The project comprises two adjacent vacation houses on the northeastern edge of Paros island, in Santa Maria.

During the last years, Paros has been one of the most rapidly developing Cycladic islands, being a popular destination in the domestic and international tourist flows. Beside the increase in visitors’ volume, services have been upgraded and demand has become more selective, and this has had an impact on the programmatic requirements of vacation houses.

On the one hand, users seek relaxation and breaking away from their urban lifestyles; on the other, they seek the same amenities that they enjoy during the rest of the year. The project had to confront two challenges: devising a place-specific solution and finding a balance between tradition and modernity.

Both houses, located at the last property north of Santa Maria, bordering the Natura area of natural preservation, face east with uninterrupted views to Naxos (east) and Delos (north).

This orientation, beside the view and the ground morphology, results from the need to protect the residents from the strong summer wind from the north, and from the view of neighboring buildings on the south.

This protection is enhanced with the use of architectural elements such as stone walls, shades, and pergolas, that create hospitable nooks.

In the building’s aesthetics, the pair of tradition and modernity finds a balance that is redefined each time, according to the individual features of each building and user.

In this case, one aspect of the project involves the large scale, increased technical requirements, the need for high-level services and living, paired with the intention for clear lines and spaces, consistent with the teachings of the modern movement.

On the other side lies the restrained Cycladic architecture, small scale, the simplicity of island living and the rough feel of traditional materials. The balance between all these elements became the main driving force in the architecture of both houses: Technology combined with tradition, comfort with simplicity, clarity and texture, contemporary and vernacular.

ISV Architects

The post Two vacation houses in Santa Maria was originally published on ek magazine | Architectural Publications | ek magazine – Architectural Publications.

In a protected natural reserve in Paros, the redesign of eight obsolete vacation rental studios into a pair of upmarket houses, required a wise architectural approach and renegotiation, in many scales.

In its volumetric disposition, the design combines composition and proportioning of cubic volumes, repetition and standardization of openings, ample outdoor spaces and environmentally friendly materials; what is accomplished is a formal plasticity and architectural unity that respects the Cycladic vernacular, adapts to the landscape and confronts the requirements of contemporary vacation housing.

Each building is reinstated as a composition of cubic volumes upon a marked socle-platform, negotiating its harmonious integration into the landscape.

At a height of 3m from the base, a wooden pergola with cantilevered beams designates shaded, comfortable, and protected lounging, sunbathing, showering and food preparation areas, for all-day outdoor living.

Private spaces are distributed on the ground level, oriented towards the south, benefitting from the sea view and seamless outdoor access to the socle.

In-between the bedrooms, a central, glass-enclosed space contains the living room, as an extension of the outdoor area and the pergola, allowing the landscape to be present in a dynamic, changing way.

Living spaces -the lounge, dining area and kitchen- as well as an independent guestroom, are placed on the first level, enjoying panoramic views, both from inside as well as from the spacious balconies.

A protected, open-air lounge with barbecue is created between the living spaces and the guestroom, above the glass-enclosed ground floor living room.

The local vegetation in the unbuilt part of the property is enhanced, to increase the feel and quality of the Cycladic natural landscape.

Buerger Katsota Architects

The post Houses A2 in Paros was originally published on ek magazine | Architectural Publications | ek magazine – Architectural Publications.