House E

Floating volume

Situated close to the shoreline of the densely populated suburb of Artemida in Eastern Attica, this small house engages critically with its surroundings while conceptually addressing its broader context.

Design Philosophy

The project seeks to redefine the ephemeral and adaptable character of coastal habitation. It aims to provide comfortable, high-quality indoor and outdoor living spaces using economical means, to frame selected views toward the sea, and to ensure the residents’ privacy from neighboring properties. Elevated on a distinctly articulated concrete base, the two-story structure is composed of two intersecting volumes arranged at a right angle. The white, seemingly floating volume with its gabled roof creates generous covered spaces beneath its overhangs, forming a fluid, ground-level living area that merges interior and exterior environments within the garden boundaries. This suspended volume accommodates two strikingly tall bedrooms and a bathroom, organized around a bright stairwell–study space. Adjacent to the party wall, a rooftop terrace extends the interior into an outdoor room connected to the study. Each bedroom opens onto a private loggia, with the bathroom located between them.

Spatial Organization

The contrasting forms of the two volumes are echoed in their interior finishes. On the ground level -conceived as a shaped terrain- earthy, robust materials dominate. Cement terrazzo flooring extends seamlessly into both levels of the garden, while exposed concrete surfaces are complemented by dark-painted metal elements and joinery in deep black tones. In contrast, the upper volume is defined by a palette of white surfaces and wooden flooring, which continues uninterrupted through the enclosed and open-air rooms. Folding timber shutters, in the same tone as the flooring, break the uniformity of the white prism and provide shading above the openings.

Construction Strategy

Structurally, the house employs a composite system that minimizes its footprint on the compact site. The basement and ground floor are constructed from reinforced concrete. The ground floor is pared down to its essential structural elements -two concrete walls and four slender steel columns- maximizing spatial flexibility and enhancing visual continuity with the garden. The upper floor slab combines cantilevered steel beams with a 10 cm concrete deck. The floating volume and its pitched roof are built using a lightweight steel frame of columns and beams.