Set within a valley at the foot of a wooded hillside, the house is embedded in a landscape often veiled in shadow, protected by both slope and vegetation. The project emerges from this chiaroscuro condition, proposing the restoration of the original structure alongside the addition of a suspended extension – an intervention defined by lightness, openness and a renewed relationship with the surrounding environment.

 

Restoration Strategy

The existing building, a construction of notable character, has been carefully restored through a process of subtraction rather than transformation. Interior partitions and superfluous finishes were removed, allowing the spatial continuity to re-emerge while revealing the integrity of the original timber framework. Plaster coatings were stripped away, exposing the tactile qualities of stone and embedded flint, while existing shutters were cleaned and reinstated.

This approach reestablishes the house’s primary material expression and reinforces its anchoring within the Vexin landscape. The architecture does not impose a new identity but instead clarifies and amplifies what was already present, allowing the structure to reconnect with its historical and material context.

 

 

Design Philosophy

In contrast to the grounded, mineral presence of the original volume, the extension adopts a distinctly lighter architectural language. Positioned perpendicular to the existing structure, it extends beyond the shaded footprint to capture optimal sunlight. Elevated three meters above the natural terrain, the new volume engages directly with the slope and surrounding vegetation, establishing a dynamic spatial dialogue between ground and canopy.

A slender footbridge, constructed in wood and clad in polished stainless steel, connects the two volumes, framing views toward the forest while reflecting the sky. This transitional element reinforces the experiential sequence between old and new, shadow and light, enclosure and openness.

 

 

Material Palette & Structure

The extension is anchored by foundations of exposed aggregate concrete incorporating flint, establishing continuity with local construction methods and materials. Above this base rises a triangulated pine structure, articulated through a fine and rhythmic framework that defines the project’s light and elevated silhouette.

This structural system, both precise and expressive, supports an architecture that balances stability and suspension. The interplay between the restored mass and the lightweight addition generates a cohesive composition that explores contrasts – between heaviness and lightness, opacity and transparency, shadow and illumination.

Between anchoring and elevation, the project articulates a nuanced architectural response to its environment, proposing a dwelling that is both embedded in its context and open to transformation over time.

 

Reflection of the City

The new National Gallery building, now incorporating a major expansion and museological upgrade of its exhibition spaces, constitutes an important landmark in the contemporary urban landscape of Athens: to the pre-existing building of 9,720 m², which is listed as a modern monument, an additional 11,040 m² was added, more than doubling the functional spaces to a total of 20,760 m².

 

Design Philosophy

Through the new proposal, additions were implemented between the two units of the historic building (“Building A” facing Vasilissis Sofias Avenue and “Building B” facing Michalakopoulou Street), at the point where they are connected by a bridge above the location of the Ilissos riverbed, while underground spaces (“Building C”) were also opened where the groundwater level permits. The interior of the complex was completely redesigned.

The new building volumes, characterized by large glass surfaces, clearly stand apart from the architecture of the preserved building, with its exposed reinforced concrete structure and white marble infill elements. On the Michalakopoulou Street side, the new National Gallery gained an additional floor, while in the void between the two old wings an additional depth of three levels was added.

In the garden created south of the historic main entrance, the Gallery acquires an independent entrance, while the configuration of the surrounding landscape recalls the presence of the Ilissos river, through the creation of a water channel and the extension of greenery. The museum also features visitor circulation ramps with views toward the city skyline, elevators and staircases, full accessibility for people with disabilities, and modern security systems.

 

 

Spatial Organization

The entrance to the building complex takes place through a multifunctional space of 910 m², where in addition to control, information and visitor services, multiple digital information systems provide access to content about the building, the collections and the activities of the Gallery.

The main Gallery shop is also located there, equipped with versatile display cases. From the reception area visitors can move either towards the exhibition spaces of the permanent collections or towards the temporary exhibition areas, as well as to the 350-seat amphitheater or the café.

The interior architecture and the museographic study shaped the spaces accessible along the visitor routes. The museological core of the National Gallery consists of the permanent exhibition halls on the first and second floors of Building B, where the permanent collection of Greek painting and printmaking of the 19th and 20th centuries is presented, the permanent exhibition hall on the second basement level of Building C, where the permanent collection of Western European painting and printmaking is displayed, as well as the halls for rotating exhibitions on the third floor of Building B, where the continuously expanding collections of Contemporary Art (20th and 21st centuries) are presented through a rotating program.

In the permanent exhibition halls, spatial organization is mainly achieved through the placement of fixed exhibition panels that extend across the full height of the space, contributing to the narrative continuity of the exhibits. Through the use of these panels, the path of the gaze is designed through the revelation and concealment of spatial depth, while directions and visual perspectives are created, encouraging multiple associations and readings of the exhibits and forming central configurations as thematic focal points.

 

 

Museography and Exhibition Strategy

In these halls, suspended ceilings with general and accent lighting have been installed, incorporating a translucent elastic sound-absorbing membrane, while the exhibition walls and panels with a final fiber gypsum board surface allow for the hanging of artworks.

The exhibition panels are supported by the floor and the structure of the translucent ceiling, allowing cable routing inside them from the ceiling wiring system. Similarly, cable routes along the perimeter walls are placed at their upper termination. The exhibition space, beyond the exhibition surfaces, is equipped with display cases that enrich the exhibited material with drawings, watercolors and prints, while the artwork security systems allow the identification of each work individually and the immediate monitoring of any change in its condition.

In the halls for rotating exhibitions, in order to address special requirements, a suspended ceiling system was implemented that ensures uniform general lighting, isotropic distribution of accent lighting for the exhibits, as well as the possibility of supporting exhibition panels and hanging exhibits or projection systems. In addition to the permanent collection exhibition halls, the second basement of Building C hosts the temporary exhibition hall, where the suspended ceiling–lighting–display system used in the rotating exhibitions of the permanent collection has been extended in order to provide a suitable supporting background.

At the junctions between exhibition halls and the horizontal and vertical circulation areas of the building, circulation, signage and information nodes are defined and marked by wood cladding on the walls and ceilings. The visitor route is structured as a sequence of exhibition halls and circulation nodes where visitors can orient themselves and redesign their route, obtain digital information about the content of each exhibition hall and view additional exhibition material related to the content of the halls in specially designed display cases.

Overall, the extensions and reconstructions include new exhibition spaces of 2,230 m², modern art storage facilities of 1,645 m² and a space dedicated to educational programs. The new museum is equipped with state-of-the-art conservation laboratories, administrative offices, as well as a library that develops across two floors. It also includes two café-restaurants, with the second, located on the top level of the building, offering panoramic views toward the Acropolis, Mount Lycabettus and the Saronic Gulf.

In the new building, 1,000 works can be displayed as part of the permanent collection, whereas previously the old building could accommodate no more than 400 works. The new temporary exhibition hall approaches 2,000 m², while the storage spaces can house up to 10,000 artworks.

 

Fluid fields of knowledge

The proposal is grounded in a natural philosophy that understands design as the shaping of a unified, flowing field of knowledge, memory, and collectivity. Drawing inspiration from the idea of a “cultural structure” – those enduring spatial relationships that render a place unique – the approach acknowledges the historic building as an active participant in the continuous flow and renewal of local tradition. The metaphor of “communicating vessels” articulates precisely this ambition: an open system in which knowledge, conceived as a fluid, is distributed evenly, bringing the past into a creative dialogue with the present and the future.

 

Design Philosophy

The proposal focuses on the coexistence of the old and the new, employing imitation as a tool for architectural dialogue. Here, imitation is not understood as the faithful replication of the past, but as a mechanism for identifying those immutable architectural elements which, through a process of abstraction, can be incorporated into the new expression of the Karradeios extension. New and existing elements are orchestrated within an architecture of balance, reciprocity, and evolution.

Spaces are conceived as an open and porous system, where knowledge is not confined to enclosed rooms but diffuses through corridors, passages, and outdoor areas, encouraging spontaneous encounters and exchanges.

The neoclassical building, an authentic example of the characteristic urban residences in Chios, with influences from Smyrna, is conceived as a space of reception and public presence. Its restoration follows the principles of integrated conservation, respecting its historical identity while redefining it as an active public space within the everyday life of the University of the Aegean. The new extension emerges as a continuation and evolution of this framework, shaping a space that functions as a medium for physical, social, and intellectual cultivation.

 

 

Functional Organization

The relationship between the two buildings is articulated through multiple strategies. They are connected by an internal ramp protected by a continuous glazed enclosure, as well as by a covered bridge (roof terrace) linking them at first-floor level. This configuration establishes functional continuity, allowing, for example, the student cafeteria to extend from the new building into the ground floor of the neoclassical structure (student lounge).

At the same time, the basement levels form a unified core of service and auxiliary spaces. The structural logic of the proposal further reinforces continuity: the lounge in the neoclassical building directly connects to the dining hall in the new extension, while the office spaces on the second floor of both buildings are linked via the existing veranda and its extension. Uses are mutually reinforced, forming a single, integrated functional ensemble.

With its monolithic form, the extension respects the polyphony of the urban environment while simultaneously establishing a relationship of morphological continuity with the neoclassical building through the abstract reinterpretation of its fundamental geometric and proportional principles. This continuity is traced in the deep, non-linear spatial relationships of the historic structure and in its morphological logic, which narrates a specific way of life.

Finally, the geometric system of nine squares that defines the plan of the existing building is employed as a compositional tool for the new extension, expanded and rotated to generate new geometries. Morphological elements such as verandas and semi-outdoor spaces reappear in an abstracted form. The new building’s double pitched roof, beyond reducing the perceived mass of the façade, draws upon morphological tradition and establishes a contemporary landmark connected to history.

Restoration Strategy & Materials

While the neoclassical building is restored with respect for its original materiality (wooden linings, wall paintings, fireplace), the material language of the extension draws inspiration from local tradition without replicating it. The main façade is clad with locally produced ceramic tiles, referencing the ceramic construction tradition of Chios. The flooring of the new building is conceived as a mosaic composed of aggregates and ceramic fragments sourced from demolished elements on the site and from the old building itself, symbolically embedding the memory of the past within the new and materially enacting the concept of “communicating vessels.”

Large openings – particularly on the southern façade of the extension and along the glazed connecting volume – ensure visual continuity between the buildings and the garden. The outdoor space functions as the unifying connective tissue of the complex, embodying the core natural philosophy as a means of cultivating community and place. Specifically, it preserves the maximum possible percentage of greenery, decisively shaping the form of the new extension, and reactivates water elements (well, historic cistern, stream) as a triple aquatic trace that improves the microclimate and reintroduces the memory of the site.

 

Two eras, one dialogue

The iconic Grace La Margna hotel, located on the main street of St. Moritz, has reopened its doors following an extensive renovation and expansion. The project breathes new life into a landmark dating back to 1906, originally designed by Swiss architect Nicolaus Hartmann, and elegantly bridges its historic legacy with a contemporary aesthetic. Hartmann’s original design balanced Art Nouveau influences with the traditional Heimastil style, highlighting authenticity and local craftsmanship at a time when St. Moritz’s architectural scene was marked by eclecticism.

 

Design Philosophy

Perched on the slopes of the Engadin valley, the hotel enjoys a strategic location next to the town’s historic railway station, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and offers panoramic views of the surrounding glaciers and alpine landscape. The architectural approach honors and enhances the building’s historic character while introducing a distinctly renewed identity. The composition consists of two wings: the meticulously restored original structure and a newly built extension, connected at their base by a generous terrace. The coexistence of old and new establishes a dynamic dialogue, with the extension, clad in beige Moleanos limestone, echoing the rhythm and proportions of the original façade.

 

 

Spatial Organization

The shared spaces, situated on the terrace level, serve as a seamless link between the hotel’s two entrances, ensuring a smooth transition from the historical to the modern setting. At the entrance of the original building, guests are welcomed by a sculptural granite and bronze reception desk, set against a backdrop of carefully restored wooden detailing. The main lounge retains numerous authentic elements, lake-view windows, marble fireplaces, Art Nouveau-inspired rugs, and crystal chandeliers, evoking the charm of early-20th-century hospitality. At the heart of the hotel’s social life lies Bar No. 5, defined by its striking Carrara marble counter and bespoke velvet seating, creating an atmosphere of understated luxury.

 

Custom Structures & Materials

Attention to detail and artisanal excellence define every aspect of the project. Custom furniture and handcrafted finishes, such as the traditional local sgraffito wall technique, reinforce the connection between place and craftsmanship. The dining venues draw inspiration from the region’s landscape. The View restaurant, a circular space with floor-to-ceiling panoramic windows, symbolizes the St. Moritz sun through a sculpted wooden ceiling radiating outward like beams of light. On the lower level, The Stack combines a bright seafood brasserie with a darker, moodier steakhouse, creating two distinct atmospheres unified by a focus on material richness and vintage accents.

The wellness area draws from the geological character of the Engadin valley, featuring a sculptural ceiling that mirrors the surrounding mountain ridges. Finally, the hotel’s 74 rooms, distributed across both wings, maintain a continuous dialogue with the alpine setting. In the historic wing, traditional materials and subtle Art Nouveau detailing coexist harmoniously with the refined modernity of the new extension, offering guests spaces that are both elegant and deeply connected to the natural beauty of St. Moritz.

 

Inverse design

This grade B listed Georgian house in the Portobello Conservation Area in Edinburgh had been used as a dental practice for decades before being purchased by a young couple, keen to transform it back into a family home.

 

Renovation Strategy

The original house had historic extensions to the rear and side, resulting in a disjointed cellular layout. The previous use of the house meant that many original features had been preserved, but were hidden under layers of flooring, paint and wall coverings. The brief was to remove the incongruous additions, and restore the house to its former glory, while adding contemporary elements to create a practical and light-filled home.

 

 

Extension Strategy

The proposal features a sociable kitchen and dining space to the rear of the house with a direct connection to the back garden. To achieve this an old utility extension was removed and replaced with a highly glazed dining area on the same footprint. The room which would have been the original kitchen was enlarged by connecting it to an adjacent store, and to the new extension. An original stone floor was discovered under layers of concrete, which was carefully cleaned and re-laid. Large hardwood windows and sliding doors provide a visual and physical connection to the garden. The raised planter outside the large, fixed window, overflowing with herbs and other edibles, creates a sensation of sitting in the garden.

A ground floor shower room was created by reconfiguring the layout and raising the floor level of a previous side extension. Utility functions such as laundry, boiler and storage are concealed behind full height doors. The ensuite to the master bedroom is also concealed, accessed through the bespoke built-in wardrobe. During the renovation, many historic features, such as the original cornice to the drawing room and master bedroom, iron balustrade and stone stair and floors, were revealed and lovingly restored. Layers of commercial wall paneling, thick paints and floor screeds were carefully removed. Original shutters were reopened, fireplaces cleaned and restored, and timber paneling, skirtings and architraves repaired.

 

 

Sustainability Approach

The energy performance of the house has been improved through the discreet incorporation of thermal insulation: between floor joists, at roof level and, where no decorative cornicing existed, as an internal lining to external walls. The original sash and case windows to the front of the house were beyond repair, and were replaced with high-performance slimline double glazed sashes, carefully designed to match the original profiles. At the rear of the house the original windows have been retained, with new draught proofing.