apartment. Against these harder surfaces, timber and natural textures introduce a more tactile layer.

Woven straw has particular significance within the material palette, referring to the Portuguese background of one of the residents. The reference is incorporated through material rather than decorative imagery, introducing a personal element within the broader architectural composition.

Walls and ceilings receive textured finishes in neutral tones. Their uneven surfaces respond subtly to changes in natural and artificial light, providing variation without introducing additional colours or decorative layers.

 

A powder room within the existing infrastructure

The powder room is created by reusing the plumbing shaft associated with the former service bathroom.

This adjustment takes advantage of the existing infrastructure while adapting the apartment to its new social organization. A countertop in Verde Vitória Régia quartzite becomes the principal material element, its manually finished surface emphasizing the natural variations of the stone.

Travertine mosaic flooring is combined with green-toned wallpaper, establishing a more concentrated material and colour palette than in the main living areas.

A watercolor depicting the resident’s family home in Portugal introduces another personal reference, connecting the renovated apartment in São Paulo with memories of a different domestic setting.

 

The private areas

The main suite was enlarged to incorporate a generous walk-in wardrobe with light timber cabinetry.

The lighter joinery contrasts with the darker herringbone flooring, while a vanity positioned beside the window takes advantage of natural light. Rather than treating the room as a collection of independent furniture pieces, several functions are incorporated within the overall composition.

A rectangular ottoman introduces additional texture, while a bench designed by the studio combines curved geometry with a subtle colour accent.

The guest suite has a dual function and can also operate as a home office. In everyday use, it provides a dedicated space for the couple’s two dogs, allowing the room to adapt according to changing domestic needs.

Lighting without lowering the ceiling

Maintaining the original ceiling height was a specific consideration of the renovation.

Rather than introducing extensive suspended ceilings to accommodate services and lighting, recessed details resolve technical requirements while organizing illumination in the social areas and circulation zones.

Indirect lighting with warm colour temperatures and dimmable controls allows the atmosphere to change according to the time and use of each space. The strategy is integrated with a complete renewal of the apartment’s plumbing and electrical systems, together with preparation for home automation.

The technical upgrade therefore remains largely discreet, allowing the exposed original structure and the proportions of the rooms to remain clearly visible.

Brazilian design within the interior

The furniture selection introduces a further layer to the apartment through a focus on Brazilian design.

A dining table designed by AVAA Design is integrated into the social area, while Sérgio Rodrigues’ Moleca armchair forms one of the principal pieces in the living room. Furniture and objects by Gustavo Bittencourt, Jader Almeida, Estúdio Orth and Mel Kawahara complete the selection.

The furniture is therefore not treated as a separate decorative layer. Together with the retained concrete, timber surfaces and natural textures, it contributes to an interior where the existing architecture, contemporary interventions and personal references remain simultaneously visible.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Opposite the Temple of Olympian Zeus and Hadrian’s Arch, a hotel in central Athens uses vertical façade elements, framed balconies, marble, oak and integrated greenery to establish a contemporary dialogue with the city’s classical context.

 

Anthology of Athens by Elastic Architects is located in the historic centre of Athens, in direct visual dialogue with the Temple of Olympian Zeus and Hadrian’s Arch. The design draws on the city’s classical references without reproducing them literally, translating proportion, verticality, materiality and views into a contemporary architectural language.

The concept also takes inspiration from the myth of Deucalion, in which stones thrown upon the earth become human beings. This relationship between matter and transformation becomes a recurring theme throughout the building, from the rhythm of the façade to the tactile treatment of the interiors.

 

A façade structured by proportion

The main elevation is organized through new balconies and a system of vertical elements that give the façade its principal rhythm.

Their spacing follows proportional relationships based on the golden section, establishing a clear grid across the elevation. These elements perform both functional and compositional roles, framing the balconies while controlling the visual relationship between the guestrooms and the surrounding city.

Rather than directly imitating classical columns, the vertical members abstract their linearity and rhythm. The reference to the nearby Temple of Olympian Zeus therefore operates through proportion and repetition rather than ornament.

 

Framing the Athenian landscape

The façade functions as a series of filters between interior space and the urban landscape.

The projecting balconies create depth and shade, while their vertical frames structure views towards the archaeological monuments and the wider city. From the upper levels, these openings become architectural devices for observing rather than simply overlooking Athens.

Light and shadow continuously alter the perception of the elevation. The vertical elements cast changing patterns across the balconies, reinforcing the depth of the façade and giving the building a different appearance throughout the day.

The architecture is therefore shaped not only by its physical form, but also by the changing relationship between material, daylight and view.

 

Classical references through abstraction

The project interprets its historical surroundings through contemporary geometry.

The rhythm of ancient colonnades is translated into slender vertical forms, while the orthogonal organization of the façade provides a controlled framework for the different openings and balconies.

This grid also influences the organization of the interiors, extending the logic of the exterior into the spatial structure of the hotel. The reference remains abstract: the design does not reproduce classical motifs, but reworks principles of proportion, repetition and structural rhythm.

 

A more expressive interior

Inside, the architectural language becomes more tactile and expressive.

Marble, oak, glass and textured plaster create a layered material environment, while integrated planting introduces a contrasting natural element. The interplay between mineral, timber and planted surfaces gives the communal spaces greater depth without departing from the restrained palette established by the architecture.

The use of natural materials connects different areas of the hotel while allowing changes in texture to distinguish individual spaces.

Curved elements appear alongside the more orthogonal geometry of the building, introducing a softer counterpoint within circulation areas and shared interiors.

 

Marble, oak and textured surfaces

Materiality becomes particularly important in the guestrooms and communal areas.

Marble provides the principal mineral surface, while oak introduces warmth and a finer texture. Glass with decorative treatment and fluted plaster add further variation, creating different responses to natural and artificial light.

The colour palette remains controlled, with off-white, beige and earth tones extending across both interior and exterior surfaces. These restrained colours reinforce continuity between materials and allow the architectural elements, vegetation and views to remain visually prominent.

 

Architecture as a filter of views

Anthology of Athens uses its position within the historic centre as a central component of the design.

The façade mediates between the intimacy of the guestrooms and the monumental scale of the surrounding city, while the interiors develop the same concept through changes in material, texture and light.

Elastic Architects translate classical references into proportion and rhythm rather than direct quotation. Vertical elements, framed balconies, marble surfaces and greenery establish a contemporary architectural identity whose relationship with Athens is defined primarily through what it frames, filters and reveals.

 

The project was first published in print in ek302 | November 2025.

The historic Electra Hotel on Ermou Street is comprehensively redesigned around the concept of urban rhythm, introducing four new room typologies, publicly accessible social spaces and a reworked ground-level façade connected directly with the pedestrian life of central Athens.

 

Electra Rhythm Athens by Mutiny Architects is the new incarnation of the historic Electra Hotel Athens at 5 Ermou Street. The project uses the notion of rhythm as the organizing concept for the architectural and interior design, translating the pace, repetition and movement of the city into spatial sequences, material choices and architectural details.

The redesign addresses the hotel as a whole, from guestrooms and shared interiors to the entrance and lower section of the façade. A central objective was to create new room typologies for contemporary travellers while opening parts of the building to the wider public through spaces for coffee, work, exercise and dining.

 

 

Four room typologies

The hotel contains 101 guestrooms, completely redesigned according to four principal types: Nest, Slow, Cozy and Active.

Each typology, together with its variations and suites, responds to different room sizes, patterns of use and requirements of individual guests. Despite these differences, a common architectural vocabulary gives the accommodation a coherent identity.

Timber and marbles associated with the Athenian urban landscape form the principal material palette. Curved forms appear in ceilings, lighting elements and selected architectural details, while repetition provides the most direct spatial expression of the overall concept.

Vertical members, horizontal planes and recurring architectural elements introduce rhythm at different scales within each room.

 

Opening the hotel to the city

Three principal spaces extend the programme beyond conventional hotel functions and are also accessible to the public.

Rebels Brew operates as a curated coffee shop and bar directly facing the Ermou pedestrian street. Collaborative Studios provide spaces for professional meetings and flexible work, while Focal, on the highest accessible level, functions as both the hotel restaurant and an independent bar-restaurant.

This mixture of hospitality and public uses establishes a more porous relationship between the hotel and the surrounding city.

The shared areas are not treated as isolated amenities for hotel guests, but as spaces that participate in the everyday activity of central Athens.

 

 

Reinterpreting the Athenian arcade

At ground level, reception, lounges, a library, kitchen facilities and Rebels Brew are organized in direct relationship with the principal circulation areas.

The redesign of the entrance draws on the Athenian arcade, a characteristic element of the city’s modern urban fabric. Rather than creating a sharply defined threshold, the entrance supports a more fluid transition from the Ermou pedestrian street into the hotel.

The concept of rhythm therefore extends beyond decorative repetition. It becomes part of the movement through the building, connecting the pace of the street with the organization of the internal spaces.

 

Work, exercise and hospitality

The first floor accommodates the Collaborative Studios together with the Electro Studio Gym.

Both programmes introduce uses that move beyond the traditional division between guestrooms and hotel amenities. The workspaces respond to hybrid modes of professional activity, while the gym adds another outward-facing programme within the building.

Guestrooms occupy the second through ninth floors. On the tenth floor, Focal forms the uppermost public destination of the hotel, with three terraces, two of them offering unobstructed views towards the Acropolis.

The programme consequently develops vertically from the most urban and publicly accessible functions at street level towards accommodation and, finally, the rooftop restaurant.

 

 

A new base for the existing façade

The main part of the existing façade, including the openings of the guestrooms facing Ermou Street, was retained.

The lower part, however, was completely redesigned to reinforce its relationship with the pedestrian street. A new olive-green zone extends across the ground and mezzanine levels, visually establishing a base for the composition.

Arches articulate this lower section, while an illuminated entrance canopy projects towards the street. Its geometry deliberately contrasts with the linear direction of the pedestrian route, marking the entrance while introducing a more dynamic element into the existing elevation.

The intervention therefore concentrates the most visible external transformation at the level where the hotel meets the city.

 

Rhythm as an architectural system

Across the guestrooms, shared spaces and façade, rhythm is interpreted through repetition, sequences, curved forms and movement.

Rather than applying the concept as a graphic theme, Mutiny Architects use it to connect different scales of the project: the vertical elements within the rooms, the circulation through communal areas, the reinterpretation of the arcade and the new architectural base facing Ermou Street.

Electra Rhythm Athens consequently transforms an established city hotel while retaining much of its existing urban presence. The new interventions focus on the relationship between hospitality and public life, extending the internal programme towards the rhythms of contemporary Athens.

 

The project was first published in print in ek302 | November 2025, in the CITY section.

A residential complex near Kalamata’s marina combines permanent and short-term accommodation through two autonomous volumes, shaded intermediate spaces and a material palette drawn from the Messinian landscape.

O-Living in Kalamata by Kipseli Architects is a 550m² housing complex completed in 2025, close to the city’s marina. Developed as two autonomous buildings, it accommodates four rental apartments and four permanent residences within a common architectural language shaped by the climate and material character of Messinia.

The project interprets two different modes of inhabitation through the organization of its volumes and intermediate outdoor spaces. Grey-green surfaces are combined with white, reed, straw and timber, while olive trees become recurring elements in the spatial and material composition.

 

Two modes of inhabitation

The complex brings together temporary and permanent accommodation without merging them into a single undifferentiated building.

The two uses remain functionally autonomous, while their common proportions, materials and environmental strategies establish a coherent ensemble. The separation between them is not treated as residual space, but becomes part of the architectural sequence.

On the first level, a small planted garden with a mature olive tree forms an intermediate outdoor zone between the two parts of the complex. This shared landscape element provides distance and privacy while maintaining visual continuity.

 

A shaded threshold at ground level

At ground level, the pilotis develops as a planted arcade that operates more like a courtyard than a conventional passage.

Planter benches, low steps and a double-height section establish different levels of occupation while accommodating vegetation. Together, they create a shaded and cooler threshold before entering the residences.

The base of the building is characterized by hammered concrete and discreet details of green marble. These heavier surfaces give the ground level a distinct material identity and establish a tactile transition between the street, vegetation and residential interiors.

A young olive tree planted within the rear courtyard reinforces the relationship between the architecture and the landscape references that run throughout the project.

 

Reed screens as adjustable filters

On the main façade, sliding screens made with reeds create a variable layer between the apartments and the street.

The screens regulate sunlight and privacy while allowing the appearance of the elevation to change according to use. Rather than functioning as a fixed envelope, the façade becomes responsive to the daily occupation of the building.

Their natural texture also introduces a softer material against the more mineral surfaces of concrete and plaster, reinforcing the palette derived from the Messinian countryside.

 

Grey-green, white and natural materials

The olive tree provides more than a symbolic reference. Its colour and material associations inform the broader architectural palette.

Grey-green surfaces are combined with white, reed, straw and timber, establishing a restrained range of colours and textures that relates the building to its local context without reproducing vernacular forms literally.

Vegetation is incorporated at different levels of the project, from the entrance areas to the elevated garden, establishing a continuous relationship between planted and built elements.

The result is an architecture where material choices, shading devices and landscape operate as parts of the same environmental language.

 

Recessed upper volume and natural light

The uppermost level is set back from the main building line, reducing the perceived volume of the complex within the surrounding urban fabric.

This recession also creates a clearer hierarchy between the building’s levels and allows the upper portion to appear lighter in relation to the more defined base.

Carefully positioned skylights bring natural light deeper into the interior, complementing the openings on the façades and the shaded external spaces.

Through these operations, the building responds to the strong Messinian sun not by closing itself off, but by introducing a sequence of filters, recesses and intermediate zones.

 

A Messinian narrative within the city

O-Living translates references from the Messinian landscape into an urban residential building through material, vegetation and climate-responsive elements.

The olive trees, reed screens, shaded pilotis and grey-green palette do not operate as decorative references. Instead, they contribute directly to the organization of privacy, natural light and circulation.

Kipseli Architects use these elements to connect two different forms of residence within a common architectural identity, establishing a building that mediates between the urban fabric of Kalamata and the characteristics of its coastal landscape.

 

The project was first published in print in Condo Buildings Vol.4, the annual bilingual edition of ek Architectural Publications. The print feature appeared under the editorial title “Messinian Narrative.”

A listed former sanatorium in the fir forests of Arcadia is restored as a 32-room hotel, preserving its monumental stone structure while introducing local materials, contemporary hospitality spaces and a restrained new layer of timber, terrazzo and stone.

Manna Arcadia in Vytina, with architectural and interior design by K-Studio and technical design by Monogon, revives a former sanatorium built in 1929 on Mount Mainalo. Set at an altitude of approximately 1,200m within the Arcadian forest, the listed building has been transformed into a 32-room hotel while retaining the architectural character and material traces of its previous life.

Originally conceived as a tuberculosis sanatorium, the building was designed around the belief in the restorative qualities of fresh air, isolation and the mountain landscape. Following its abandonment, parts of the structure and its materials were removed or repurposed elsewhere. The contemporary intervention therefore begins with the preservation and reconstruction of a building whose original fabric had survived unevenly over several decades.

 

Restoring the existing building

The design retains as much of the original construction as possible and treats the surviving material fabric as the basis for the new architecture.

Rather than returning the building to an idealized historical condition, the intervention preserves its visible age and introduces new surfaces that remain compatible with the existing structure. Natural renders, stone, timber and terrazzo establish a restrained palette whose textures reinforce the solid and austere character of the former sanatorium.

Where the original terrazzo floors were severely damaged, they were replaced with new mixtures using locally sourced gravel. Stone is introduced at ground level in the dining and spa areas, as well as at thresholds and sills, while chestnut timber adds a warmer layer to the interior.

The approach establishes continuity through material character rather than exact reproduction.

 

Extending the original programme

The restoration also reactivates parts of the original building that had been lost or left incomplete.

A new volume occupies the footprint of a ruined auxiliary structure, while the reconstruction of the roof creates an additional attic level. These interventions extend the usable area without introducing an independent architectural language detached from the historic building.

Across approximately 2,982m², the programme includes 32 guestrooms, reception and lounge areas, a bar, restaurant, spa, gym and supporting hotel functions.

The arrangement preserves the scale of the main communal rooms while allowing smaller and more secluded spaces to coexist throughout the building.

A timber grid organizes the guestrooms

Within the guestrooms, a timber framework establishes the principal system of spatial organization.

The brushed timber grid defines areas for sleeping, bathing and dressing, while its geometry is repeated in the patterns of the terrazzo and marble floors. Furniture and fixed elements are therefore integrated within an ordered system rather than introduced as independent objects.

The material palette remains deliberately limited. Timber provides warmth against the more mineral surfaces of stone and terrazzo, while the restrained colours maintain continuity with the architecture of the existing building.

The result avoids the conventional repetition of a standardized hotel room and instead emphasizes the relationship between structure, material and use.

 

Existing traces and new materials

The project places particular emphasis on the way new materials age alongside the original construction.

The surviving building is not treated as a pristine historical object. Irregularities, traces of wear and variations in texture remain legible, while new finishes are selected for their ability to acquire their own patina over time.

This approach is especially evident in the relationship between rougher mineral surfaces and carefully detailed timber elements. The new interventions remain identifiable without becoming visually detached from the original shell.

Metal-framed openings introduce another precise layer within the heavier masonry envelope, allowing daylight and views towards the forest to remain central to the experience of the interior.

Shared spaces and retreat

The former sanatorium provides an unusual framework for a contemporary hospitality programme.

Large communal rooms support gathering and social activity, while more secluded areas retain the sense of retreat associated with the building’s original use. The hotel therefore combines collective spaces with smaller settings for privacy and quiet.

The restaurant and lounge occupy some of the larger interiors, while the spa develops the project’s relationship with wellbeing through more enclosed, materially dense spaces.

This alternation between gathering and retreat extends the logic of the existing building rather than imposing an entirely new model of occupation.

 

Architecture within the Arcadian landscape

The surrounding forest remains fundamental to the project.

Instead of competing with the scale of the landscape, the intervention concentrates on restoring the existing structure and strengthening its relationship with the terrain. Natural materials, views towards the forest and a landscape design integrated with the mountain setting reinforce this connection.

Manna Arcadia consequently operates as an adaptive reuse project in which the previous identity of the sanatorium is neither erased nor reconstructed as a historical image. K-Studio and Monogon retain the building’s structural and material presence while adapting it to contemporary hospitality through measured additions and a limited architectural vocabulary.

 

The project was first published in print in ek282 | November 2023, in the RESORT section

Four former tannery buildings on the waterfront of Chania are converted into a 20-suite hotel, preserving their industrial character while introducing a restrained material language of stone, timber, metal and glass.

The Tanneries Hotel & Spa in Chania by Konstantina Smponia – Architecture & Design occupies four adjoining former industrial buildings in the historic Tabakaria district. Completed in 2021, the 2,500m² project transforms the heritage complex into a contemporary hotel while retaining the material and volumetric character of the original tanneries.

Rather than erasing the traces of the buildings’ former use, the intervention works with their existing masonry, proportions and relationship with the waterfront. The four volumes are read as a unified composition, while their different heights respond to the slope of the site and its direct connection with the sea.

 

Four industrial buildings on the waterfront

The complex belongs to Tabakaria, the former tannery district east of the centre of Chania, where industrial buildings developed directly along the shoreline.

The project retains the distinctive character of the four existing structures rather than replacing them with a new hotel volume. The south side remains relatively low and discreet towards the urban fabric, while the northern elevation develops over three levels as the site descends towards the sea.

This difference in section reinforces the dual condition of the project: more contained towards the city and increasingly open towards the waterfront.

The relationship between the two sides becomes part of the arrival sequence. From the urban entrance, large openings establish visual contact with the sea, connecting the street-facing side of the former industrial complex with the coastal landscape beyond.

 

Preserving an industrial character

The renovation is based on retaining key elements of the original buildings while adapting them to contemporary hospitality use.

The industrial identity remains visible through the existing façades, roof tiles and structural surfaces, together with the continued presence of stone, concrete, metal and timber. The intervention avoids introducing a decorative historical reconstruction and instead uses a restrained contemporary language around the surviving fabric.

The material palette responds directly to the character of the former tanneries. Natural stone provides weight and texture, timber introduces warmth, while metal and glass establish a more precise contemporary layer.

A limited range of beige, black and grey tones reinforces the continuity between the different areas and allows the roughness of the existing construction to remain clearly perceptible.

 

Twenty suites within the existing volumes

The four buildings accommodate 20 suites, organized within the dimensions and irregularities of the historic structures.

Rather than imposing a single repeated hotel-room module, the interiors respond to the different proportions of the existing volumes. The suites remain visually restrained, with natural materials and a predominantly monochrome palette allowing the relationship with the sea to remain central.

Large openings introduce natural light and frame waterfront views, while stone, timber and marble establish continuity between sleeping, living and bathing areas.

The bathrooms use marble extensively, reinforcing the contrast between the more robust industrial fabric and the smoother surfaces introduced for the new hospitality programme.

 

Permeability between city and sea

One of the main spatial qualities of the conversion is the gradual connection between the urban and maritime sides of the complex.

Views towards the water are maintained through large glazed openings, while circulation spaces allow the sea to remain present beyond the interior.

This transparency is repeated in communal areas, where glass and other translucent elements are used to balance openness with privacy. In the spa and fitness areas, glass blocks introduce diffuse light and partial visibility, creating a more protected atmosphere without completely separating these spaces from the rest of the hotel.

The architecture therefore uses different degrees of transparency rather than a strict division between enclosed interiors and the waterfront.

 

Shared spaces and wellness

The hotel programme extends beyond the guestrooms to include reception, restaurant, spa, fitness facilities and an indoor heated pool.

These spaces follow the same material approach as the suites, but each acquires specific details related to its function. The spa uses large openings towards the sea, while the restaurant occupies a more direct relationship with the waterfront.

The former industrial complex consequently operates as a sequence of different environments rather than as a uniform hotel interior.

Despite the diversity of uses, the limited palette and repeated material references create continuity across the project.

 

Adaptive reuse in Tabakaria

The Tanneries Hotel & Spa is ultimately defined by the decision to preserve the identity of four industrial buildings while adapting them to a substantially different programme.

Their stone construction, relationship with the shoreline and varied internal proportions remain visible, while contemporary interventions introduce the technical and functional requirements of a hotel without obscuring the original structures.

Konstantina Smponia uses material restraint and the relationship between the city and the sea to establish a new use for the former tanneries while retaining their industrial presence within Tabakaria.

 

The project was first published in print in ek282 | November 2023, in the CITY section.

A comprehensive redesign of Rocabella Mykonos reorganizes the hotel as a sequence of sheltered paths, cave-like spaces and planted terraces, using stone, timber and earth-toned surfaces to establish a coherent identity across the existing complex.

The redesign of Rocabella Mykonos by Eleftherios Ambatzis began in 2022 as a comprehensive transformation of a hotel complex originally developed from 2000 onwards. The intervention encompasses the reconstruction of its interior and exterior spaces, the addition of new rooms and functions, and the reorganization of uses within the existing building fabric.

The project takes its conceptual cue from the hotel’s name—Rocabella, meaning “beautiful rock” in Italian—and from the granite formation that originally dominated the site. Part of this rock was excavated during earlier construction, while fragments remain dispersed throughout the communal areas. The new design draws on this geological reference to create spaces that appear carved into the terrain.

 

A sequence carved into the landscape

The spatial organization develops as a network of paths, corridors and changing levels rather than as a single continuous hotel volume.

These routes connect spaces of different proportions, degrees of enclosure and levels of privacy. Their irregular sequence evokes a system of cavities within the rock, alternating between protected interiors and openings towards the landscape.

The circulation becomes part of the hospitality experience itself. Narrower passages expand into terraces and communal areas, while changes in level generate a gradual transition between more exposed and more protected zones.

This organization gives the existing complex a clearer identity without relying on a uniform architectural gesture across every part of the site.

 

Different rooms within a common language

The guestrooms are deliberately differentiated from one another, following the idea that each occupies a distinct cavity within the “beautiful rock”.

Their configurations vary according to orientation and position, yet all maintain a relationship with the exterior. The spaces remain protected from the strong sun and wind while opening towards views of the sea, Mykonos harbour, Delos and Rhenia.

Behind the white Cycladic exterior, the interiors shift towards a warmer and more tactile palette. Timber and stone are combined with earth-toned cement-based finishes that extend continuously across walls and other interior surfaces.

The repetition of these materials creates visual continuity between rooms and communal areas despite their varied spatial configurations.

 

Stone, timber and continuous surfaces

Material choices reinforce the relationship between the architecture and the rocky landscape.

Existing and newly introduced stone surfaces retain a direct, textured character, while timber provides a warmer counterpoint. A continuous cement-based finish in muted earth tones brings together walls and built-in elements, reducing visual fragmentation within the interior.

Rather than relying on decorative references to Cycladic architecture, the design establishes its identity through mass, texture, shade and a limited range of materials.

This quieter interior language contrasts with the bright white exterior envelope and strengthens the perception of the guestrooms and shared spaces as protected environments within the larger complex.

 

Rocabella Villa

Alongside the redesign of the existing guestrooms, the project introduces Rocabella Villa, a separate residence with a private swimming pool.

The villa remains connected to the communal facilities of the hotel while maintaining a greater degree of privacy and independence. Its inclusion expands the range of accommodation without detaching it from the architectural language of the rest of the complex.

The relationship between shared amenities and private retreat reflects the broader spatial strategy of Rocabella, where the degree of exposure, enclosure and interaction changes gradually across the site.

 

Planting as part of the redesign

The landscape intervention plays an important role in the overall transformation.

New planted roofs and additional landscaped areas are introduced around the hotel, while previously unused parts of the site are planted with native cacti. The vegetation reduces the visual presence of the built surfaces and reintroduces planted areas within the densely developed complex.

Planting is therefore treated as part of the architectural reorganization rather than simply as an ornamental layer.

Together with the white volumes, stone surfaces and fragmented circulation, it helps establish a closer visual relationship between the hotel and the dry Cycladic landscape.

 

A unified identity

The central objective of the redesign is the aesthetic unification of a complex that had undergone successive alterations since its original development.

Rather than treating each room, communal area or outdoor space as an independent intervention, the project introduces a common spatial and material vocabulary across the hotel.

The network of sheltered paths, cave-like interiors, planted areas and earth-toned materials also responds to the climatic conditions of Mykonos, creating areas protected from sun and wind while retaining visual contact with the surrounding landscape.

The result is a hospitality environment organized around a gradual alternation between enclosure and openness, communal activity and privacy, built surfaces and vegetation.

 

The project was first published in print in ek299 | July–August 2025, in the INTERIORS section. 

A listed 19th-century residence in Vaporia, Syros, is converted into a five-star hotel through the restoration of its stone fabric, painted ceilings and marble surfaces, while former cisterns are repurposed as wellness spaces.

Argini Hotel Syros, with interior design by Costas Gagos Architecture & Design and Tree Company, occupies a listed neoclassical residence in the Vaporia district of Ermoupolis. Originally built in the 19th century as the home of Grigoris Paikos, a member of the Filiki Eteria, the building was restored and adapted into a five-star hotel while retaining significant elements of its historic fabric.

The programme comprises seven rooms and four suites, together with a restaurant, a bar overlooking the Aegean and a wellness area with a hammam, jacuzzi and indoor swimming pool. The intervention is structured around the relationship between the existing masonry, restored decorative elements and new hospitality functions.

 

Preserving the existing stone structure

The original masonry remains one of the defining elements of the hotel.

Stone walls, in some areas reaching 1.20m in thickness, are retained and left visible, allowing the construction and scale of the former residence to remain legible. Natural stone is combined with marble throughout the communal spaces, circulation areas and guestrooms.

Rather than covering the historic structure with a uniform contemporary layer, the intervention preserves differences in texture, material and ornament. New elements are inserted within this framework while maintaining the presence of the original building.

 

Marble throughout the interior

Marble provides a recurring material connection between different parts of the hotel.

Geometric marble floors in the common areas refer to the original character of the residence while introducing a more contemporary composition. The approach continues through corridors and shared rooms, establishing a consistent material language.

Different varieties are used in the guest bathrooms, including white Dionysos marble, green Tinos marble and dark Grigio Carnico. Variations in colour and veining distinguish the individual spaces while retaining continuity across the project.

 

Restoring the painted ceilings

The restoration of the painted ceilings in the guestrooms and suites was among the most demanding parts of the renovation.

The surviving ceiling and wall paintings, produced by Italian and local artists, include folkloric references, figures associated with the Greek Revolution and Renaissance motifs. Their conservation allows these decorative layers to remain central to the identity of the rooms.

Contemporary furniture and lighting remain comparatively restrained around them, allowing the original proportions, high ceilings and painted surfaces to retain visual prominence.

The contrast between restored decoration and simpler contemporary interventions avoids the literal reconstruction of a historical interior.

 

Shared spaces and the internal courtyard

The communal programme unfolds through a sequence of interiors where historic architectural elements coexist with new uses.

Exposed stone, timber floors, marble surfaces and existing openings remain visible, while contemporary furniture and lighting support the hotel programme without obscuring the original fabric.

The internal courtyard extends the communal areas outdoors. Its exposed masonry façades frame a protected exterior space and reinforce the continuity between the different parts of the historic building.

 

Wellness spaces inside the former cisterns

The building’s old cisterns acquire a new function as wellness and relaxation areas.

Their vaulted geometry accommodates the hammam and the heated indoor swimming pool with jacuzzi. Stone and marble surfaces are combined with indirect lighting, emphasizing the enclosed character and curvature of the existing volumes.

The intervention therefore makes use of the spatial qualities of these former service areas rather than erasing their previous character. Their mass, materiality and vaulted construction remain visible within the new programme.

 

Adaptive reuse of a historic residence

Argini Hotel Syros is defined by the coexistence of preserved architectural elements and contemporary hospitality functions.

Stone masonry, painted ceilings and geometric marble floors retain the connection with the building’s history, while guestrooms, restaurant, bar and wellness areas accommodate its new use.

The project approaches restoration as a process of selective preservation and adaptation. Historic materials, ornament and spatial proportions remain visible, while contemporary additions are integrated without attempting to imitate the original architecture.

 

The project was first published in print in ek292 | November 2024, in the CITY section.

Walnut, natural stone and aged oak define the renovation of a 141m² duplex beneath the rooftops of Paris, where a sculptural spiral stair and reflective surfaces distribute natural light across the two levels.

Stairway to Heaven in Paris by Véronique Cotrel is a 141m² duplex apartment on the top floor of a 17th-century mansion in the Marais district. The interior was completely reconfigured, with the removal of the existing partitions and the reorganization of the main floor, while two additional bedrooms were incorporated into the mezzanine level.

A master suite and an open kitchen complete the new programme. Throughout the apartment, walnut and stone establish a continuous material language, introducing warmth and texture within the open, light-filled interior.

 

 

Reorganizing the duplex

The renovation begins with the complete restructuring of the existing plan.

The principal floor is opened up, while the upper level accommodates two additional bedrooms. The new organization makes use of the apartment’s position beneath the pitched roof, treating the two levels as interconnected parts of a single interior rather than as separate floors.

The open kitchen becomes part of the main living area, while the master suite is incorporated into the reorganized lower level. Rather than relying on a large variety of finishes, the design establishes continuity through the repetition and contrast of a limited number of materials.

 

Walnut and stone

Walnut runs throughout the apartment as one of its principal materials.

Its dark, warm surface contrasts with the mineral character of the stone, allowing each material to become more clearly perceptible. The combination establishes a restrained palette with references to the interiors of the 1970s, without reproducing the period literally.

The relationship between timber and stone also creates continuity between the different functions of the apartment. Rather than defining each room through an independent material treatment, the same palette reappears across living areas, kitchen and private spaces.

A spiral stair at the centre

A white spiral stair becomes a central element within the main living space.

The stair connects the principal floor with the mezzanine, while its base is finished in Serpeggiante Grey marble. The stone gives visual weight to the lower section, while the light-coloured spiral rises more discreetly through the space.

Its sculptural geometry introduces a curved element within an interior otherwise characterized by the linear surfaces of walnut panelling, flooring and furniture.

Positioned within the social area, the stair is not treated solely as circulation. It participates directly in the composition of the living room and reinforces the visual relationship between the two levels.

 

Reflecting natural light

Improving the distribution of natural light was another central aspect of the renovation.

The apartment sits directly beneath the roof and receives daylight through windows projecting from the pitched surface. Their lateral reveals are clad with mirrors, reflecting light deeper into the interior while visually extending the space.

The mirrored surfaces also introduce fragments of the exterior vegetation into the interior through reflection, expanding the visual field around the windows.

This approach uses existing architectural conditions as part of the lighting strategy rather than relying exclusively on additional artificial illumination.

 

Privacy on the mezzanine

Natural light is also extended towards the bedrooms positioned on the mezzanine.

To allow daylight to pass between the different volumes without compromising privacy, the separating elements incorporate fluted-glass skylights. Their translucent surfaces filter light while limiting direct views between the rooms.

The treatment gives the upper level a degree of visual permeability while maintaining the separation required by the bedrooms.

Glass therefore acts as an intermediate material between transparency and enclosure, complementing the heavier surfaces of walnut and stone elsewhere in the apartment.

 

Aged oak underfoot

The floor is finished with aged light-oak parquet composed of long, narrow strips.

The lighter timber provides a counterpoint to the darker walnut surfaces and reinforces the overall brightness of the apartment. Its linear pattern also establishes continuity across the open plan and provides a common background for furniture and built-in elements.

Together, walnut, stone, glass and oak establish the material identity of the residence. Their contrasts remain controlled, allowing daylight and the changing conditions beneath the Parisian roofscape to become an active part of the interior.

 

The project was first published in print in Apartments 2024, the annual international edition of ek Architectural Publications.

On an exceptionally narrow plot in Porto, a residential building combines eleven apartments within a compact volume, using a central stair core, varied duplex configurations and a concrete façade articulated by large arches and planted balconies.

Boavista 339 in Porto by Paulo Merlini architects is a 650m² residential building completed in 2023 on Rua de Agramonte. Developed on a plot of only 88m², with a 5.50m frontage and a rear elevation narrowing to just 2.00m, the project responds to an unusually constrained urban condition through a compact organization of studio and one-bedroom apartments.

Rather than treating the irregular site as a limitation to be concealed, the design uses its proportions to determine the building’s circulation, apartment typologies and relationship with natural light. A central stair core frees both façades, while a varied arrangement of apartments on one and two levels makes more efficient use of the available floor area.

 

A central core on a narrow urban plot

The stairwell is positioned at the centre of the building, following a distribution principle associated with Porto’s narrow urban plots.

Placing circulation away from the perimeter releases the front and rear façades for openings and allows daylight to reach deeper into the apartments. At the same time, it reduces the amount of space required for external corridors and maximizes the usable residential area.

This compact organization makes it possible to accommodate eleven independent units within the building while maintaining a range of different internal configurations.

A small commercial space occupies the ground floor and is extended by a patio towards the rear, introducing an additional programme without compromising the residential organization above.

 

Apartments on one and two levels

The restricted dimensions of the site lead to a more complex sectional organization rather than a repeated standard floor.

Apartments on one and two levels are combined throughout the upper part of the building, allowing the architects to adapt the available volume to different domestic layouts.

Although the individual units vary, their constituent elements are standardized where possible. This approach reconciles spatial diversity with construction efficiency, creating different apartment types without requiring each to be treated as a completely independent system.

The variation in section becomes particularly important on a site where horizontal expansion is severely limited. The building therefore develops its residential density through vertical connections and overlapping configurations.

 

Concrete arches open the façades

Given the limited dimensions of the apartments, both elevations are opened as much as possible to increase the perception of space and access to natural light.

Large concrete arches connect the openings and give the façade its principal architectural expression. Rather than appearing as isolated windows, the openings are visually linked into a continuous composition that emphasizes the vertical development of the building.

The curved geometry also softens the otherwise compact concrete elevation. According to the architects, the arch was selected not only as a compositional device but also for its relationship to the scale and movement of the human body.

On the main façade, the arches frame access to shallow balconies measuring approximately 0.60m in depth, recalling a recurring feature of Porto’s residential architecture.

 

Privacy behind planted balconies

The extensive openings required an additional layer of privacy between the apartments and the street.

Planters approximately 0.80m high are positioned along the façade to interrupt direct sightlines from public space. Vegetation consequently becomes part of the architectural composition rather than a secondary decorative addition.

The planted edge establishes distance between the interior and the street while preserving daylight and outward views. It also introduces a softer element against the exposed concrete, reinforcing the depth of the façade and the intermediate character of the balconies.

The frontage is therefore composed through several layers: the interior, the glazed openings, the planted edge, the concrete arches and, finally, the street.

 

Reinterpreting Porto’s residential typology

Despite its distinctive façade, Boavista 339 develops from familiar principles of Porto’s urban housing.

The narrow plot, centrally positioned circulation, shallow balconies and vertically organized apartments are reworked within a contemporary concrete structure. The project does not reproduce a historical façade, but adapts established local patterns of occupation and circulation to a constrained contemporary residential programme.

Paulo Merlini architects use the peculiar geometry of the site to generate a dense but varied building, where eleven units coexist within a highly restricted footprint.

The result is defined by the relationship between efficiency and architectural identity: a compact internal organization is combined with an open façade whose arches, vegetation and balconies mediate between the apartments and the city.

A typical Athenian apartment in Pangrati is reorganized around natural light and spatial continuity, combining an open living area with restored herringbone parquet and a continuous timber volume that conceals secondary functions.

The Apartment in Pangrati by Narration Architects reinterprets the conventional layout of an Athenian residence through a series of targeted interventions. Unnecessary partitions and a dark internal corridor are removed, allowing natural light to penetrate deeper into the apartment and creating a more continuous relationship between the main living spaces.

Rather than replacing the original character of the interior, the renovation combines new spatial elements with existing materials. The restored herringbone timber floor extends through the unified areas, while integrated furniture and timber cladding organize storage, circulation and secondary functions within a restrained material palette.

 

An open-plan living area

The reorganization of the plan focuses on removing the fragmentation of the existing apartment.

The former corridor and unnecessary partitions give way to an open sequence of spaces where kitchen, dining and living areas remain visually connected. Natural light can consequently move more freely through the interior, while circulation becomes part of the main living space rather than a separate zone.

The intervention establishes a clearer hierarchy between the principal domestic functions without relying on additional walls. Furniture, material transitions and built-in elements instead provide more subtle forms of spatial definition.

 

The kitchen as a social core

The kitchen becomes the centre of the new organization.

Positioned in direct relation to the living room, it is designed as an active social space rather than a separate functional area. A central island accommodates dining and gathering, responding to the owners’ request for an open setting for everyday meals and entertaining.

Its central position reinforces the continuity of the plan and allows activities traditionally distributed among different rooms to coexist within the same open environment.

The kitchen consequently operates as both a working surface and a point of social interaction, connecting the different areas of the apartment.

 

A timber volume conceals secondary functions

One of the principal interventions is the integration of the bathroom behind continuous timber cladding.

A concealed door provides access to the bathroom, allowing its entrance and associated utility functions to disappear within a clean wooden volume. The element introduces a warmer material presence while reducing visual fragmentation in the main living space.

Rather than treating storage and secondary rooms as independent components, the design incorporates them within a single architectural surface.

The timber volume therefore operates simultaneously as enclosure, storage and spatial organizer, establishing a quieter background for the more open parts of the residence.

 

Restoring the original herringbone floor

The existing herringbone timber flooring forms an important connection with the apartment’s previous configuration.

Instead of being replaced, it is restored and extended across the newly unified spaces. The continuity of the parquet helps connect areas that were previously separated by walls and circulation zones, while maintaining a material reference to the original apartment.

The intervention uses the existing floor as an active part of the new spatial organization rather than simply preserving it as a historical detail.

Its texture and warm tone also provide a counterpoint to the cleaner surfaces and integrated elements introduced by the renovation.

 

 

Low elements and visual continuity

In the living room, horizontal lines and low furniture preserve long views across the apartment and reinforce the sense of openness.

The same principle is transferred to the bedroom, where a low ledge runs behind the bed and is completed by a slim timber shelf. Integrated niches replace conventional bedside tables, incorporating everyday functions directly into the architectural composition.

The use of low elements reduces visual obstruction and allows the proportions of the existing rooms to remain clearly perceived.

Natural materials, neutral tones and controlled lighting complete the interior, with new interventions remaining deliberately restrained in relation to the existing apartment.

 

Continuity rather than fragmentation

The renovation is ultimately based on reducing the number of independent spatial elements.

Walls are removed where separation is no longer necessary, while storage, access to secondary spaces and furniture are consolidated into continuous architectural components.

Narration Architects use the restored parquet, timber cladding and open relationship between kitchen and living room to establish a more connected domestic environment without erasing the apartment’s existing character.

The result is a contemporary urban interior shaped by natural light, material continuity and a clearer relationship between circulation and everyday living.

Corporate orange, exposed building services and warmer timber surfaces define the 600m² headquarters of technology company M-STAT in Athens, combining the visual language of technical infrastructure with more informal modes of working.

The M-Stat Headquarters in Athens by Minos Digenis Arquitectos transforms a 600m² open floor into the offices of a technology company active in mobile communication services. Two ideas establish the identity of the interior: the use of M-STAT’s corporate orange as a recurring visual element and the decision to leave the building services exposed as a reference to the technological character of the company.

Rather than concealing the technical infrastructure above a conventional suspended ceiling, cables, ducts and pipes become part of the architectural composition. Their orange finish extends the company’s visual identity through the workspace and turns an otherwise functional layer into one of the most recognizable elements of the project.

 

Technical infrastructure as interior architecture

The exposed services run beneath a lowered ceiling line at approximately 2.50m, creating a dense horizontal layer above the working areas.

Painting this network orange brings together the project’s two principal concepts: corporate identity and the visible presence of technology. The ceiling consequently operates less as a neutral background and more as an active component of the interior.

Against this technical layer, the remaining surfaces are deliberately quieter. The contrast makes the infrastructure legible while giving the workplace a consistent visual identity across its different functions.

 

Different settings for everyday work

The programme combines workstations and meeting rooms with areas organized according to different levels and forms of activity.

Rather than interpreting the headquarters solely as a collection of conventional desks and enclosed meeting rooms, the layout incorporates informal meeting points and spaces for breaks and social interaction.

A recreation area with a ping-pong table introduces a more relaxed use, while an open kitchen provides a shared setting where employees can meet during breakfast or lunch.

These programmes extend everyday working life beyond the individual workstation and establish a range of spaces for concentrated work, meetings and informal exchange.

 

A warmer workplace

Alongside the more technical expression of the exposed installations, the project introduces materials and elements associated with a warmer, more domestic environment.

Timber plays an important role in moderating the industrial character of the ceiling infrastructure. Its natural surface provides a tactile counterpoint to the exposed technical elements and the strong orange colour.

Planting introduces another layer within the workplace. Rather than functioning simply as decoration, greenery contributes to the definition of shared areas and reinforces the intention to create an environment less closely associated with the conventional corporate office.

The result combines two deliberately different registers: an exposed technological infrastructure overhead and a more informal, tactile environment at the level of everyday occupation.

 

Corporate identity beyond graphics

Colour is used as an architectural device rather than as an applied graphic layer.

By extending M-STAT’s orange across the visible cables, pipes and ducts, the design connects the company’s identity with the actual technical systems that support the workplace. Branding and infrastructure therefore occupy the same physical layer.

The strategy gives the headquarters a recognizable character without depending on an accumulation of signs or decorative references to the company.

Minos Digenis Arquitectos use the existing open floor, exposed services, timber and shared social areas to establish a workplace where technological identity and everyday comfort coexist within the same interior.

 

The project was first published in print in ek magazine 290 | September 2024, a monthly issue by ek Architectural Publications.

Two equal residences on the sloping landscape of Bouros, Karystos, combine autonomous living with a shared architectural identity, using orientation, deep openings and an intermediate void to frame the Aegean horizon.

Seametry Villas in Bouros, Karystos by MRV Architects comprises two equivalent residences conceived as independent volumes within a unified composition. The design responds to the sloping terrain, open horizon and particular conditions of the site, balancing the autonomy of each house with the coherence of the ensemble.

Rather than dividing a single building into two units, the project establishes two clearly defined volumes of equal scale, proportion and functional value. Their relationship is shaped through distance, orientation and a shared ground that integrates the architecture with the topography.

 

Two equal and autonomous volumes

The two residences are conceived as equivalent rather than primary and secondary elements.

Each retains its independence and privacy, while their proportions and architectural language establish a clear relationship between them. The space separating the buildings is therefore not treated as residual.

Instead, the intermediate void becomes a deliberately designed part of the composition: a threshold, passage and arrival zone that simultaneously distinguishes and connects the two houses.

This arrangement gives the project a sense of balance without relying on strict symmetry. The identity of the ensemble emerges from the relationship between the two autonomous volumes and the space that remains between them.

 

Oriented towards the sea

Both residences turn towards the open horizon and the sea.

Deeply recessed openings create shaded frames that protect the interiors from the intensity of Mediterranean light while directing views towards the landscape. The openings therefore perform both environmental and spatial roles, controlling sunlight while reinforcing the orientation of everyday life towards the exterior.

The architecture remains deliberately restrained. Simple geometries and controlled proportions allow the relationship with the terrain, daylight and distant horizon to become more prominent than individual formal gestures.

The depth of the openings also creates a gradual transition between enclosed rooms and the exterior, avoiding an abrupt boundary between the two.

 

 

A shared base follows the terrain

The common base of the composition responds to the natural slope of the site.

Rather than establishing a level platform independent from the existing topography, the different levels follow the terrain and allow the two buildings to settle into the incline. The architectural organization therefore develops together with the section of the site rather than against it.

This relationship reduces the visual autonomy of the individual volumes and reinforces their reading as parts of a single ensemble.

At the same time, the positioning of the houses maintains the openness of the site. Horizon, wind and natural light remain active components of the experience rather than elements viewed from behind a continuous architectural boundary.

 

Privacy within a common identity

The project is ultimately defined by the balance between independence and proximity.

The two residences share the same architectural principles without becoming a single building. The intermediate space provides separation and orientation, while the shared base and consistent geometry establish continuity.

MRV Architects use a limited number of spatial operations—two autonomous volumes, a designed void, deep openings and a terrain-responsive base—to create a contemporary form of coastal living in which privacy and collective identity coexist.

The architecture remains measured in relation to its setting, directing the experience of the houses towards the sea, natural light and open horizon.

Terrazzo, timber, steel and glass establish a restrained material language in a 350m² penthouse in Tel Aviv, where changing natural light becomes an active element of the interior.

The Penthouse in Tel Aviv by Pitsou Kedem Architects occupies the top of a residential tower in the centre of the city, along a street connecting a busy market with the sea. The 350m² interior is organized around a deliberately limited palette of terrazzo, timber, steel and glass, whose different surfaces respond to the changing natural light throughout the day.

Rather than relying on a broad range of finishes, the project establishes continuity through repetition. The same materials return across floors, walls, furniture and circulation elements, giving the apartment a coherent identity while allowing variations in texture, reflection and shadow to distinguish individual areas.

 

Terrazzo as a continuous surface

Light terrazzo becomes the principal material of the apartment.

Composed of white concrete with grey stone fragments, the material refers to a familiar element of Tel Aviv’s domestic architecture, where terrazzo was widely used during the modernist period of the 1950s.

In the penthouse, it extends across the flooring and continues vertically onto the principal walls surrounding the structural core of the tower. This repetition gives the central part of the apartment a monolithic quality while establishing continuity between horizontal and vertical surfaces.

Its pale tone reflects natural light, while the grey fragments become more or less visible according to the changing conditions throughout the day. The material therefore provides a relatively neutral background without becoming visually uniform.

Timber as a warmer counterpoint

Against the mineral character of the terrazzo, timber veneer introduces a warmer layer.

Its natural tones create contrast with the pale floor and wall surfaces, while changes in daylight emphasize the depth and grain of the material. Rather than introducing a separate decorative language, timber operates within the same restrained palette and moderates the cooler character of the stone, steel and glass.

The relationship between the two materials is based on contrast rather than similarity: terrazzo provides visual continuity and brightness, while timber introduces texture and warmth.

 

A steel library within the central space

A custom-made white steel library becomes one of the principal elements within the main living area.

Designed with thin profiles and a restrained geometry, it operates simultaneously as storage, architectural partition and technical enclosure. Its rear surface is clad in terrazzo, reinforcing its connection with the material treatment of the central core.

The library also conceals the air-conditioning unit, integrating part of the technical equipment into the furniture rather than allowing it to interrupt the visual continuity of the interior.

White-painted steel gives the element a lighter presence against the denser terrazzo surfaces, while its sharp edges generate changing shadows as daylight moves through the apartment.

A white steel stair towards the roof

The white steel stair leading to the rooftop terrace is another defining element of the penthouse.

Positioned beneath a skylight and next to a glass wall, it is exposed to changing natural light throughout the day. Metal strips filter the light and cast alternating shadows across the stair and surrounding surfaces.

The stair is therefore both a circulation element and a device for registering time. Its white finish connects it visually with the steel library, while the combination of steel and glass distinguishes it from the more solid terrazzo core.

 

Carrara marble in the bathrooms

In the bathrooms, Carrara marble replaces the terrazzo while maintaining the grey-and-white palette that defines the rest of the apartment.

The shift in material differentiates these more private spaces without introducing an unrelated visual language. The veining and softer surface of the marble add variation while remaining compatible with the overall restrained treatment.

Across the apartment, the material selection is therefore less about creating individual decorative moments and more about establishing controlled variations within a consistent system.

Material and light as a unified language

The interior is ultimately defined by the repeated relationship between terrazzo, timber, steel and glass.

The terrazzo establishes continuity across the central surfaces, timber introduces warmth, white steel defines furniture and circulation elements, and glass allows natural light to penetrate deeper into the space.

Pitsou Kedem Architects use this limited palette to give the apartment a coherent architectural identity while allowing light and shadow to continually alter its appearance.

 

The project was first published in print in Apartments 2025, an annual edition by ek Architectural Publications.

A white architectural shell, mint-green volumes and suspended oak elements reorganize a duplex apartment in Koukaki around light, colour and a restrained Mediterranean material palette.

Casa Menta in Athens by Space is around us is the renovation of a duplex apartment in Koukaki, conceived around the light, colours and material character of the Mediterranean landscape.

The intervention transforms a conventional interior dating from the 2000s into a clearer and more restrained domestic environment. Rather than introducing complexity through multiple materials or decorative gestures, the design reduces the interior to a continuous white architectural backdrop against which colour, furniture and everyday functions are carefully positioned.

 

Shared and private areas across two levels

The functional organization follows the existing division of the duplex.

The entrance level accommodates the shared living spaces, while the upper floor contains the private rooms. On the lower level, the previously undivided open-plan area is reorganized into three distinct but visually connected zones: kitchen, dining area and living room.

This differentiation is achieved without fragmenting the interior with additional partitions. Instead, furniture, colour and fixed elements define the individual functions while preserving visual continuity across the floor.

The arrangement allows the principal living spaces to remain open and flexible, while the upper level develops a more private domestic character.

 

A white shell as a neutral background

White surfaces establish the principal architectural language of the apartment.

Inspired by the whitewashed surfaces of Mediterranean architecture, the walls and ceilings form a continuous backdrop that reflects natural light and reinforces the sense of openness across both levels.

The intention is not to recreate a literal Mediterranean interior. Instead, the white shell creates a neutral field against which colour, texture and domestic functions can acquire greater definition.

The restrained treatment also reduces the visual weight of the existing apartment, allowing selected objects and built-in elements to become more prominent.

 

Existing materials retained and updated

Part of the intervention focuses on adapting rather than replacing the materials already present in the apartment.

The cement screed covering the communal spaces and the stair was updated with a continuous light-grey finish, establishing a neutral ground across the shared areas.

By contrast, the original timber parquet in the bedrooms was carefully restored. Its warmer material character differentiates the private spaces from the more mineral surfaces of the lower level.

This relationship between continuity and contrast allows the existing fabric to remain part of the new interior without dictating its overall character.

 

Floating volumes and integrated furniture

A series of lightweight elements introduces both function and colour within the white shell.

The mint-green kitchen becomes one of the most prominent volumes on the entrance level. Suspended oak furniture reinforces the impression of lightness, while storage and fixed elements are integrated into the architecture rather than treated as independent objects.

The white stair is conceived as a sculptural element within the duplex. Its continuous form contributes to the visual connection between the two levels while maintaining the restrained material language of the apartment.

Together, these elements organize everyday activities without overloading the interior.

 

Mint green as a recurring accent

Colour plays a central role in the identity of Casa Menta.

The palette draws on seafoam, olive trees, sun-bleached stone and pastel tones associated with Mediterranean landscapes. Within the predominantly white and light-grey interior, mint green becomes a recurring element that links different parts of the apartment.

The colour appears most clearly in the kitchen and returns in selected details throughout the residence.

Deeper green tones are concentrated in the bathroom, where the shower area becomes a more monolithic and visually intense element. The contrast introduces variation without disrupting the broader sense of continuity.

 

Lightness in everyday use

Storage, circulation and furniture are incorporated as part of the architectural composition.

Rather than filling the rooms with freestanding elements, the project integrates many everyday functions into suspended or visually lightweight volumes. This keeps the principal spaces open and allows movement between the different zones to remain unobstructed.

The result is an interior where the architectural shell remains deliberately quiet. White surfaces, restored timber, light-grey flooring and green accents form a limited palette, while natural light becomes one of the principal elements defining the changing atmosphere of the apartment.

Casa Menta ultimately combines functional reorganization with a reduced material language. Through colour, suspended elements and the selective retention of existing materials, Space is around us establishes a contemporary domestic environment shaped by clarity, light and a measured reference to the Mediterranean landscape.

A compact white volume gradually opens towards the Pacific landscape through a circular courtyard, a curved concrete wall and a broad roof that reduces the architecture to shelter, shade and framed views.

 

Casa Malonic in Zihuatanejo by HW Studio is a 497m² residence in Punta Garrobo, Guerrero, completed in June 2026. Surrounded by tropical vegetation and overlooking the sea, the house develops through a deliberate transition from enclosure towards openness, using a limited number of architectural elements to regulate privacy, movement and contact with the landscape.

Rather than treating the building as an autonomous object within the site, the design establishes a sequence between street, courtyard, interior and horizon. A continuous roof provides shade, while walls and voids progressively direct the body and the gaze towards the surrounding vegetation and the Pacific Ocean.

 

Shelter as an elementary condition

The conceptual starting point is the enramada, understood as a simple shelter beneath a canopy rather than as a literal reference to vernacular form.

Ground, roof and shade become the project’s fundamental elements. The architecture provides protection from rain and sun while allowing the landscape to remain continuously present around the inhabited areas.

This approach also determines the scale and openness of the main spaces. Rather than framing the horizon as a conventional view from inside a room, the organization of the house develops around its permanent presence.

 

A closed condition towards the street

From the road, Casa Malonic appears as a contained white volume accompanied by a single curved concrete wall.

Following the geometry of the street, the wall establishes a first boundary between the public approach and the private residence. Vegetation, rocks and the natural topography reinforce this protected condition, limiting direct views into the house.

The entrance sequence therefore delays the full perception of the site. The landscape is revealed gradually through movement rather than being immediately exposed from the point of arrival.

This contrast between enclosure and openness becomes one of the main organizing principles of the project.

 

A circular courtyard as a spatial void

The path leads towards a circular courtyard enclosed by white walls.

Here, the relationship with the surroundings changes. Tree canopies, sky and sunlight become visible above the perimeter, while the circular void interrupts the otherwise solid architectural mass.

The courtyard operates simultaneously as an exterior room, a source of natural light and a transitional space. The wall no longer functions simply as an enclosure, but as an edge that frames selected elements of the landscape.

Its geometry also establishes a clear sequence through the house: from the street to a protected interior condition, from there to the courtyard, and eventually towards the open horizon.

 

From enclosure to the horizon

Beyond the courtyard, the building progressively loses the compact character presented towards the street.

The architecture becomes lighter and more open until the roof emerges as the principal element defining the inhabited space. Rather than relying on a continuous envelope, the house establishes shade and protection while maintaining extensive visual contact with the landscape.

The sequence is based on a small number of spatial operations: containment, movement, subtraction and opening.

Solid elements provide privacy where required, while voids introduce light, vegetation and long views. The relationship between mass and absence becomes more important than the formal autonomy of the individual rooms.

 

Material continuity with the site

The treatment of the ground reinforces the relationship with the surrounding landscape.

Its colour and texture recall the sand of the nearby beach, extending a similar material character beneath the roof. The intention is not to reproduce the natural setting literally, but to establish continuity through colour, texture and physical experience.

White surfaces introduce a contrasting element. Their colour relates to the flowers of the nine Cacalosúchil trees surrounding the residence, creating another connection between the constructed volume and the existing vegetation.

The material palette therefore remains deliberately restrained. Ground, white walls, concrete and vegetation provide the main visual and tactile references, allowing changes in light and shadow to remain clearly perceptible throughout the day.

 

Architecture defined by mass and void

Casa Malonic is organized through the gradual transformation of a protected volume into an increasingly open relationship with the site.

The curved wall directs the approach, the circular courtyard removes part of the built mass, and the roof establishes a broad zone of shade towards the landscape. Each element performs a specific spatial role without requiring additional formal complexity.

HW Studio uses this sequence to balance privacy and openness. The house remains closed where it meets the street, becomes porous around the courtyard and finally opens towards the horizon.

The landscape is therefore not treated as a background to the architecture. It becomes the principal condition around which the residence is organized.

A timber school campus immersed in the Uruguayan landscape dissolves the conventional boundary between classroom and park, using spatial diversity, outdoor circulation and direct contact with nature as active components of education.

The Garzón School in Uruguay by Rosan Bosch Studio is conceived as a learning landscape where architecture, interior design and the natural environment operate as a continuous whole.

Set within a 94-acre rural landscape surrounded by eucalyptus forests, meadows and a lake, the campus moves away from the conventional model of classrooms connected by enclosed corridors. Instead, buildings, pathways, plazas, vegetation and open-air areas form a network that allows learning to move between interior and exterior throughout the day.

The project develops around a simple principle: the school is the park and the park is the school. Nature is therefore not treated as a backdrop or an occasional destination, but as part of the everyday structure of learning.

 

Landscape as a learning environment

The organization of the campus begins with its natural setting.

Pathways move through planted areas and connect a series of smaller buildings rather than concentrating the entire programme within a single institutional volume. The resulting arrangement gives the school the character of a small settlement dispersed through the landscape.

Outdoor areas accommodate different scales and forms of activity. Some support gathering and play, while others create more protected conditions for smaller groups or individual work.

Transitions between enclosed rooms, covered areas and open landscape remain gradual. Educational activities can therefore shift according to use, weather conditions, group size or the degree of concentration required.

The landscape does not operate as a decorative perimeter around the architecture. It participates directly in circulation, social interaction and the daily use of the school.

 

Six Learning Worlds

The spatial organization is structured around six design principles developed by Rosan Bosch Studio, described as Learning Worlds: Mountain Top, Cave, Campfire, Watering Hole, Hands-on and Movement.

Each corresponds to a different mode of learning rather than to a conventional classroom type.

The Mountain Top supports presentation, performance and focused communication to a group. The Cave offers smaller settings for concentration, retreat and individual work. The Campfire creates conditions for storytelling, dialogue and shared attention, while the Watering Hole encourages informal exchange and peer-to-peer learning.

Hands-on areas are intended for making, experimentation and practical problem-solving, while Movement recognizes physical activity and play as integral parts of the learning process.

Rather than permanently assigning one activity to one room, these spatial conditions allow students and teachers to move between collective and individual work, concentration and exploration, structured instruction and informal interaction.

 

A timber settlement within the landscape

The campus is constructed entirely from sustainably sourced timber, with the external surfaces treated using the traditional Japanese Shou Sugi Ban technique of charring the outer layer of the material.

The dark façades contrast with the vegetation while retaining the tactile character of the timber. The common treatment also establishes a coherent architectural identity among the different buildings.

Brick plazas introduce another material register, drawing on local Uruguayan architectural traditions. Native vegetation extends between the structures and reinforces the continuity between the built areas and the wider landscape.

Timber, brick and planting therefore establish a deliberately limited material palette, connecting the architecture with both the ecological and cultural characteristics of its setting.

 

Learning between indoors and outdoors

The architecture repeatedly creates intermediate spaces instead of abrupt boundaries.

Covered areas allow activities to extend beyond enclosed rooms. Pathways operate not only as circulation routes but also as places for encounter, observation and informal learning. Plazas accommodate collective activities, while vegetation defines smaller areas with varying degrees of enclosure.

This spatial variety gives students greater choice in how and where they work.

The school consequently functions less as a sequence of predefined classrooms and more as an interconnected system of different learning environments. Moving between them becomes part of the educational experience.

 

Physical experience in the age of AI

The project also responds to a broader discussion surrounding education at a time when digital tools and artificial intelligence increasingly influence how knowledge is accessed and shared.

The Garzón School does not position technology and physical space as opposites. Instead, it emphasizes forms of learning that depend on direct experience: movement, face-to-face interaction, contact with materials, observation and engagement with the natural environment.

Children can make, experiment, play, collaborate and observe changes in the landscape as part of the normal school day.

Physical space therefore becomes an active complement to digital learning, providing experiences that extend beyond the transfer of information.

 

Architecture as pedagogical infrastructure

At The Garzón School, architecture is not treated simply as accommodation for a predefined educational programme.

The relationship with the landscape, the diversity of spatial conditions and the absence of rigid boundaries between learning and circulation create an environment where different forms of activity can coexist.

Rosan Bosch Studio approached the masterplan, landscape architecture, buildings and interiors as interconnected elements of the same educational system.

The result replaces the repeated classroom module with a varied landscape of spaces for concentration, communication, experimentation, movement and collective life. Architecture becomes part of the pedagogical structure itself, while the surrounding landscape participates directly in the everyday experience of learning

An 1893 house in Lisbon’s former industrial district of Marvila is renovated and extended through a sequence of large spatial cuts, raw interior finishes and an ultramarine-blue lime plaster that unifies old and new.

Blue House in Lisbon by extrastudio is the first of three residences developed by the practice under the title casas poveras. Conceived during a period of uncertainty, the series explores an architecture reduced to essential means without compromising spatial generosity. In Blue House, this approach produces a 251m² residence where the existing building, new extension and materials are brought together without concealing their irregularities or traces of construction.

The house stands in Marvila, an area of Lisbon shaped by successive transformations from agricultural land to an industrial district and, more recently, to a concentration of studios and cultural spaces. Rather than erase the modest character of the original house, extrastudio treats it as a record of everyday occupation and uses its existing fabric as the basis for the intervention.

 

Preserving the 1893 house

The project renovates and extends a single-storey residence dating from 1893 while retaining its existing structure.

Architectural elements removed from the original façades were restored and reincorporated into the new elevations. Existing and added surfaces receive the same finish, avoiding a conventional visual distinction between restoration and extension.

The different periods remain legible instead through changes in silhouette and material texture. The intervention consequently preserves the old building without treating it as an untouchable historical object. Its imperfections become part of the character of the new house.

 

Two large spatial cuts

Two principal operations define the new spatial organization.

Towards the street, a cut extending across the full width of the building creates a double-height courtyard. This void provides shade and greater privacy for the bedrooms while establishing an intermediate space between the domestic interior and the street.

On the opposite side, a triple-height interior volume opens towards the garden and reveals the full vertical dimension of the extension. The two voids establish contrasting conditions: a protected courtyard facing the city and a large interior volume directed towards the more private garden.

The rear façade is further interrupted by a vertical strip of light. Generated by a planning constraint that cuts diagonally across one corner of the building, the opening was incorporated into the architectural composition rather than concealed. For a short period towards the end of the day, sunlight penetrates through the narrow cut and moves across the interior.

 

Garage and living space as one environment

The clients introduced an unusual requirement into the domestic programme: the garage had to form part of the living area.

Cars and motorbikes could therefore be worked on without separating this activity from everyday family life. Rather than concealing the garage behind a secondary enclosure, the design accommodates it within the generous, loft-like spatial character requested for the house.

This combination challenges the conventional separation between technical and domestic areas. The scale of the main interior allows different activities to coexist within one continuous environment, turning the garage into part of the inhabited space rather than an ancillary room.

 

Materials decided on site

Once the basic architectural concept had been established, decisions concerning colour, finishes and textures were intentionally left open during the design process.

Many were resolved directly on site in collaboration with the craftsmen and clients. Construction therefore became part of the design process, with individual techniques, tests and material decisions remaining visible in the completed building.

The method gives the residence a deliberately tactile character. Surfaces do not attempt to achieve a standardized level of finish; differences in texture and workmanship are retained as evidence of how the house was made.

 

Aluminium and unfinished grey plaster

The entire ground floor is covered with aluminium sheeting, manually brushed by one of the craftsmen.

The resulting surface is soft and luminous, contrasting with the rougher treatment of the walls. Internally, these are left largely unfinished and covered only with a grey plaster scratch coat discovered during construction.

The economical finish creates continuity between different elements of the interior while introducing a material reference to Marvila’s industrial past. Rather than adding another decorative layer, the grey surface retains the direct character of the construction beneath it.

 

Ultramarine blue as a continuous layer

The defining exterior colour originates from the existing building.

Ultramarine blue is applied as a pigmented lime plaster over the complete volume, visually bringing together the original house and its extension. Because of the instability of the pigment, each façade had to be completed in a single day without visible seams or subsequent repairs.

The method makes variation inherent to the finished surface. Colour becomes both a unifying element and a record of the construction process.

Rather than emphasizing the difference between old and new, the blue creates a more ambiguous reading of the building. Its silhouette and textures reveal the intervention, while the continuous finish gives the house the appearance of a single object.

 

Construction as part of the architecture

Blue House is shaped by the coexistence of preservation, extension and decisions made during construction.

The original structure remains present, while large spatial cuts redefine its relationship with street, garden and natural light. Aluminium, unfinished grey plaster and pigmented lime render create contrasting surfaces whose character depends as much on workmanship as on specification.

Through this approach, extrastudio avoids a strict separation between historical fabric and contemporary intervention. Old and new are brought together by colour and construction while remaining distinguishable through form, texture and the accumulated traces of the existing building.

Original plasterwork, five-metre-high ceilings and a century-old timber staircase provide the framework for the renovation of a 1920s apartment in Kypseli, where new materials, bespoke elements and contemporary technology coexist with the building’s eclectic character.

The Upper House in Athens by A&O Architects and Saint of Athens occupies the first floor of a 1920s building in Kypseli. The 220m² apartment retains characteristics of the eclectic domestic architecture that shaped parts of Athens during the early decades of the 20th century, including ceilings reaching five metres in height, intricate plaster decoration and an unusually generous spatial organization.

Originally built for the family of a Greek industrialist, the residence was reorganized for contemporary use without suppressing these existing qualities. The renovation preserves significant architectural elements while introducing new functions, furniture, finishes and technical systems.

 

 

Preserving the original spatial character

The existing plan provided a sequence of large rooms connected through generous openings, allowing circulation to move easily across the apartment.

Rather than replacing this organization with a radically different layout, the intervention works with the proportions and relationships already present. Two former reception rooms continue to function as living spaces, while a new dining room, principal bedroom with en-suite bathroom, guest bedroom and powder room are incorporated into the domestic programme.

A library, kitchen and pantry complete the arrangement. The functions are distinct, but the existing circulation allows them to remain connected as part of a continuous residential sequence.

At the centre of this relationship between old and new stands the original timber staircase. Carefully preserved, it remains one of the most recognizable elements of the apartment and makes the age of the building immediately legible.

 

Existing ornament as part of the new interior

The original plasterwork is treated as an active architectural layer rather than a decorative remnant.

Ceiling mouldings and ornamental details are retained against a restrained palette, allowing their relief and scale to remain visible. The height of the rooms reinforces their presence and gives the newly introduced furniture and lighting a different scale from that of a conventional contemporary apartment.

The intervention therefore does not attempt to neutralize the eclectic character of the residence. Instead, contemporary additions are inserted within the existing setting, producing deliberate contrasts between historic ornament, modern furniture and new material surfaces.

 

 

Bespoke elements and individual rooms

Custom-made elements play an important role throughout the apartment. A specially designed wardrobe, wall panelling and Japanese wallpaper introduce distinct identities to individual rooms without disconnecting them from the overall composition.

The new elements operate at different scales. Some become part of the architectural surfaces, while others appear as individual pieces of furniture or joinery.

Designer furniture, lighting, contemporary ceiling fans, artworks and objects collected by the occupants are combined with the existing architecture. Their arrangement gives each room a distinct character while preserving the sense that the apartment has accumulated different layers over time.

Rather than pursuing uniformity, the project allows variations in colour, material and furnishing from one room to another.

 

Timber flooring and Greek marble

The material palette connects the different areas while maintaining the contrast between the restored shell and the contemporary intervention.

Chevron timber flooring extends through the principal rooms and establishes a continuous geometric background. Greek marble is introduced alongside it in selected surfaces, particularly in the bathrooms and other areas where a more mineral finish is required.

Timber also appears in the original staircase and in new custom-made elements, allowing historic and contemporary components to share a common material reference without being visually identical.

The combination of timber, marble, painted surfaces, wallpaper and existing plaster decoration creates an interior defined by different textures rather than by a single uniform finish.

 

 

Contemporary systems within a historic apartment

The renovation also incorporates current domestic technology into the historic shell.

Internet of Things systems and contemporary heating and cooling equipment improve the everyday operation of the apartment while remaining visually secondary to the architectural character of the rooms. The technical upgrade is therefore integrated without turning the residence into an overtly technological environment.

This relationship between infrastructure and preservation is central to the project. Contemporary comfort is introduced within an existing spatial framework rather than used as a reason to erase it.

 

A contemporary layer within a 1920s interior

The Upper House is ultimately organized around the coexistence of different periods.

The original proportions, staircase and plaster decoration preserve the architectural identity of the 1920s residence. New joinery, wallpaper, furniture, lighting and technical systems introduce another layer corresponding to present-day domestic life.

A&O Architects and Saint of Athens therefore approach the renovation not as a reconstruction of a historical interior, but as an addition to its ongoing history. The existing building remains clearly visible while contemporary interventions establish a new domestic environment around it.

 

The project was first published in print in Apartments 2025, an annual edition by ek Architectural Publications.

A compact cubic residence in Kanoni uses recesses, courtyards and carefully positioned openings to mediate between domestic privacy, planting and the heterogeneous urban fabric of Corfu.

The Habitus Project by Thymi Architects is located in Kanoni, Corfu, within a transitional area between the urban and suburban fabric. Rather than seeking a formal reference in the heterogeneous architecture of the surrounding neighbourhood, the residence develops its relationship with the context through controlled views, planted setbacks and a sequence of intermediate spaces.

The house is conceived as a compact volume in which voids and openings acquire a defining role. Its architecture does not rely on direct visual exposure towards the surroundings. Instead, different depths, frames and thresholds establish a selective relationship between interior spaces, garden and neighbourhood.

 

Subtraction from a compact volume

The architectural composition develops through a process of subtraction from an initially cubic mass. Recesses, voids and openings articulate the otherwise restrained form and determine relationships between different parts of the house.

The openings vary according to orientation, programme and the degree of exposure required. Deep apertures frame specific views towards the neighbourhood and landscape, while narrower vertical cuts introduce controlled daylight. Elsewhere, larger openings reinforce continuity between the living spaces and the garden.

On the principal façade, the recessed ground floor creates a protected entrance threshold and adds depth to the elevation. On the upper level, another subtraction forms an internal courtyard, introducing daylight, vegetation and an outdoor area within the compact volume.

The result is a façade shaped less through applied elements than through shadow, depth and the changing relationship between solid and void.

 

Planted setbacks as part of the house

The mandatory distances between the building and the boundaries of the plot are incorporated into the architectural composition rather than treated as residual strips of land.

Planting establishes a first layer of separation from the street and adjacent buildings. Boundaries, vegetation and openings work together to maintain contact with the neighbourhood while moderating visibility and protecting the privacy of the interior.

This strategy allows the residence to retain a degree of inwardness without becoming isolated. The surrounding urban fabric remains present, but is repeatedly selected, concealed or framed through architecture and landscape.

 

Living spaces connected with the garden

The residence develops across three levels. The principal domestic spaces occupy the ground and upper floors, while ancillary functions are accommodated in the basement.

On the ground floor, kitchen, dining and living areas form a continuous space in direct relationship with the garden. Although visually connected, the different functions maintain their individual character through the arrangement of fixed elements and changes in material treatment.

The staircase occupies the core of the composition. More than a means of vertical circulation, it establishes visual relationships between the levels and contributes to the spatial continuity of the house.

The design therefore extends connection not only horizontally towards the garden, but also vertically through the interior.

 

An internal courtyard for the private level

On the upper floor, the main bedroom and ancillary functions are arranged around the internal courtyard.

The courtyard operates simultaneously as a source of natural light, a planted outdoor space and a means of maintaining privacy. Rather than opening the private rooms directly towards the surrounding buildings, it creates a protected external environment within the volume itself.

This inward-facing landscape is balanced by selected views towards the wider context. The house continually alternates between openness and enclosure, using each opening to establish a specific degree of visual connection.

 

A restrained material palette

The material approach follows the same principle of restraint that governs the spatial composition. A limited number of materials recur throughout the residence and help define its different zones.

Timber wall linings and integrated storage elements establish continuity across the interiors and give functional definition to the open living areas. Dark metal window frames emphasize the depth and precision of the apertures, reinforcing their character as cuts within the compact building mass.

A continuous cement-based finish creates visually uninterrupted surfaces, while marble is introduced selectively in floors, steps and individual details.

The limited palette allows changes in daylight and shadow to remain clearly perceptible. Material surfaces operate as a background against which the geometry of the openings and the movement of natural light become more prominent.

 

Framing the suburban context

The Habitus Project responds to the heterogeneous character of its surroundings without adopting the forms of the neighbouring buildings.

Instead, architecture becomes a means of regulating the relationship with the context. Voids, boundaries, planting and openings determine what remains visible, what is protected and how the transition from private interior to neighbourhood is experienced.

Through this system, the house maintains both connection and distance. The changing daylight, planted areas and selected views of the surrounding fabric become part of everyday domestic life, while the compact volume preserves a clear sense of privacy.

Curved surfaces, flexible seminar rooms and exposed building systems define an additional floor of Baseblue’s Piraeus headquarters, designed for corporate events, meetings and staff training.

The Baseblue offices in Piraeus by R.C.TECH occupy an additional floor within the shipping company’s existing headquarters. Completed in 2023, the intervention creates a dedicated environment for corporate events, training seminars, meetings and informal interaction.

The interior draws on the spatial atmosphere of Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey. Rather than translating this reference through literal imagery, the design develops it through continuous surfaces, contrasting colours and curved elements that organize circulation and give the space a sense of visual lightness.

 

 

A central zone defined by ceiling and floor

The main area is organized beneath a glossy white suspended ceiling. Its geometry is reflected in a corresponding change in the tone of the floor, defining a central zone without the need for additional partitions.

At the entrance, a large white table performs a dual role as reception desk and shared work surface. A curved blue metal wall follows its geometry, creating a visual boundary between the breakout area and the seminar facilities.

At the opposite end, two curved sofas form a circular lounge. The arrangement introduces a more informal setting for conversation while repeating the curved geometry that characterizes the entrance.

 

Flexible spaces for training

Flexibility becomes particularly important in the seminar area. Movable folding panels allow it to operate as two independent rooms or as one larger space, adapting the floor to different numbers of participants and types of events.

The furniture follows the same principle. Tables can be rearranged according to the requirements of each seminar, allowing configurations for teaching, presentations or collaborative work.

Acoustic performance is addressed through a perforated gypsum-board ceiling and specifically designed timber cladding. These elements form part of the architectural language rather than being introduced as independent technical additions.

 

 

Oak and exposed structure

The meeting room introduces a different material character. One wall is clad in oak, while the existing Zoellner slab remains exposed overhead.

This relationship between finished and unfinished surfaces continues throughout the project. Selected mechanical and electrical services are deliberately left visible, making the technical infrastructure of the office part of the interior.

The decision avoids concealing the existing construction behind a uniform suspended ceiling. Instead, the original structural system and new interventions remain visually distinct.

 

An architecture of elongated surfaces

Horizontal and vertical elements are deliberately extended beyond the scale of conventional furniture or partitions. The long white ceiling, curved metal wall, work surfaces and timber cladding are perceived as continuous architectural planes.

Their proportions, together with the exposed services and structural ceiling, reduce the sense of a conventionally enclosed office. Solid elements appear to detach from one another, reinforcing the impression of a lightweight interior.

The contrast between blue metal, white surfaces, natural oak and the existing structure provides a limited material palette through which the different functions remain clearly identifiable.

 

 

A workplace beyond individual desks

The project reflects a workplace programme centered not only on individual production but also on learning, exchange and collective activity.

Seminar rooms, meeting areas, shared work surfaces and informal seating coexist within the same floor, while movable elements allow the balance between them to change according to use.

Baseblue therefore operates as a flexible extension of the company’s headquarters. The intervention uses a small number of architectural devices—curved surfaces, colour, exposed structure and movable partitions—to create distinct working conditions without fragmenting the interior.

 

The project was first published in print in ek magazine 290 | September 2024, a monthly issue by ek Architectural Publications.

Original mosaic floors and decorated ceilings become the starting point for the renovation of a 200m² apartment in Barcelona, where colour, custom joinery and a new spatial organization connect its historic character with contemporary domestic life.

The Apartment in Paseo San Juan by YLAB Architects occupies a 19th-century residence in central Barcelona. Previously in a deteriorated condition, the 200m² apartment was redesigned for an Australian couple seeking a permanent European home that could also comfortably accommodate visiting family and friends.

The intervention balances contemporary requirements with the preservation of the apartment’s existing architectural character. Its intricate mosaic flooring and original decorated ceilings are retained as defining elements, while the plan, joinery, finishes and technical systems are reorganized around a new domestic programme.

 

 

Two distinct areas within the apartment

The revised plan divides the residence into two main zones separated by the entrance hall.

The larger side contains the shared living spaces and guest accommodation, allowing everyday activities and hospitality to unfold within a more open sequence of rooms. The smaller side operates as a private suite, creating a more secluded area for the owners.

The arrangement establishes a clear distinction between collective and private life without fragmenting the apartment into a series of isolated spaces. The entrance becomes a point of transition, allowing each part of the residence to function with a degree of independence.

This organization responds directly to the clients’ dual requirement: a comfortable primary home and, at the same time, a place capable of receiving family and friends for extended periods.

 

Existing mosaic as the basis for colour

The original mosaic flooring provides the central reference for the interior palette.

Its colours and patterns change from room to room, creating a sequence of distinct surfaces that already formed part of the apartment’s architectural identity. Rather than neutralizing this variety, YLAB Architects use it to guide the selection of new finishes.

Walls are painted in complementary, softer tones that respond to the existing floors without competing with them. Colour therefore becomes a means of connecting the new intervention with the historic material fabric.

A continuous dark-brown finish runs through the apartment along skirting boards, frames and joinery. This darker line provides visual continuity between rooms and emphasizes thresholds and transitions within the otherwise varied sequence of colours and patterns.

 

 

Light within the deeper rooms

The existing plan includes more compact interior spaces where access to natural light is limited.

Strategically positioned artificial lighting and reflective surfaces are used to increase their perceived depth and brightness. Rather than radically changing the historic arrangement, these interventions improve the spatial conditions through smaller adjustments to surfaces and illumination.

The original windows were also replaced by contemporary high-performance units to improve acoustic and thermal insulation.

This technical upgrade is integrated discreetly into the renovation, supporting contemporary standards of comfort without becoming visually dominant within the historic interior.

 

Custom joinery within the existing architecture

Specially designed joinery extends throughout the residence and introduces a new functional layer within the retained architectural framework.

The custom elements respond to the colours already present in the apartment and are designed to sit alongside the original ceilings, floors and openings rather than visually compete with them.

Bespoke furniture follows the same approach. Instead of establishing a uniform contemporary language across every room, individual pieces respond to the atmosphere and colour of each space while maintaining coherence across the residence.

The renovation therefore develops through addition and coordination rather than through the complete replacement of the existing interior.

 

 

Shared living and dining spaces

The principal living area is organized as an open sequence connecting the sitting room, kitchen and dining area.

A streamlined kitchen island defines the cooking area without isolating it from the rest of the social space. Nearby, two facing sofas are arranged around a circular wool rug, establishing a more clearly defined sitting area within the open plan.

The adjoining dining room opens onto a balcony whose mosaic floor continues the material language of the apartment. This relationship reinforces the connection between the interior rooms and the external space while maintaining the visual presence of the historic flooring.

The social area is therefore organized through furniture, surfaces and colour rather than through additional partitions.

 

A more private domestic sequence

On the opposite side of the entrance, the private suite develops a more intimate character.

The bed is defined by a large upholstered headboard with concealed backlighting, introducing softer illumination into the room. Nearby, a reading corner combines an armchair with a marble side table.

The smaller scale and more controlled lighting distinguish the private rooms from the brighter social areas without abandoning the overall material and chromatic language of the apartment.

The distinction between the two parts of the residence is therefore achieved through programme, light and atmosphere rather than through an entirely different architectural vocabulary.

 

 

History as an active part of the interior

The Apartment in Paseo San Juan does not treat the existing mosaic floors and ceilings as isolated heritage objects. They actively inform the organization and appearance of the new interior.

Colours are drawn from the original surfaces, new joinery follows their visual rhythm, and contemporary lighting and reflective materials respond to the conditions created by the existing plan.

Through this approach, YLAB Architects establish a balance between preservation and adaptation. The historic apartment remains recognizable, while its spaces are reorganized to support contemporary everyday life, privacy and hospitality.

 

The project was first published in print in Apartments 2025, an annual edition by ek Architectural Publications.

A former family residence in the dense centre of Fira is transformed into a five-suite hotel, where restored Cycladic forms, natural materials and planted spaces translate the principles of vegan hospitality into architecture.

Ethos Vegan Suites in Santorini by Kapsimalis Architects occupies a former two-storey family residence in the centre of Fira. Originally constructed after the 1956 Santorini earthquake and extended vertically during the 1980s, the building was reorganized as a small hotel with five independent suites.

Two suites and a compact reception and kitchen occupy the ground floor. Three additional suites are arranged above and accessed through an open staircase integrated with planting. Each room combines sleeping and sitting areas with a kitchenette and bathroom, while private yards, balconies or terraces extend the accommodation outdoors.

 

 

Reworking the existing shell

The transformation retains the characteristic geometry of the original building while simplifying later additions and adapting the structure to its new use.

Existing forms were restored and clarified to establish a contemporary relationship with the compact, whitewashed fabric of Fira. Selected parapets, decorative cornices and parts of the enclosure were removed or replaced, reducing the visual complexity of the former residence.

New thin metal handrails, solid surfaces and perforated ceramic screens introduce a lighter architectural layer. The screens define different degrees of privacy around the rooms and circulation areas while allowing daylight and air to pass through.

The intervention therefore does not attempt to reproduce a historic Cycladic interior. Instead, it works with the existing building and its recognizable forms, introducing new elements that respond to contemporary hospitality.

 

Five suites around shared and private outdoor spaces

From the pedestrian street, the entrance leads to a common semi-outdoor area. This intermediate space functions as a point of arrival and informal gathering before the circulation divides towards the individual suites.

On the ground floor, each unit extends towards a private yard with a small pool and sitting area. The rooms on the upper level open onto balconies or terraces, also incorporating small water elements and views towards the eastern part of Santorini and the Aegean.

The roof is partially planted with aromatic herbs and local vegetables. These are connected with the operation of the hotel and its vegan food and drinks, extending the project’s concept beyond the interiors and into the everyday use of the building.

 

 

Vegan principles as design parameters

A central objective was to translate vegan hospitality into architectural and material decisions rather than treat it solely as an operational concept.

Materials and furnishings derived from animal products were avoided. In their place, the architects selected natural and recyclable materials including ceramics, clay, stone, oak, mineral mortars, cotton, hemp and linen.

Local craftsmanship and custom-made furniture also form part of this approach. Built-in elements reduce the need for additional objects, while planting, water, daylight and natural ventilation contribute to an interior environment closely connected with natural processes.

The material strategy is therefore integral to the identity of the hotel. Vegan principles are expressed through sourcing, construction and atmosphere rather than through applied imagery.

 

Ceramic surfaces and mineral textures

The restrained palette combines variations of earth tones with the material character of ceramics, timber and mineral finishes.

Outside, small square terracotta tiles are laid with visible joints filled with natural beige mortar, creating a repetitive grid across the floors. The exterior walls and ceramic screens are predominantly off-white, connecting the hotel with the surrounding urban fabric.

Inside, large square floor tiles incorporate small ceramic fragments and tesserae. Walls and ceilings are finished with textured plasters containing natural components, while smooth white plaster emphasizes the vaulted ceilings of the two ground-floor suites.

Bathrooms are treated with pale cement-based finishes. Coloured glass partitions in yellow and green create translucent boundaries around the showers and introduce controlled variations within the otherwise muted interiors.

 

 

Oak, terracotta and recycled aggregates

Natural oak is used for wardrobes, shelving and other fixed elements, bringing a warmer material layer into the rooms.

Thin terracotta tiles appear on selected walls, while ceramic claustra are also used inside as supports for desks and as permeable elements that conceal technical equipment.

Kitchenette and bathroom surfaces combine plaster with recycled stone or coloured recycled glass. Their irregular aggregates give the surfaces a distinct texture and make the reuse of material visually apparent.

Bronze-toned mirrors, black metal details and custom travertine tables complete the composition. Lighting made from clay, coloured glass, timber and metal continues the same material language.

Rather than aiming for a uniform finish, the interiors bring together surfaces with different densities, textures and degrees of reflection.

 

Hospitality within the dense fabric of Fira

The project uses an existing building to create a small-scale form of hospitality within one of Santorini’s most densely built settlements.

Its identity emerges from the relationship between the restored shell, porous ceramic surfaces, planting, natural materials and individual outdoor spaces. The result combines the spatial character of a traditional island house with a contemporary programme organized around five suites.

Ethos Vegan Suites translates its operating philosophy into the architecture itself, using material selection, natural light, ventilation and landscape as basic components of the guest experience.

 

The project was first published in print in ek magazine 270 | September 2022, a monthly issue by ek Architectural Publications.

A large-scale checkered floor extends across the social areas of a 200m² apartment, becoming both a graphic element and an organizing grid for family life, bespoke joinery and collected objects.

Brooklin Apartment in São Paulo by Küster Brizola Arquitetos reinterprets the traditional checkered floor as the defining element of a contemporary family interior.

Designed for a couple with two children, the 200m² residence was conceived around everyday family life, entertaining and the gradual accumulation of memories. Rather than using the checkered pattern as an isolated decorative gesture, the architects extend it through almost the entire social area, allowing its geometry to organize the relationship among the living room, playroom, game room, dining areas and kitchen.

 

A checkered grid across the social spaces

The graphic flooring provides the apartment with its most recognizable identity. However, its role extends beyond visual impact.

Repeated at a large scale, the pattern begins to read almost as a continuous rug connecting the different areas. The dimensions of the grid align with bespoke cabinetry and stone countertops, introducing an underlying order across the plan.

This coordination allows furniture and fixed elements to respond to the same geometry. As a result, the floor becomes an architectural tool that reinforces continuity between functions instead of simply defining individual rooms.

Because of its strong visual presence, the flooring also influenced the wider material palette. Predominantly pale surfaces provide a quieter background, while blue accents introduce a cooler and more restrained atmosphere.

 

Timber as a continuous interior layer

American oak cabinetry appears throughout the apartment and creates a common material language between otherwise distinct spaces.

Its warm tone balances the graphic floor and lighter architectural surfaces. At the same time, the joinery incorporates ceramic objects produced in the family’s own pottery workshop.

These pieces introduce a personal history into the new interior. Rather than being displayed independently as decoration, they are integrated into the architecture of the storage and shelving, connecting the residents’ previous experiences with their new home.

 

 

Defining spaces without isolating them

Maintaining continuity across the social areas was another central concern. A multifunctional shelving unit organizes circulation while separating the playroom, game room and living room without creating complete visual barriers.

The playroom provides a particularly clear example. The developer had originally intended this area as a home office enclosed by a conventional wall.

Instead, the architects introduced a delicate metal-framed partition. The element gives the room the privacy required for children’s activities while preserving its visual relationship with the adjoining social spaces.

The strategy allows different programmes to coexist without fragmenting the apartment. Boundaries remain functional but visually permeable.

 

Collected objects and family memory

The interiors also accommodate furniture with an existing history rather than relying entirely on newly designed pieces.

In the game room, a century-old Italian pietra dura table sourced in Florence becomes one of the focal points. Its presence introduces another temporal layer into the otherwise contemporary environment.

Together with the ceramics made by the family, the table reinforces a recurring theme throughout the residence: new architecture provides a framework for objects carrying personal or material memory.

The apartment is therefore not conceived as an abstract composition detached from its occupants. Its identity emerges through the interaction of precise geometry, bespoke elements and pieces accumulated over time.

 

 

Kitchen and balcony as a shared centre

The integration of the gourmet balcony with the kitchen creates a large continuous area dedicated to cooking, dining and entertaining.

At its centre, an island in Paraná Cromos stone acts as the principal fixed element. Its bevelled edges are repeated in the everyday dining table, establishing a formal relationship between the two pieces.

Guache ceramic tiles by Portobello introduce green tones into the kitchen. Together with the American oak cabinetry, they expand the wider palette of blue, green and terracotta found across the residence.

The kitchen is therefore treated not as a separate service space, but as an active part of the social programme. Its connection with the balcony creates a generous setting where everyday domestic routines and larger family gatherings can overlap.

 

Geometry, comfort and identity

Throughout the apartment, geometric precision is balanced by tactile materials and objects associated with the residents’ own history.

The checkered floor establishes the grid. Timber cabinetry introduces warmth and continuity. Stone and ceramic surfaces bring variations of colour and texture, while permeable partitions preserve visual connections among the different functions.

The project ultimately transforms a familiar decorative pattern into a spatial device. By extending the checkered surface through the social areas and coordinating it with the architecture, Küster Brizola Arquitetos use geometry to structure circulation, strengthen relationships between spaces and provide a background for everyday family life.

Exposed concrete cantilevers, vertical timber surfaces and a glazed internal courtyard establish a continuous relationship between the living spaces, garden and pool.

S29 Residence in Strovolos by EKKY Studio Architects combines solid architectural volumes with transparent and planted elements. Horizontal and vertical components intersect throughout the composition, producing changing relationships between enclosure, openness and the surrounding garden.

The street-facing form is interrupted by a glazed volume recessed on the upper floor. Along the western elevation, two exposed-concrete cantilevers embrace the principal building mass, which is articulated with vertical timber surfaces. Aluminium, concrete and timber continue across the exterior, establishing a deliberately limited material vocabulary.

 

 

Solid volumes and transparency

The composition develops through the contrast between the weight of the concrete elements and the lighter character of glass and timber.

The western cantilevers extend horizontally beyond the principal volume, reinforcing the direction of the house towards its outdoor areas. In contrast, the vertical timber treatment emphasizes the enclosed central mass.

The recessed glazed element on the upper level introduces another degree of transparency. Rather than treating the façades as uniform surfaces, the design alternates between solid, transparent and textured sections.

This interplay gives the building a changing appearance according to viewpoint. At the same time, it establishes a clear distinction between the protective architectural envelope and the areas that open towards the landscape.

 

An L-shaped living sequence

Inside, the principal spaces of everyday life are organized within an open-plan L-shaped arrangement.

The sitting and dining areas occupy the entrance zone and maintain direct contact with the courtyard, swimming pool and surrounding outdoor spaces. Their position establishes an immediate visual relationship with the exterior rather than directing movement towards an enclosed internal core.

A second dining area, the kitchen and a semi-outdoor dining space with barbecue follow in sequence. The different functions remain distinct, yet their linear relationship allows everyday activities to extend gradually from the interior towards the garden.

The arrangement avoids a rigid separation between formal and informal living. Instead, the interconnected spaces support different patterns of gathering while maintaining continuity across the ground floor.

 

 

A planted courtyard at the centre

A glazed internal courtyard becomes one of the defining elements of the residence.

Enclosed by transparent surfaces, it contains a planted wall that extends towards the staircase. Vegetation is therefore introduced into the centre of the plan rather than confined to the perimeter of the building.

The courtyard establishes visual contact with nature from several internal positions. At the same time, its enclosed character creates a more introspective landscape within the otherwise open living sequence.

The planted wall softens the surrounding mineral surfaces and introduces changes in texture, shadow and colour. It also creates a quieter spatial interval between the more active shared areas of the house.

 

Continuity across the threshold

A large corner opening reinforces the connection among the different living spaces and their exterior extensions.

Travertine flooring continues across the principal areas, creating a restrained, unified background and reducing the visual distinction between inside and outside. The repeated surface strengthens the perception of the ground floor as a continuous environment rather than a collection of separate rooms.

Grey marble, exposed concrete and timber complete the material palette. Their different textures balance the overall neutrality of the interior, while discreet lighting and restrained furniture allow the architectural elements to remain dominant.

The project ultimately develops around a measured dialogue between mass and transparency. Concrete defines and protects the residence, timber introduces texture and warmth, while glazing, the planted courtyard and the continuous floor establish a close relationship with the outdoor spaces.

 

The project was first published in print in ek magazine 290 | September 2024, a monthly issue by ek Architectural Publications.

Two independent summer apartments reinterpret the landscape and cultural memory of Serifos through distinct colour palettes, natural materials and bespoke elements inspired by the island.

Seriphos Estate is a complete redesign of a 1970s building near Agios Ioannis beach in Serifos. The project by Ioli Chiotini Studio contains two independent residences: Kelyphos on the upper level and Edaphos below.

Rather than reproducing Cycladic architecture literally, the interiors translate characteristic impressions of the island into colour, material and form. The line between sea and sky, the roughness of the dry landscape and, above all, the intensity of summer light become recurring points of reference throughout the two residences.

 

 

Two residences, two colour identities

Although the apartments belong to the same project, each develops a distinct atmosphere.

Earthy and reddish tones dominate Edaphos on the ground floor, connecting its palette with the dry terrain. Kelyphos above is defined by blue-green hues that recall the sea and the changing colours of the horizon.

The contrast gives each residence an individual identity while maintaining a common conceptual framework. Across both interiors, colour operates less as surface decoration than as a means of abstracting familiar images and sensations from the island.

The project thus approaches place through memory rather than imitation. Serifos is present in the interiors without being reduced to conventional white-and-blue references.

 

Translating Cycladic forms

Built-in seating with organic curves, niches protected beneath arches and timber ceiling battens reinterpret elements associated with the traditional architecture of Serifos.

These references are simplified and incorporated into a contemporary interior language. Curves soften transitions between different functions, while recessed areas create more protected settings for sitting and resting.

Natural materials reinforce this sense of familiarity. Woven cane appears on wardrobe fronts and linen is used around the beds, introducing tactile surfaces and warmth within the restrained interiors.

Two-tone white and blue curtains establish a more direct relationship with the view. Their horizontal transition echoes the division between sky and sea and brings the distant horizon into the rooms through colour and fabric.

 

 

Cultural references as bespoke objects

A series of custom-made elements introduces more specific references to the history and culture of Serifos.

The island’s quarries, apiaries and mythology are abstracted into mirrors, articulated pendant lights and marble surfaces incorporated into the kitchen furniture. These pieces do not function as literal replicas of local objects. Instead, they transform recognizable associations into contemporary forms and details.

The strategy adds another layer to the interiors: the landscape is expressed through the overall palette, while cultural memory appears at the smaller scale of furniture, lighting and bespoke objects.

 

Outdoor living beneath timber pergolas

Both levels extend into outdoor spaces sheltered by timber pergolas covered with natural reed.

Built-in seating and generous cushions continue the colour palette of the interiors, making the terraces feel like extensions of the rooms rather than separate external areas.

On the ground floor, the outdoor kitchen and large dining table form a principal gathering space with open views towards the island landscape. Here, the design shifts from the more intimate scale of the apartments to collective outdoor life.

The use of reed, timber, built-in furniture and textiles also maintains continuity between the material character of the interiors and the exposed summer spaces.

 

 

Personal memory within the new interiors

Alongside the references to the wider island, the design incorporates personal objects belonging to the owner.

These pieces preserve traces of the earlier life of the property and introduce a more individual layer within the redesigned apartments. Rather than treating the renovation as a complete break with the past, the project allows old memories and new interventions to coexist.

Seriphos Estate consequently operates at several scales of memory: the landscape and light of the Cyclades, the cultural history of Serifos, and the personal history attached to the existing property.

Through colour, natural materials and purpose-designed objects, Ioli Chiotini Studio transforms these references into two contemporary interiors with separate identities but a shared relationship with place.

 

The project was first published in print in ek magazine 290 | September 2024, the monthly issue by ek Architectural Publications.

A series of light-touch interventions transforms a ground-floor apartment in Kolonaki into the architecture practice’s first permanent workplace, retaining the existing timber floors, glazed doors and arched entrance.

 

The Local Local workplace occupies a 77m² ground-floor apartment in Kolonaki, Athens. Designed by Local Local as the practice’s first permanent headquarters, the project adapts an existing residential interior through a series of non-structural interventions that preserve its previous architectural layers.

Before moving into the new office, the growing team had been working from founder Sofia Xanthakou’s own Plaka House. The new space provides a dedicated setting for collective work while translating the studio’s wider interest in context, material history and reuse into its everyday working environment.

 

Working with the existing apartment

As the property is leased, the intervention was deliberately restrained. Instead of substantially altering the existing plan, the design works with the qualities already present in the apartment.

The original timber floors were repaired and lightened to compensate for the limited direct sunlight reaching the ground-floor interior. White walls further increase luminosity, while the existing timber doors with rippled glazed panels were restored and finished in a slightly darker tone.

The arched entrance was also retained. Together, these elements preserve the domestic origins of the space rather than concealing them behind a conventional office fit-out.

The L-shaped plan is divided primarily between the main workspace and a meeting room with access from two sides. This simple organization allows the small office to accommodate different patterns of individual and collective work without introducing new permanent partitions.

 

Furniture as part of the workplace

A large solid-cypress table in the meeting room became the point of departure for the furniture designed specifically for the office.

Drawing on its material and proportions, Local Local developed a large communal worktable and two window-facing desks. Solid timber is combined with Formica to withstand the heavier daily use associated with the workplace.

The new elements coexist with chairs retrieved from storage rather than replaced with a complete new furniture set. This combination of bespoke pieces and existing objects gives the office an intentionally cumulative character.

The meeting room itself was formerly a bedroom. Its original wardrobe was retained, but its doors were removed and replaced with roll-up blinds. The simple alteration transforms the existing joinery into open storage for material samples and project documentation while keeping another layer of the apartment visible.

 

Books and collective design work

A Vitsœ shelving system occupies one of the main walls and holds Sofia Xanthakou’s architecture library, assembled over almost a decade of study and professional work.

Previously kept in storage, the books now form both a working resource and a visual backdrop to the studio. Their prominent position reflects the practice’s continued use of printed material as a tool for research and design.

Another wall is occupied by a long perforated-metal pinboard finished in pistachio green. Designed by Local Local, it allows drawings, references and work in progress to be displayed and reviewed collectively.

The element establishes an analogue counterpart to screen-based work. Projects can be pinned up, compared and discussed at a larger scale, turning the wall into an active part of the design process.

 

A more distinct entrance

The entrance was treated as an opportunity to give the workplace a clearer identity. The existing lobby had little natural light and lacked a distinct spatial character.

Local Local invited artist Theodore Psychoyos to create two site-specific marble pieces for this area: a sculptural console and a seat. Marble, already recurrent in the practice’s architectural work, introduces a denser material presence against the lighter background of timber floors and white walls.

The pieces are functional objects but also establish a more deliberate threshold between the street, the shared building and the studio.

Lighting contributes another precisely selected layer. Ceiling fixtures by Michael Anastassiades are used in the principal workspace, while a freestanding light by the same designer completes the meeting room.

 

An office designed to accumulate

The project does not pursue the image of a finished, immutable workplace. Existing architectural elements, restored furniture, new joinery, books, material samples and artworks are deliberately allowed to coexist.

This approach leaves space for the office to change as the practice develops. Objects and references can accumulate, work can occupy the walls, and individual areas can adapt to new routines without requiring substantial alterations to the apartment.

Through a limited number of interventions, the Local Local workplace demonstrates how an ordinary residential interior can acquire a new function while retaining its previous character. Rather than erasing the apartment, the design uses its existing features as the framework for a workplace shaped by collaboration, material research and gradual occupation.

Two concealed storage volumes organize the apartment into public and private zones, while visual axes derived from the building’s façade grid reinforce the transparency and architectural identity of the former Doxiadis headquarters.

 

Located in the One Athens residential complex in Kolonaki, the apartment occupies a building of distinctive typology and architectural significance that formerly housed the headquarters of architect and urban planner Konstantinos Doxiadis.

The renovation by Proplusma Architects approaches the interior with respect for this existing architectural identity. Instead of imposing an unrelated formal language, the design emphasizes the visual axes, transparency and structural elements already embedded in the building.

 

 

Two zones defined by concealed storage

Two continuous storage units run transversely across the floor plan and establish the principal organization of the residence.

The first zone contains the shared living spaces: sitting room, dining area and open-plan kitchen. The second accommodates the more private programme, including the children’s bedrooms with en-suite bathrooms and the principal bedroom with its walk-in wardrobe and bathroom.

Rather than functioning simply as cupboards, the storage units operate as architectural boundaries. Their scale allows them to organize circulation, conceal secondary functions and separate the two parts of the apartment without introducing a conventional sequence of corridors and isolated rooms.

 

A grid derived from the existing façade

The design takes the geometric pattern of the building’s façades as a point of departure. Imaginary axes derived from this grid determine alignments both horizontally and vertically throughout the interior.

These lines coordinate openings, joinery, ceilings and fixed elements. As a result, individual interventions remain connected to a larger ordering system rather than appearing as independent objects.

The strategy also reinforces the relationship between the renovated apartment and the architecture of the original complex. The building’s exterior logic is translated into the organization of its interior, establishing visual continuity across the plan.

 

 

Exposed concrete and continuous timber flooring

In the living room, a recessed ceiling exposes the original concrete beams. Their rhythm remains visible as a recognizable element of the building’s construction and becomes one of the defining features of the shared space.

Concealed lighting around the recess emphasizes the depth and repetition of the beams without visually separating them from the broader composition.

A herringbone timber floor runs continuously through the apartment. Its warm material character contrasts with the exposed concrete and the predominantly monochromatic joinery, while its uninterrupted pattern reinforces spatial continuity.

At the centre of the living zone, the kitchen island becomes a focal point. Its substantial marble countertop establishes a material counterweight to the darker cabinetry behind it and connects the kitchen with the adjoining dining and sitting areas.

 

White and black storage surfaces

The two concealed storage bands are clad in timber finished in white and black lacquer. A regular grid of vertical grooves organizes the long surfaces and subtly marks the functions hidden behind them.

On the lighter side, the television and a bar adjacent to the dining area are integrated within the white cladding. When closed, the units become part of a continuous architectural surface rather than individual pieces of furniture.

On the opposite side, black lacquer gives the storage wall a denser character. A concealed door within the same surface provides access to the private part of the apartment, allowing the transition between the two zones to remain visually discreet.

 

 

Individual character within the private rooms

The more private areas introduce greater variation while remaining within the overall design system.

The children’s bedrooms respond to individual requirements, with bespoke elements and distinct colour palettes extending into their bathrooms. This allows each room to develop a recognizable character without disrupting the wider material coherence of the apartment.

In the principal bedroom, the composition places greater emphasis on depth and reflection. Mirrors, transparent wardrobe doors and concealed lighting create overlapping visual layers that expand the perception of the space.

The combination of transparency and reflection continues one of the central ideas of the residence. Boundaries remain legible, but they are repeatedly softened through visual connections and changing degrees of opacity.

Through a controlled palette of timber, marble, lacquered surfaces, glass and exposed concrete, the renovation establishes a contemporary domestic environment while retaining references to the original building. The design is defined less by added decoration than by alignment, concealment and the careful management of transparency.

 

The project was first published in print in Apartments 2025, an annual edition by ek Architectural Publications.

Three interconnected stone dwellings reinterpret the rural house of Chalkidiki, weaving between mature pines and olive trees through an elongated composition shaped by privacy, hospitality and outdoor life.

 

 

Treelithon is a countryside retreat in Chalkidiki by Studio Not a Number Architects. Set on a long, narrow plot that slopes gently beneath mature pines and olive trees, the 200m² project combines a family vacation home with accommodation capable of operating independently for short-term guests.

Completed in 2025, the complex reinterprets the archetype of the rural Greek stone house through three interconnected dwellings. Their arrangement responds directly to the proportions of the site, the existing trees and local planning regulations, which required the building volumes to remain attached rather than fully detached.

 

Three dwellings within an elongated composition

The resulting plan follows an elongated Z-shaped configuration that negotiates privacy between the different occupants while moving around the existing vegetation.

At opposite ends of the site, two landscape elements anchor the composition. A small pine canopy creates a sheltered outdoor retreat for the architects’ family, while a long swimming pool serves the guest accommodation.

Between them, the three dwellings are conceived as a contemporary interpretation of a trilithon: two upright monolithic volumes frame and support a central horizontal element. The reference establishes a common architectural identity without imposing an identical spatial organization on each house.

The three units develop over one, two and three levels respectively. This variation produces different relationships with the terrain, from horizontal single-storey living to vertically stacked spaces. Each residence also develops its own entrance sequence, internal rhythm and framed views towards the garden.

 

 

Outdoor rooms between house and landscape

Terraces extend the enclosed spaces into the surrounding landscape. Some are sheltered by long-span timber pergolas, while others occupy the shade of existing trees.

Rather than functioning simply as peripheral patios, these areas become outdoor rooms for dining, gathering and retreat. Their distribution also allows the three households to maintain independence while preserving subtle visual and spatial connections.

The sloping terrain contributes actively to this organization. Limited grading interventions transform it into a network of routes across the site. Paved paths alternate with stepping stones, creating a gradual sequence between the different residences and gardens.

 

Load-bearing stone as structure and enclosure

Locally sourced stone forms the load-bearing perimeter walls. The choice extends the logic of traditional rural construction into a contemporary building while anchoring the new volumes materially in their setting.

The substantial masonry is not treated as a decorative skin. It performs simultaneously as structure, enclosure and architectural expression. In this sense, the project tests the capacity of traditional stone-building techniques to respond to current construction requirements.

Openings are positioned selectively within the monolithic walls. They frame specific views of the vegetation, introduce daylight and support passive cross-ventilation rather than dissolving the envelope through extensive glazing.

 

 

Timber elements that regulate exposure

Timber introduces a lighter and more adaptable layer alongside the stone construction. It is used for window frames, furniture and staircases, as well as the long-span pergolas that define the principal outdoor spaces.

Operable sliding panels provide an additional environmental filter. Their position can be adjusted to regulate sunlight, air movement, privacy and views according to season and use.

The envelope therefore combines permanent and movable elements. The stone walls establish a stable, protective framework, while the timber components allow the houses to respond more directly to changing climatic and domestic conditions.

 

A restrained interior palette

Inside, the material treatment remains closely connected with the construction of the buildings. Stone walls are either left exposed or finished with white render, allowing differences in texture to shape the atmosphere of each room.

Terrazzo flooring incorporates subtly coloured aggregates and extends a mineral character through the interiors. In-situ concrete slabs remain exposed, making the structural system visible while contributing thermal mass.

Against these harder surfaces, timber furniture, doors and stairs introduce a warmer layer and emphasize craftsmanship. The limited palette allows differences in texture, natural light and construction to define the interiors rather than relying on additional decorative treatments.

Through its three-part organization, Treelithon balances the apparently opposing requirements of a shared family retreat and independent guest accommodation. Its architectural identity emerges from this negotiation: interconnected but autonomous houses, protective stone walls and adaptable outdoor thresholds arranged within the existing landscape.

Three independent residences step along two terraces in Lefkes, preserving dry-stone walls and mature olive trees while gradually framing the Parian landscape.

 

The residence in Lefkes by KP Office is formed by a complex of three independent houses known as Pezoules House. It occupies a narrow, steeply sloping site in one of the most traditional settlements of Paros.

The project takes its name from its position across two agricultural terraces, or pezoules. Opposite the site, some of the island’s best-preserved terraced fields extend across the hillside. These longstanding structures have shaped both the cultivation and the architectural character of the Cycladic landscape.

 

Buildings arranged along the slope

The narrow proportions and pronounced gradient of the site determined the articulated arrangement of the building volumes. Rather than creating a single compact mass, the design distributes the programme across a sequence of interconnected structures.

The composition follows the two existing terraces. As a result, the buildings remain close to the ground and adapt to the changing levels instead of imposing a uniform platform on the site.

Openings appear gradually as visitors move through the complex. Some provide broad panoramic views, while others frame isolated parts of the surrounding hills. The landscape is therefore revealed as a sequence rather than as a continuous image.

The main project collaborator was Studio265, whose work with KP Office contributed to the architectural and constructional development of the complex.

 

Three independent residences

Each of the three houses develops across two or three levels. Their ground floors contain the principal living and dining areas, together with semi-outdoor sitting spaces integrated into the main volumes.

The bedrooms have private bathrooms and occupy more protected positions. Their distribution establishes a clear distinction between communal and private life without disconnecting them from the landscape.

The stepped organization also gives each house a degree of autonomy. Individual terraces, pools and outdoor rooms are separated from one another, although all three residences remain part of the same architectural composition.

The published ground-floor plan and longitudinal section clarify this relationship. The plan shows the houses extending along the narrow site, while the section explains their gradual descent through the two terraces.

 

Framed views and semi-outdoor rooms

Covered seating areas are incorporated within the principal volumes rather than added as independent structures. They form deep thresholds between enclosed rooms, swimming pools and the surrounding terrain.

These intermediate spaces protect everyday outdoor activity from direct sunlight. At the same time, they preserve visual continuity with the hills and the distant horizon.

The arrangement of openings reinforces this controlled relationship. Windows and passages do not simply provide a view from every point. Instead, they direct attention towards selected elements of the landscape and make orientation part of the movement through the house.

 

Stone from the site

Rendered masonry defines the enclosed residential volumes. In contrast, exposed stone is used for retaining walls, boundaries and other external architectural elements.

The stone was recovered exclusively during the excavation of the site. Its reuse strengthens the material relationship between the new construction and the surrounding terrain.

Existing dry-stone walls were preserved and structurally reinforced. Where sections had collapsed, they were rebuilt with local stone, maintaining the continuity of the agricultural terraces.

The masonry therefore serves several roles. It retains the sloping ground, organizes circulation and outdoor rooms, and connects the new complex with the longstanding constructional logic of the Parian landscape.

 

Building around existing olive trees

The outdoor spaces were designed with the aim of limiting intervention in the natural terrain. Building volumes and circulation routes were positioned around mature olive trees that already occupied the site.

The landscape design by Outside Landscape Architecture extends this approach. Gardens contain olive and cypress trees, vines, herbs, aromatic shrubs and flowering plants associated with the Mediterranean ecosystem.

Rainwater-storage tanks contribute to the irrigation of the planted areas. The intervention therefore relies on specific landscape and water-management measures rather than treating planting as an applied decorative layer.

 

Local techniques and contemporary elements

The houses combine references to traditional Cycladic construction with contemporary building components. Small openings and walls up to 60cm thick create substantial, protected envelopes.

Many elements were custom-made by experienced local craftspeople. In parallel, exposed-concrete ceilings, thermally insulated frames and stainless-steel fittings introduce a more contemporary constructional language.

The project does not reproduce a historic building type. Instead, it draws on the environmental and material logic of local architecture and adapts it to current residential needs.

The result is a sequence of houses embedded in the terraces, where stone walls, framed views and intermediate outdoor rooms establish a measured relationship with the landscape.

 

The project was first published in print in ParosVillas Vol.4, a special edition by ek Architectural Publications.

Bespoke joinery and movable partitions replace fixed rooms, allowing a compact 1970s apartment to shift between open-plan living, work and privacy.

 

Kifisia Apartment is located within the “Stroggyli Polykatoikia,” or Round Apartment Building, designed by architect Nikos Despotidis and constructed in 1973–1974. The renovation by Georgios Apostolopoulos Architects reconsiders the internal organization of the apartment while maintaining a clear relationship with the geometry of the original building.

Before the intervention, the plan was divided into a sequence of enclosed spaces. Two narrow corridors led towards the bedroom and kitchen, while the bathroom occupied the centre. As a result, the principal living areas were compressed into a narrow zone with limited access to natural light.

 

 

Removing the internal divisions

The renovation began with the removal of all internal partitions. This process revealed the underlying geometry of the apartment and created the conditions for a continuous interior.

Instead of replacing the former layout with another arrangement of enclosed rooms, the architects organized the different functions through bespoke joinery and movable partitions. These elements define areas for living, sleeping, working and storage without interrupting the overall continuity of the plan.

The apartment can therefore be perceived as a single space or divided into more private zones. Its organization changes according to the time of day and the needs of its occupants.

 

Flexible boundaries of privacy

Despite the limited floor area, the programme required two bedrooms alongside the other functions of a complete residence. This condition led the architects to reconsider privacy as a changing spatial relationship rather than a fixed boundary.

The principal bedroom operates as an extension of the living room. A sequence of wardrobes stands between the two areas, providing storage while acting as a series of visual filters.

The joinery limits direct views without creating the sense of a fully enclosed room. Consequently, the bedroom remains connected to the broader interior while retaining a measured degree of separation.

 

A room that appears when needed

On the opposite side of the plan, a second flexible area can function as a dining room, home office or additional bedroom.

A continuous system of bespoke joinery incorporates storage, a fold-down desk and a retractable bed. When these elements remain closed, the room almost disappears and becomes part of the open interior.

Sliding partitions can isolate the area when privacy is required. The apartment thus gains an autonomous second bedroom without permanently surrendering space to a function that may only be needed occasionally.

This approach allows the same area to accommodate several patterns of use. The room appears when required and recedes once its temporary function has ended.

 

The kitchen as a social centre

The new kitchen occupies the centre of the plan, replacing the former bathroom. Its main functions are organized around a large island connected directly with the living and dining areas.

The island faces the existing fireplace and becomes a shared point within the residence. Cooking, conversation and everyday activity can develop around the same central element.

Relocating the kitchen also transforms the circulation. Instead of being reached through a narrow corridor, it now forms part of the continuous living environment and establishes direct relationships with the surrounding uses.

 

A nearly monochromatic interior

The material palette remains restrained and almost monochromatic. Microcement extends across the floors, walls and doors, reducing visual interruptions between surfaces.

This continuous treatment reinforces the unity of the interior. At the same time, it allows the original construction, curved geometry and architectural logic of the apartment building to remain legible.

The subdued material background gives greater emphasis to the changing arrangement of doors, partitions and integrated furniture. Spatial transformation, rather than applied decoration, becomes the defining feature of the project.

Kifisia Apartment ultimately proposes a compact interior without permanently assigned rooms. Areas can open, close or change function, allowing spatial continuity and privacy to coexist within the same domestic environment.

The renovation opens a compartmentalized 1970s residence to daylight and transforms part of its interior into a generous semi-outdoor living space.

 

Heraklion Summer House is the renovation of a two-storey residence built during the 1970s in a suburb of Heraklion, Crete. Designed by iLi Studio, the intervention seeks to give the existing urban house a stronger vacation-home character by reorganizing its interior and reinforcing its relationship with outdoor life.

The project is conceived in two phases. The first, completed in 2025, concerns the renovation of the upper residential level. A later phase proposes the addition of a new volume on the roof terrace.

Opening the existing plan

Before the renovation, internal walls divided the residence into a sequence of separate spaces, including an entrance hall and an enclosed kitchen. This organization limited visual continuity and prevented natural light from reaching the full depth of the floor plan.

The intervention removes these partitions and combines the kitchen, dining room and living area within a continuous shared space. Instead of being distributed among separate rooms, the main domestic activities now unfold within an open plan.

The new organization improves circulation and establishes longer views through the interior. It also allows daylight to enter from different sides and move across the residence throughout the day.

 

A continuous living environment

The open-plan arrangement does not eliminate all spatial definition. The different uses remain legible through furniture, fixed elements and changes in orientation rather than through enclosing walls.

The kitchen forms part of the shared living environment, while the dining and sitting areas maintain direct visual contact with one another. Movement through the house consequently becomes more fluid, and the interior is perceived as a continuous sequence rather than a collection of individual rooms.

This reorganization uses the existing building as a framework for a different form of everyday life. The renovation does not depend on increasing the enclosed floor area. Instead, it redistributes the available space and gives greater importance to shared use, light and visual connection.

 

Giving up interior area for outdoor life

The project’s principal intervention is the creation of a new semi-outdoor space in front of the living room. The existing balcony was too narrow to function as a substantial extension of the house. iLi Studio therefore chose to reduce the enclosed interior and convert part of it into a deeper, more usable covered terrace.

Although the gesture decreases the internal floor area, it expands the range of ways in which the residence can be inhabited. The new space can accommodate everyday activities outdoors while remaining protected from direct exposure.

A large opening connects the living room with this covered area. When opened, it strengthens both the visual continuity and the functional relationship between the two zones. The living room and terrace can therefore operate independently or as a single extended environment.

 

From an urban house to a summer residence

The semi-outdoor space changes the balance of the residence. Outdoor life is no longer confined to a conventional balcony attached to the façade. Instead, the covered terrace becomes a principal room of the house and a threshold between interior and exterior.

This approach gives the existing suburban building a more pronounced seasonal character without treating it as a new construction. The holiday-home quality emerges from the organization of everyday activities around light, openness and outdoor occupation.

Through a limited number of targeted changes, Heraklion Summer House demonstrates how an existing residential shell can accommodate a different way of living. The removal of partitions brings daylight deeper into the plan, while the new semi-outdoor space establishes a more direct relationship with the Cretan climate.

Near Glyfa beach, the residence unfolds like a small settlement of white and stone volumes, connected by sheltered courtyards, internal pathways and outdoor spaces facing the sea.

 

The project is located in the tranquil southeastern part of Paros, near Glyfa beach. Designed by Maria Doxa Architecture Studio, the seaside residence overlooks the coast and the open horizon.

The complex develops linearly across the site, resembling a small island settlement rather than a single autonomous building. A white cubic residence is accompanied by four smaller stone volumes containing supplementary uses. Courtyards, paths and sheltered outdoor rooms connect the separate parts while preserving their individual scale.

 

A protected route through the complex

Access is from the north, through a stone-walled courtyard planted with olive trees, cypresses and aromatic species. A marble-paved path crosses the garden and leads towards the principal entrance.

The high stone boundary protects the arrival area from strong winds. Instead of immediately revealing the sea-facing side of the house, the entrance sequence gradually moves from the enclosed northern courtyard towards the open southern landscape.

The path continues beyond the entrance and extends along the length of the residence. It connects the principal house with the guest accommodation, the artist’s studio and the smaller gardens distributed throughout the site.

 

Two wings around an entrance axis

Inside, the principal residence is divided into two wings. To the right of the entrance, an open-plan living area contains the kitchen, dining room and sitting space.

Large sliding glazed panels connect this shared interior directly with the central outdoor area. When opened, they establish continuity between the living room, shaded terrace, swimming pool and distant sea horizon.

The private wing develops to the left of the entrance. It contains one principal bedroom and two en-suite bedrooms, organized around an enclosed planted courtyard. This internal garden becomes a common point of reference for the sleeping areas and introduces daylight and vegetation without compromising privacy.

The contrast between the two wings is deliberate. The shared spaces open broadly towards the sea, while the bedrooms are organized around a more introspective landscape.

 

Guest accommodation and an artist’s studio

At the western end of the complex, a stone guest house contains two double-height rooms with direct access to the main terrace.

Each room includes a kitchen, bathroom and small sitting area at ground level. The sleeping area is placed on a mezzanine, creating a more private zone within the vertically organized interior.

A small painting studio completes the composition at the eastern end. It is reached through the outdoor path that begins at the entrance courtyard and follows the length of the house.

In the northwestern part of the site, a partially subterranean volume contains two further bedrooms with bathrooms and a shared kitchen. A planted roof and stepped courtyards integrate it into the terrain and limit its visual presence within the wider complex.

Outdoor life between stone and water

A large sheltered outdoor space occupies the area between the principal residence and the guest house. Facing the linear swimming pool and the sea, it forms the main setting for outdoor life.

A pergola and solid stone back wall protect the terrace, which contains an external bar and sitting area. An imposing fixed marble dining table stands close to the indoor kitchen, supporting a direct relationship between food preparation and outdoor dining.

The swimming pool reinforces the longitudinal organization of the residence. Its water surface extends visually towards the horizon and brings together the main house, guest accommodation and central terrace.

The outdoor spaces are not concentrated in a single area. Smaller courtyards, gardens and routes create different degrees of enclosure, shade and contact with the landscape.

 

 

A contrast of white plaster and local stone

The material palette draws on the character of island architecture without directly reproducing traditional forms. White plaster defines the principal residence, while local untreated stone gives the smaller volumes a heavier and more textured presence.

Large, pale marble slabs form a continuous floor across interior and exterior areas. This repeated surface connects the enclosed rooms with the terraces and weakens the boundary between them.

Rough timber beams and reed linings emphasize selected ceilings. Grey pergolas and window frames introduce a restrained contemporary layer, while natural timber and light fabrics with subtle textures define the furnishings.

The contrast among plaster, stone, marble, timber and reed gives each part of the residence a distinct identity. At the same time, the limited palette maintains the coherence of the whole.

Gardens across the site

The landscape design by Outside Landscape Architecture is distributed across small gardens and courtyards rather than concentrated around the main façade.

Mediterranean aromatic plants, grasses, shrubs, fruit trees and wildflowers establish a close relationship with the existing island landscape. Most ground surfaces remain permeable, combining exposed soil, gravel and paths formed from irregular stone slabs.

The result is a seaside residence with several different spatial scales and multiple possibilities for outdoor occupation. Controlled transparency reveals the sea and vegetation gradually through a sequence of measured architectural forms.

 

The project was first published in print in ParosVillas Vol.4, a special edition by ek Architectural Publications.

The renovation preserves the vaulted structure of existing summer residences in Oia, introducing precise functional changes, natural materials and selected colour accents.

 

The refurbished summer residences form part of a larger complex in the traditional settlement of Oia. Facing south, they overlook the volcano and the Caldera. Their existing shells are characteristic of the island’s more recent architectural heritage.

The intervention by Kapsimalis Architects focuses on the interiors. It preserves the original structure and spatial identity while adapting the residences to contemporary hospitality requirements.

Each unit includes a living area, bedroom and bathroom. The interiors extend into private courtyards with small pools and views towards the Aegean landscape.

 

Preserving the vaulted interiors

The principal objective was to retain and emphasize the existing vaulted forms. Domes, cross vaults and shallow concave ceilings give each residence its distinct spatial character.

Rather than concealing these elements, the redesign treats them as the starting point of the interior composition. New furniture and functional additions follow the existing geometry without competing with it.

The interventions remain deliberately limited. Small changes to fixed and movable furniture improve circulation, storage and everyday use while preserving the original proportions of the rooms.

Arched openings reinforce the continuity between adjoining spaces. Their rounded profiles repeat the geometry of the ceilings and allow the residences to be perceived as a sequence of connected vaulted chambers.

A restrained material palette

Smooth white plaster covers the walls and ceilings. Its continuous surface emphasizes the plasticity of the architecture and allows daylight to reveal the changing curvature of the interior.

Large slabs of light-grey marble define the floors. Their subtle tonal variations introduce depth without disturbing the visual unity of the rooms.

Built-in timber elements are finished in pale oak. Different varieties of marble are used for fixed furniture and counters, while ceramic claustra in a natural terracotta tone filter views between selected areas.

Off-white textiles complete the quieter material background. Together, the plaster, marble, oak and fabrics establish continuity between the different residences without erasing their individual spatial qualities.

 

Reflections and selected colour

Mirrored sections are introduced on walls and timber constructions to increase the perceived depth of the smaller rooms. Reflections multiply the vaulted forms, daylight and partial views of adjoining spaces.

Glass elements further reduce the visual weight of partitions. In bathrooms, transparent screens preserve the continuity of the vaulted interiors while allowing the different functions to remain clearly organized.

Against the neutral background, movable furniture in deep red introduces a concentrated colour accent. Metal-and-glass lighting fixtures and darker timber pieces add further contrast without fragmenting the overall composition.

The colour is used selectively rather than as a continuous decorative theme. As a result, the red elements become distinct points of orientation within the predominantly white and grey interiors.

Courtyards overlooking the Caldera

The external façades are retained and subtly repaired. The courtyards are reorganized through new dining areas, built-in seating and planting.

These outdoor spaces operate as extensions of the compact residences. Small pools, shaded seating and framed views towards the Caldera support everyday outdoor use without altering the established architectural character of the complex.

The relationship between the white interiors and the blue horizon remains central to the experience. Windows and doorways frame the sea, while daylight moves across the curved surfaces throughout the day.

Through restrained alterations, the renovation brings contemporary comfort to the existing residences without replacing their spatial identity. The vaulted structures remain dominant, supported by natural materials, reflective surfaces and carefully selected elements.

 

The project was first published in print in ek magazine 288 | June 2024, a monthly issue by ek Architectural Publications.

A high perimeter wall embraces a carved rectangular volume, creating a protected courtyard where light, vegetation and controlled views establish a condition of permeable introversion.

Domus Maya is located in the southeastern suburbs of Nicosia, on a typical plot within a recently developed neighbourhood. The two sides of the site present contrasting conditions. To the south, scattered residential buildings form an irregular urban frontage. To the north, open agricultural land extends towards the horizon and the trapezoidal profile of Aronas hill.

The proposal by Studio Kyriakos Miltiadou responds to this contrast through two principal compositional elements: a clearly defined rectangular prism and a tall wall that surrounds and embraces it.

 

A solid volume shaped by subtraction

The main volume has a footprint of 12 by 10 metres. Rather than remaining an intact rectangular block, it is carved along its horizontal and vertical axes.

The subtraction of parts from the original mass creates an internal void, which rises through two storeys in selected areas. The rooms and circulation spaces are organized around this opening.

The residence develops over two levels. The ground floor contains the principal shared spaces: the living room, kitchen, dining area and a small guest room. The bedrooms, bathrooms and supporting functions occupy the upper floor.

The central void acts as a three-dimensional canvas within the house. It brings light, air and vegetation into the interior while framing the horizontal line of the distant landscape. At the same time, it mediates between the family’s private life and its more social spaces.

 

A wall against the suburban landscape

The second defining element is a 3.5m-high wall positioned three metres behind the public road. Extending across the full width of the plot, it forms a firm boundary between the residence and the fragmented suburban surroundings.

Its continuous surface gives the street elevation an intentionally restrained character. Three narrow vertical openings interrupt the wall and permit carefully controlled views towards and from the interior.

The house therefore does not become completely isolated from the neighbourhood. Instead, the openings produce a selective permeability, allowing light, movement and partial visual contact to pass through an otherwise protective boundary.

A vivid yellow entrance door marks the point of access. Its colour contrasts with the white rendered surfaces and transforms the act of entering into a clearly legible moment within the composition.

 

An internal square around an olive tree

Behind the perimeter wall lies a central “square”: a protected courtyard that receives visitors before they enter the main house.

A transplanted olive tree stands at its centre. Surrounded by a circular exposed-concrete element, it becomes the principal point of orientation within the courtyard and introduces a mature natural presence into the precise geometric composition.

The courtyard opens towards the social life of the residence. It is not conceived as an isolated garden but as a shared outdoor room connected with the entrance, living spaces and semi-outdoor areas.

The white surfaces reflect the intense Mediterranean light, while the shadows of the planting animate the otherwise monolithic walls throughout the day.

 

Continuity between inside and outside

Exposed-concrete seating surfaces extend through the internal and external spaces. By crossing the boundaries of the envelope, they weaken the distinction between room, courtyard and garden.

These continuous elements also create informal places for sitting and social encounter. Their position allows everyday activities to spread beyond the conventional arrangement of enclosed rooms.

Where the perimeter wall meets the rectangular prism, smaller semi-outdoor spaces emerge. A network of stainless-steel cables supports climbing plants and introduces a lighter, permeable layer alongside the solid architectural surfaces.

Thyme, jasmine, lavender and bougainvillea occupy the enclosed gardens. Over time, the vegetation is intended to extend across the walls and wire structures, gradually softening the monolithic character of the residence.

 

Permeable introversion

The wall and the prism ultimately operate as a single architectural gesture. The first establishes protection and distance from the irregular urban setting. The second is opened and carved to accommodate light, landscape and vegetation.

Their interaction produces a series of deliberate contradictions: enclosure and openness, public and private life, the natural and the artificial, exposure and protection.

Domus Maya does not resolve these oppositions by choosing one condition over the other. Instead, it uses the courtyard, narrow openings and semi-outdoor thresholds to maintain a balance between them.

 

The project was first published in print in ek magazine 288 | July–August 2024, a monthly issue by ek Architectural Publications.

In Puerto Vallarta, on Mexico’s Pacific coast, Casa Tao by HW Studio is conceived around shade as both a climatic necessity and a spatial condition. The 472 m² residence draws on the memories and interests of its inhabitants, translating ideas of shelter, quiet and contemplation into a sequence of enclosed courtyards, filtered views and protected interiors.

The house occupies a neighbourhood without distant views, but directly faces a tree-lined plaza offering shade and breeze. Rather than opening frontally towards it through extensive glazing, the architecture establishes an indirect relationship with its surroundings. Carefully positioned openings allow the presence of the plaza to be perceived while limiting exposure to the intense coastal sun.

Shade as a way of inhabiting

The design emerged in part from the inhabitants’ personal histories. Growing up in Puerto Vallarta, one of the owners understood shade as an essential refuge from the heat and humidity of the Pacific climate. A later family journey to Japan introduced another set of references: spatial restraint, emptiness, carefully filtered light and a sense of stillness.

These influences are translated into an architecture of indirect relationships. The house neither withdraws completely from the city nor exposes itself fully to it. Instead, views, breezes and daylight enter through controlled openings, courtyards and transitional spaces.

The result is an environment shaped less by outward display than by the gradual experience of light and shadow.

 

 

Private spaces below, social life above

The principal programme is divided vertically. Bedrooms, the garage and service areas occupy the base of the house, while a lighter, double-height volume containing the main social spaces is raised above them.

Elevating the communal areas separates daily social life from street level and opens it towards the crowns of the surrounding trees. Air circulates around the upper volume, while elevated patios form protected outdoor rooms overlooking the neighbouring greenery.

The arrangement allows the house to engage with the plaza without relying on a conventional panoramic façade. The relationship is experienced through fragments: the movement of branches, the arrival of the breeze and the changing quality of light.

Courtyards and interior retreat

The bedrooms are organized around a courtyard, where enclosure provides privacy while preserving access to air and sky. At the entrance, a curved wall gently redirects movement, while a tree marks the transition into the house.

This inward orientation creates a sequence of spaces focused on the sky, shade and vegetation. The courtyards are therefore more than sources of natural light and ventilation; they establish the slower rhythm around which domestic life is organized.

Throughout the house, privacy is achieved through depth and indirect views rather than complete isolation.

 

 

Concrete, whiteness and filtered light

The material palette reinforces the contrast between the intensity of the exterior climate and the subdued atmosphere within. White surfaces respond sharply to the coastal sun, while exposed concrete absorbs and softens light.

Its weight gives the interiors a sense of permanence, but the changing daylight prevents the material from appearing static. Light settles across walls and surfaces, revealing subtle differences between open courtyards, shaded thresholds and more protected rooms.

The architects relate this approach to Junichirō Tanizaki’s In Praise of Shadows, where darkness is understood as a means of giving depth to perception rather than simply as the absence of light. In Casa Tao, shade becomes similarly active: a climatic resource, a spatial filter and the element through which the house establishes its atmosphere.

Casa Tao ultimately proposes a form of domestic life organized around attention and pause. Through its elevated patios, inward-facing courtyards and carefully controlled openings, the house creates a protected interior world while remaining connected to the air, vegetation and climate of Puerto Vallarta.

Located in Agkairia, on the southwestern side of Paros, the building is organized as four distinct volumes along an elongated axis across the plot. Designed by Chris Tessas, the residence breaks its programme into smaller spatial units, using internal courtyards to introduce natural light and privacy.

The two central volumes contain the living room and kitchen. The outer sections accommodate the family bedrooms and guest rooms. Rather than forming a single compact house, the separate parts establish a linear sequence of enclosed spaces, atriums and sheltered outdoor areas.

 

 

Four volumes and three atriums

Each volume has a distinct function. However, the residence remains connected through a clear longitudinal organization.

Three of the four volumes are separated by internal atriums. These open spaces bring daylight into the centre of the plan and allow the rooms to maintain a direct relationship with the exterior. At the same time, their position within the composition protects domestic life from being immediately visible from the surrounding landscape.

Because the atriums remain largely concealed from the perimeter, they also divide the apparent scale of the house. From a distance, the residence is perceived as a sequence of smaller structures rather than a single extended building.

This arrangement establishes a dialogue with the additive character of traditional Cycladic settlements, where compact rooms and small building units develop gradually in response to use and terrain.

Shared life at the centre

The living room and kitchen occupy the two central sections of the residence. Their position turns the middle of the composition into its shared social core.

Large openings connect these spaces with the terrace, pool and shaded dining area. In contrast with the more controlled openings on the outer façades, this side of the house develops a broader relationship with the landscape and outdoor life.

The pool runs parallel to the main terrace, reinforcing the linear direction of the plan. A lightweight pergola protects the outdoor dining area and creates an intermediate zone between the enclosed rooms and the open Cycladic setting.

Inside, the restrained palette allows natural light to define the atmosphere. Rooflights illuminate the kitchen from above, while narrow openings frame selected views and preserve the sense of enclosure established by the external volumes.

 

 

Proportions derived from local architecture

The proportions of the individual volumes and the discreet external openings draw on the historic stone structures found across Paros and the wider Aegean.

This reference is expressed through scale and spatial organization rather than through the literal reproduction of traditional details. The building remains contemporary, but its fragmentation allows it to relate to the surrounding landscape and the established architectural character of the island.

The repeated wall surfaces and controlled openings give the outer elevations a compact presence. By contrast, the concealed courtyards introduce light and openness within the composition.

An external stair towards the roof

The northern volume contains the family bedrooms and is separated from the adjoining parts of the residence by an external staircase. Its broad, solid form recalls the external stairs of traditional island houses.

The stair leads to the roof and becomes part of the architectural promenade. Beyond its practical role, it invites occupants to rise above the low volumes and observe the wider Cycladic landscape.

Through its combination of linear organization, fragmented volumes and hidden atriums, Cycladic Layout proposes a contemporary residence that belongs to Paros without relying on the direct imitation of vernacular forms.

 

The project was first published in print in ParosVillas Vol.4, a special edition by ek Architectural Publications.