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.

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