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 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.

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.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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.

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.

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 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.

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.

A low-rise composition of fragmented volumes and atriums is arranged around mature olive trees on Corfu’s western coast.

Casa Ruina is a 477m² residence in Kortiraki, on the western coast of Corfu. Designed by Thetacon, it develops as a low, fragmented composition among mature olive trees. The existing vegetation, the sloping terrain and the presence of a ruin informed a design that combines contemporary spatial organization with references to Corfiot building traditions.

 

 

Architecture among the olive trees

The height of the residence is deliberately restrained, allowing the vertical presence of the olive trees to remain dominant. Instead of forming a single compact volume, the building is divided according to use. This strategy preserves the largest trees and introduces a series of open spaces between the enclosed rooms.

The main residence occupies a single level despite the changing topography. Its entrance is approached through a landscaped atrium, which acts as the first threshold between the olive grove and the interior. The kitchen is placed on one side and the living and dining areas on the other. Meanwhile, the principal bedrooms are arranged at the far end.

Atriums as spatial structure

Atriums connect the separate volumes and establish a gradual transition from shared to private areas. They also create visual links across the residence, extending sightlines from one room to another and towards the surrounding landscape. As a result, the fragmented plan retains a sense of continuity and openness.

The steeper part of the site accommodates a subterranean guesthouse. Internal vertical circulation leads to the additional bedrooms and utility spaces below. This arrangement uses the natural slope without increasing the apparent height of the main composition.

At a lower level, a linear swimming pool follows the direction of the terrain. Its elongated form reinforces the continuity between the architecture, the descending landscape and the distant sea.

 

 

Materials with local references

The material palette supports the project’s integration into its setting. Light-toned stone provides the dominant earthy surface, while timber pergolas with wicker elements filter the sunlight. Corfiot brick adds a further local reference.

Together, these materials create a restrained balance between contemporary construction and the island’s architectural identity.

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.

In an urban neighborhood characterized by tall trees along the sidewalks, an abandoned semi-basement in a typical apartment building of the ‘70ies is converted into an architectural studio.

Connecting to the Urban Environment

The main goal was the connection and the interaction with the urban environment. The studio is an expression of extroversion with flowing interior workspaces which lead the gaze to the outdoor greenery. The design of the yard creates a smooth transition from the public space to the entrance level through a ramp, offering the employees a vital space for relaxation and making the outdoor area a fundamental part of the studio.

Lighting Design

Full exploitation of the facade openings maximizes natural lighting. The refractions of light in polycarbonate sheets are a brightness factor, diversifying the atmosphere during the day.

Functional Layout

The open floor plan interior, with light filled spaces, enhances human interaction, collaboration, and constant exchange of ideas. The central column, made of concrete in its original raw form, acts as a reference point with the main functions arranged around it, and simultaneously connects the past with the present. A wooden box at the back encloses all supplementary uses.

Architectural Narrative

Light contributes as a conceptual element, beyond the ambience, and wellbeing values. Illuminated path unifies all spaces of the studio and signals the three main phases of design process. Inspiration visualized by the allegorical placement of a shower at the beginning of the path, passes through collaboration and finally as the idea matures fills up a white canvas in every new project.

With the current year close to its end, the editorial team of ek magazine selected ten architectural projects featured in the print issues 254-263, to be illustrated on our website. Their categories follow the themes of the print edition, including houses, office buildings, interiors, and hotels.

The featured houses reflect the building trend of the last years, which directs architectural production in Greece towards new-generation multi-story apartment developments, and vacation homes. In Athens, we noticed the V-Lofts Apartment Building in Voula (ek255) by Haris Ghikas and Kimon Veneris, as well as the Floating Gardens suburban house in Psichiko (ek 257) by DECA Architecture, for their original interpretation of their urban surroundings. In the countryside, the Khi House (ek 261) by LASSA Architects introduces digital fabrication for optimal control of construction and a minimized environmental footprint, and the Metamorphosis by Ariadni Vozani in Naxos Island (ek 258) reuses a defunct concrete loadbearing structure to discreetly integrate the new house into the landscape, through improved living spaces.

The recent production of office buildings features two outstanding examples in Kifissia, North Athens: The new Cosmote TV Headquarters by Lianou-Chalvatzis Architects (ek 256), which introduces dynamic geometries and vibrant social areas in a defunct industrial shell, and the redesign of a five-story building by Gkotsis-Serafimidou Architects, to accommodate the needs of Olympia Group (ek 256).

Among the new hotels, we chose Meraviglia Slow Living in Preveza by Block722 (ek 262) for the artisanal quality of its architectural finishings and the great care displayed in its custom-made furniture, and the remaking of the Map Boutique Hotel in Nicosia by EKKY Studio Architects (ek 262), who assigned a metropolitan character to the city’s historical landmark, right near the impressive new Eleftherias Square. 

Noteworthy interiors from this year are the Yakafu DIY bakery and baking school in China (ek 254) by KC Architects, and the discreet project by Maria Kardami Design Studio in their Vacation House in Arachova (ek 261), where locally sourced materials are combined with an innovative treatment of natural light.

The Open, International Architectural Ideas Competition ArXellence 2, an initiative by ALUMIL, set the framework for highlighting innovative design as the ideal approach for creating the new Central Business District of Thessaloniki (CBD) and prescribing a sustainable urban development for the west waterfront of the city. The international architectural community responded to the call by the company with 1464 enrollments and 173 submitted entries, underscoring the necessity of redesigning this historical yet long-defunct area, following sustainability principles.

The culmination of the competition will see the official Exhibition, from September 11-26, in the heart of the west entrance to the city, the Old Abattoir. All 173 submitted entries will be presented in the outdoor space of the International Center for Digital Transformation and Skills – Cisco (DT&S), launching a “dialog” with the site, its present image, and its people’s testimonials.

Concurrent to the exhibition, a series of parallel events will bring attention to the crucial importance of implementing one of the entries, will facilitate contact between the citizens and the history and features of the site, and record their preferences on the desired shape of the west entrance of the city.

• Round table discussion: “Seeking the Possible and the Required between Cultural Heritage & Modern Architecture.” [Saturday, September 11, 2021]
• Photography Competition [August 12-September 10, 2021]
• Thematic tours [Saturday 11 September, Friday 17 September, Sunday 19 September, Friday 24 September]
• Online poll on the entries [3-26 September 2021]
• School and institutional visits [13-26 September 2021]

Detailed information and ways of participation to the parallel events will be announced soon.

With this initiative, in the framework of its corporate responsibility honoring its domestic base, ALUMIL aspires to set the grounds for the competition, the exhibition, and parallel events to underline – through architecture and contemporary urban design – the fact that Thessaloniki is a global city, with the potential of undertaking a leading role in the near future; a city that will boast not only high-level corporate space but also zones combining commercial activity with prime quality housing.

More information:

Exhibition website

Exhibition video

Competition website

The Competition was organized and financed by ALUMIL, with the support of the International Union of Architects (UIA). Its proceedings complied with the UNESCO Model Rules for International Architecture and Urban Design Competitions and the UIA handbook of good practice. The Competition was held under the auspices of the Ministry of the Environment and Energy, the Municipality of Thessaloniki, the Prefecture of Central Macedonia, the Technical Chamber of Greece / Central Macedonia Section, and the Union of Architects of Thessaloniki.

“ArXellence 2”, ALUMIL’s international architectural competition, was successfully completed on Saturday, November 21^st, with the announcement of the 6 prizes and 4 honorable mentions. After the first successful “ArXellence” competition in 2018, the company decided to organize “ArXellence 2”. The competition was endorsed by the International Union of Architects (UIA) and was carried out in constant and close cooperation with UIA’s International Competitions Commission (ICC Council). ALUMIL, as the organizer, ensured full transparency and implementation of UNESCO’s international standards for Architectural Competitions. The members of the international voting jury guaranteed the results, as they evaluated the proposals and awarded 6 prizes and 4 honorable mentions, according to the competition’s brief. EK magazine is a media partner at the competition.

The Challenge

ALUMIL made an open call for proposals and ideas regarding the redevelopment of Thessaloniki’s western coastal side. “ArXellence’s 2” subject was aiming to receive innovative ideas from the global architectural community about the creation of a new Central Business District (CBD). According to the criteria set by UIA, the Business District should be characterized by high energy efficiency and sustainability, redefining the west gate of the city to welcome citizens and entrepreneurs (contribution to sustainable development, social impact, economic viability etc.). The evolution and redesign of Thessaloniki’s misused western waterfront will redefine its position on the international map and improve the quality of life for citizens. Furthermore, Thessaloniki will restore its prestige as a leading city in the Balkan area, attracting investors, businesses, and new visitors.

ArXellence 2… in numbers

The participation in “ArXellence 2” exceeded our expectations: 1.464 registrations from 90 countries and 173 submitted projects. Due to restrictions that coronavirus pandemic has caused, the evaluation of the proposals was conducted online following the international protocols. The Jury examined in detail every submission entry via teleconference and simultaneous projection of the proposals created by architects around the world. The overall evaluation by the international Jury resulted in 6 prizes and 4 equal honorable mentions, meeting the criteria of UIA.

The Jury

Voting jurors

Kasper Guldager Jensen, UIA representative (Architect, Denmark)

Nikolaos Salpingidis, Alumil representative (Innovation Director, Greece)

Gabriella Carillo (Architect, Mexico)

Lauren Haiden (Architect, South Africa)

Dimitrios P. Tsomocos (Finance & Management, UK/Greece)

Alternate jurors

Sara Martin Camara, UIA representative (Architect, France)

Oren Sussman (Law & Finance, Israel)

Professional Advisor of the Competition

Evangelos Lyroudias, Alumil Consultant (Architect, Greece)

The Prizes

The 6 prizes awarded by the Jury of “ArXellence 2” are the following:

1^st Prize

Title of proposal: The Lodge

Competitor ID: d15bd86f-2938

Name of participant: Alejandro Piqueras

Architectural office: ALE Studio

Country: Spain

2^nd Prize

Title of proposal: The Green Ηub

Competitor ID: 20d6099c-5616

Names of participants: Angeliki Tzifa, Sophia Nikolaidou

Country: U.S.A.

3^rd Prize

Title of proposal: Thessaloniki Green Pier

Competitor ID: c24d129b-ca90

Names of participants: Mircea Mogan, Alexandra Virlan

Architectural office: Mogan Architecture

Country: Netherlands

4^th Prize

Title of proposal: Bioclimatic Urban Lighthouse

Competitor ID: 7fcb61a5-e4bc

Names of participants: Alberto Mizrahi, Guillermo Lesch, Osvaldo Alvarez Rojas, Valeria Franck, Federico Menichetti, Leticia Alfaro, Philippa Jane Page

Country: France

5^th Prize

Title of proposal: De-fragmenting the Productive City

Competitor ID: 6a1e10a2-7174

Names of participants: Maria Chrysoula Akrivou, Antonis Athanasiou

Country: Netherlands

6^th Prize

Title of proposal: A view of the bay – A glance at the future

Competitor ID: 5fc57b05-4a53

Names of participants: Marco Broekman, Floris Van der Zee, Martha Seitanidou, Jordy Stamps, Yunshih Chen, Timothy Simons, Marina Lysenkova

Architectural office: Bura urbanism

Country: Netherlands

Honorable Mentions

(alphabetical order by country)

Honorable Mention

Title of proposal: The Gates of Thessalonica

Competitor ID: d7633b4d-e29c

Name of participant: Ivo Panteleev

Architectural office: ADA – Agency Design & Architecture

Country: Bulgaria

Honorable Mention

Title of proposal: Ships Forest

Competitor ID: a8ef5994-ee73

Names of participants: Perraguin Olivier, Spiegelstein Jacques, Letourmy Laurent

Architectural office: hOP/ar

Country: France

Honorable Mention

Title of proposal: Thessaloniki Wave (T-WAVE)

Competitor ID: cb17c371-dd7c

Names of participants: Andrea Michelini, Jacopo Berlendis, Alberto Gasparini, Tommaso Tassi, Alessandro Bonaventura, Mauro Baessato, Rade Batinica, Antonio Spena, Carlo Leonardi, Filippo Marsigli, Roberto Franchini, Giancarlo Franchini, Giacomo Gola, Davide Cappochin, Giuseppe Cappochin, Amarda Velcani, Thimi Rudi, Charis Christodoulou, Avra Bousda, Margarita Lekka, Vilma Chastaoglou, Matteo Taramelli, Roberto Zuccon

Architectural office: F&M Ingegneria Spa

Country: Italy

Honorable Mention

Title of proposal: City’s New Pulse

Competitor ID: c981fd16-5b56

Names of participants: Esteban Colmenares, Sanhita Chaturvedi, Shashank Jain, Anshul Bhargava, Ben Kikkawa, Joao Pedro Costa, Florentina Tsakiri

Architectural offices: Studio C+C / Studio 4215

Country: United Kingdom

The outcome and future steps

ALUMIL, being a leading international company specialized in architectural aluminium systems, organized this competition aiming to share the vision of a city that improves the quality of people’s lives. We made an open call for creative and innovative ideas and we are glad that this challenge inspired so many people all around the world. Despite the unprecedented difficulties due to the pandemic, we insisted on conducting the competition by maintaining its international character. We are proud not only for the large number of proposals we received from so many countries, but also because all these submissions were evaluated by an international Jury of highly qualified professionals. We believe that an ideas competition provides the necessary expertise that is crucial for every type of spatial planning. Architectural design has the power to invoke cultural evolution, and through architectural competitions we have the chance to offer new possibilities of improvement to our cities.

“ArXellence 2” was a competition that reopened the discussion about the redesign of Thessaloniki’s urban space and created a platform full of inspirational architectural ideas regarding the redevelopment of the city’s western waterfront. But most of all, “ArXellence 2” sent a positive and confident message of hope and optimism, based on advanced urban development and sustainability.