Introverted courtyard

The house is located in a suburban area of Nicosia and was designed to establish a strong connection between indoor and outdoor living, drawing references from the urban Cypriot houses of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

 

Spatial Organization

This contemporary approach reinterprets the courtyard as the living core of the residence. The main spaces – living room, dining area, kitchen and two bedrooms – are arranged in an L-shaped layout around a central courtyard. At the heart of the composition, an elongated water element, the pool, acts as a natural extension of the living space.

The presence of water enhances the dialogue between inside and outside, while also contributing significantly to the formation of a favorable microclimate, providing natural cooling during the summer months. The courtyard thus becomes an intermediate space of everyday life, where the boundaries between private and open-air environments are softened.

 

 

Material Palette

The architectural proposal follows a strict minimalist logic, emphasizing geometric clarity and the elimination of any superfluous elements. The volumes are defined by clean lines, while the composition is structured around the balance between solid and void.

Exposed concrete is the dominant material, selected for both its structural properties and its restrained aesthetic. This unified materiality ensures coherence and durability, while the clean surfaces act as a canvas for the interplay of natural light and shifting shadows throughout the day.

 

 

Bioclimatic Strategy

The design carefully utilizes orientation and cross-ventilation to ensure optimal airflow and natural lighting. At the same time, the introverted organization of the residence guarantees a high level of privacy, in contrast to the surrounding urban context.

The result is a residence that engages with local architectural heritage, translating it into a contemporary language. Through the synthesis of space, material and climate, the project responds to current needs for quality of life, flexibility and a meaningful connection with the natural environment.

 

Multilayered structure

The residential complex is comprised of eleven units organized around a system of nested spatial layers. At its core lies the “Void Core,” acting as a conduit for light and air. This central element is surrounded by the primary living “Space,” which is further wrapped by the “Buffer” – a zone formed by circulation corridors, staircases, and storage. Enclosing the system is the “Case,” the outer shell that defines and protects the living areas.

 

Context Integration

The site is located adjacent to a railway line within a densely built residential neighborhood. As a result, the design addresses the need for enhanced privacy and noise mitigation, while ensuring ample daylight and natural ventilation. In contrast to conventional rental housing – often characterized by repetitive, standardized layouts that overlook site-specific conditions – this project promotes spatial individuality, aesthetic diversity, and adaptability to context.

 

 

Functional Layout

The primary living areas, including the living, dining, and kitchen spaces as well as the bedrooms, are enveloped by the “Buffer.” This intermediate layer, composed of corridors, staircases, and storage zones, mediates between private interiors and external conditions. In select units, the living spaces extend outward, establishing subtle visual and spatial connections with the surrounding environment. Bathrooms are strategically positioned between adjacent units, forming an additional layer of acoustic and visual separation that enhances privacy.

At the center of the building, the “Void Core” channels light and airflow deep into the complex, improving environmental performance while shaping the overall massing. By dividing the project into two volumes, a lane-like passage is created within the site, allowing even centrally located units – typically prone to enclosure – to maintain a relationship with the outdoors. This volumetric articulation, together with canopies that define the ground and upper levels, mitigates the perceived scale of the complex and ensures a more harmonious integration with the surrounding low-rise context.

Staircase Design

Rather than functioning solely as circulation elements, the staircases are conceived as spatial devices that modulate external influences, contributing to improved acoustic, luminous, and thermal comfort. In the maisonette units occupying the third floor, the staircases extend beyond their conventional linear role. They expand at intermediate points to form annex-like spaces that complement the main living areas. When viewed from the exterior, this strategy generates a distinctive articulation of projecting walls, lending visual lightness and dynamism to the overall volume.

 

Sculptural retreat

The study concerns a property located within the consolidated urban fabric of the town of the island of Chios, characterized by dense development. The specific plot adjoins a neighboring property to the northeast, while its remaining sides are free.

 

Design Philosophy

The aim of the composition was to seek an architectural expression that resists the mechanistic application of formal restrictions. The building’s massing is shaped by the interplay of different geometries that articulate the façades, achieving a sense of peripheral plasticity. The interlocking of volumes forms the compact core of the building, which is anchored to the stairwell nucleus, transferring movement from the basement to the roof terrace.

 

 

Functional Organization

The ground-floor apartment benefits from direct access to outdoor spaces on both sides: to the east, the living areas open onto an outdoor space, while to the west, the bedrooms connect to a small, privately defined garden. Large openings on the façades contribute to visual openness from the interior toward the landscaped exterior and enhance the extroverted character of the apartment, while privacy is ensured by a perimeter enclosure composed of a solid wall and latticework.

The upper-floor apartment is organized on two levels: the main level and a loft. All spaces have access to terraces at different points along the façades, offering varied geometries and visual perspectives. By positioning the loft above the bedrooms, a double-height space is achieved in the shared areas, which, in combination with the metal structure to the south and the large openings to the northwest, introduces diverse spatial qualities throughout the apartment. A defining element of the façade is the lattice screen, which provides solar protection without obstructing outward views from the interior. Conversely, the large, glazed opening to the south allows winter sunlight to penetrate through a system of internal blinds, enabling direct solar gain.

 

 

Materials & Vegetation

Along the main street, the curved form guiding access to the entrance simultaneously reinforces a sense of enclosure. The composition of different materials – colored renders, exposed concrete, metal structures, and glazing – highlights the geometries of the volumes. Finally, priority was given to surrounding the building with dense vegetation; for this reason, the areas paved with cast material in the open space are limited to what is strictly necessary to ensure access.

 

Central core

The complex is located in the seaside village of Matala, in southern Crete, surrounded by the area’s distinctive rocky formations that create a natural embrace around the site.

 

Design Philosophy

The primary starting point of the design was the creation of a cluster of small buildings oriented around a shared central courtyard, reminiscent of the protected square of a small village. As a direct reference to the values and heritage of “togetherness” and communal life in Matala, the project reinterprets the traditional Greek island neighborhood, shaping a contemporary lodging for today.

The building volumes are arranged to offer residents privacy while simultaneously encouraging coexistence and interaction in the shared courtyard. The relationships formed between the structures generate open and enclosed living spaces -both private and communal- each with its own distinct character.

 

 

Spatial Organization

Access to the complex is through a courtyard gate on the southern side of the plot, a feature of traditional Cretan architecture. Along the perimeter of the courtyard are the entrances to the individual apartments, each leading to a private patio with a pool and views toward Matala’s iconic rock formations. External staircases connect the upper-level apartments to the common gathering area on the ground floor.

 

 

Material Palette

Natural plasters and materials, such as wood and locally sourced stones, were used throughout the wall surfaces of the buildings and the surrounding enclosure, providing a variety of textures. The selected color palette enhances the integration of the architecture into the landscape, harmonizing with the natural tones of the surrounding rocky and sandy formations. Finally, the construction relied primarily on local crews and craftsmen.

 

 

 

 

 

Principles of enclosed space

The residence is positioned within the local scale of the Lakatamia area in Nicosia, in a neighborhood characterized by empty plots, limited vegetation, and an abandoned old shoe factory directly across the street.

 

Design Philosophy

The initial design objective, shaped by the conditions of the area, was to create a single-storey home that centres on inwardness and privacy, while maintaining a direct connection between the interior and surrounding greenery. At the same time, the aim is to provide a safe and comfortable Mediterranean interior environment defined by lived experience, through a contemporary local architectural approach supported by modern systems and materials.

From the early stages, the design principles, developed in relation to the inhabitants’ needs, focused primarily on forming transitional open-air spaces and placing a main protective filter at the façade, referencing the character of a traditional boundary wall.

 

 

Spatial Organization

The spatial configuration offers organic flexibility, with public and private areas arranged in relation to a workspace volume that “suspends” itself as a focal point within the residence, allowing multiple movement paths. The inward-looking, through-ventilated layout and its relationship with the outdoor space create a core of privacy and security for the residents. The external walls, together with the eastern gabion wall filled with local stone, form a protective diaphragm separating public from private space, while the interior spaces extend toward the courtyards, ensuring cross-ventilation and natural light.

A central architectural feature of the interior is the workspace, which hovers as a wooden volume above the kitchen and the everyday living area. It functions as the secondary main use of the home, meeting the need for book storage and providing a dedicated study area for the residents.

Its placement above the kitchen and living space creates an interesting dynamic in the spatial experience. On one hand, the workspace remains visually connected to the broader living area; on the other, it retains a degree of privacy for its users. This dual condition encourages a balance between shared and personal space.

 

 

Exterior Design & Vegetation

One of the main architectural elements expressing the adaptability of the interior as it opens to the exterior is the set of foldable perforated shading panels. These allow residents to adjust privacy levels and control sunlight according to their needs.

The courtyards, functioning as the key bioclimatic components of the residence, form the heart of the design. Positioned next to the communal areas and the bedrooms, they provide private outdoor zones for each room while allowing the flow of natural light and ventilation with privacy in mind. Planted with low-growing Cypriot vegetation, the courtyards create microclimates that bring natural greenery into the home. In this way, the residence “embraces” the natural environment, achieving an organic continuity with the landscape.

 

Unified architecture

The project is a modern residential complex located in Drosia, Attica, designed with an emphasis on integration into the natural environment and minimalist geometry. Its architecture is based on clean lines, natural materials, and large transparent surfaces that enhance the connection with the surrounding landscape.

 

Design Philosophy

The design creates an engaging dialogue with the surrounding environment, bypassing rigid lines and establishing a sense of unity. The arrangement of the residences maintains privacy without being immediately apparent from the exterior, allowing for a natural flow and continuity in the space that reinforces the sense of unified architecture.

 

 

Materiality & Spatial Layout

The residences are developed on multiple levels, ensuring privacy, unobstructed views, and high-quality outdoor spaces. The materiality is mostly characterized by earthy tones, with metal, wood, and stone finishes creating a serene and timeless aesthetic.

 

 

Context integration

The project aims for high-quality living, emphasizing functionality, natural shading, and subtle integration into the pine-covered landscape of the area. The name Silva (Latin for “forest”) reflects the character of the project: a dwelling that communicates with nature without excess.

 

Privacy matters

Situated on a plot commonly referred to in Portuguese as a terreno de gaveta -a narrow, elongated site nestled between neighboring buildings with limited street frontage- this residence occupies a 10 by 18-meter lot, totaling 180m2. Due to the compact size and proximity to adjacent structures, ensuring privacy from both the street and neighbors was a key challenge. The residence itself spans 184m2 of built area, with an additional 70m2 dedicated to the rooftop.

 

Design Philosophy

To address privacy concerns while capitalizing on the sweeping coastal views, the design inverts the conventional layout. Private spaces, including bedrooms and a home office, are located on the ground floor, oriented toward a central courtyard. In contrast, social areas are elevated to the upper floors, establishing both visual and functional separation from the public street.

At the heart of the home is the staircase, a central vertical element that connects all levels while enhancing visual permeability throughout. On the ground floor, it begins with a masonry volume clad in the same flooring used outside, featuring clay brick steps. As it ascends, the staircase transforms: vertical steel cables extend the full height, supporting floating steps anchored to the wall, creating a striking architectural feature.

 

 

Material Palette

The residence is constructed with a mix of concrete and steel, materials that recur throughout the design in details such as bathroom partitions and stair finishes. Drawing from modernist influences prominent in São Paulo architecture, the design emphasizes proportion, verticality, and a rhythmic composition of horizontal volumes. The exposed concrete ceilings are a highlight, meticulously crafted with formwork designed by the architects to achieve a refined texture. Every detail -from the placement of lighting fixtures to the integration of embedded systems- was carefully pre-planned. Curtain tracks, for example, were embedded in the concrete slab during the formwork stage.

Expansive aluminum and glass openings frame coastal views, flood the interior with natural light, and encourage cross-ventilation, enhancing energy efficiency and reducing the need for artificial lighting and cooling. This integration of indoor and outdoor elements is central to the architectural concept, dissolving the boundaries between the two. Exterior-grade materials were intentionally brought indoors, reinforcing this seamless transition and creating a cohesive living experience.

 

 

Spatial Organization

The upper-level social spaces extend outward through deep overhangs with integrated benches that double as guardrails, giving the living areas a sense of openness and continuity. The kitchen, designed as a social hub, centers around a large island that facilitates circulation and interaction during gatherings. Furnishings include existing family pieces and new elements in wood and rattan, contributing to a relaxed and understated ambiance. Storage solutions are discreetly built into the staircase zone, with custom panels that blend seamlessly into the architecture.

On the ground floor, the bedrooms are shielded with wooden panels that ensure complete blackout and privacy. These are complemented by an Accoya wood brise-soleil, whose acetylation treatment enhances moisture resistance and durability. A soft, neutral palette defines the bedroom interiors, creating a tranquil atmosphere. Bathrooms feature metal-framed doors with textured glass panels, adding both privacy and aesthetic depth. The office, extending from the main volume, benefits from continuous daylight via generous glass frames and a skylight that highlights the floor textures. Its cabinetry mirrors the surrounding finishes, with concealed panels that create a clean, uninterrupted surface. The central table, supported by a single leg and cantilevered at the base, adds to the room’s light, minimal character.

 

 

Sustainable Design

Designed with local climate conditions in mind, the residence is protected from the strong northern winds common in Northern Portugal. This allows the interior to remain open and airy, even on blustery days. The rooftop terrace features a built-in pool that is sheltered from the wind and opens onto a secluded green area bordering the beach. Strategic ventilation openings- one on the rooftop and another at ground level -facilitate rapid cross-ventilation, reducing the need for mechanical cooling. During the colder months, underfloor heating throughout most rooms ensures warmth and energy efficiency.

 

Small-scale inhabitation

The two-family house was constructed on a small, narrow, and elongated plot between two existing -and quite mundane -buildings, situated in the coastal city of Agios Nikolaos, in Crete.

 

Design Philosophy

With the only volumetric possibility being the treatment of the building’s main façade, the design concept from the beginning sought a small scale approach befitting the size of the plot. It focused on the archetypical elements of a traditional residence: the pitched roof and the open external staircase, as reminiscent of the houses in a small village where external stairs lead to the “upper floor”.

This small scale approach engages in a dialogue with the overall character of the town, where nature prevails, and emphasizes the value of minimal design against the phenomenon of intense and rapid urbanization -a common issue found in highly touristic areas in Greece.

 

Functional Layout

The first residence is developed on the ground floor and features a courtyard for ventilation and outdoor living. The second one is developed across two levels, comprised of a first floor  and an attic. The entrance to both residences occurs through a secondary, shared courtyard, facilitating daily “conversations” amongst tenants. Specifically, residents can communicate both through the front courtyard and as well as via the numerous balconies.

 

Materials & Morphologies

The building is constructed with reinforced concrete, which remains exposed throughout the house interior. Two cantilevered volumes protrude from the main façade, creating small canopies that shelter the staircase and balconies. One of them enters the interior of the residence, emphasizing the continuity between inside and outside, while interrupting the double-height living room space and forming a cozier interior.

Gradients of privacy

The design aim for this project is introducing traditional Japanese design elements combined with Greek materiality, creating a space that offers beauty treatments and Japanese head massages. The project is part of a larger architectural urban Spa trilogy operated by “The Baths Experience”.

 

Spatial Organization

The project is located in the basement floor of a listed building in the center of Athens. The first organizational gesture was to open up the space, simplifying its access and creating a linear route through a main staircase. The area of the showers and the baths is positioned roughly in the center of the space, creating a high level of privacy -from the changing rooms to the communal showers to the more public nails treatment area. A series of fabric screens placed in strategic locations, create “gradients of privacy”, ensuring that each space can be flexibly opened up or closed off.

 

Materials & Decoration

The main bathing area is highlighted by a mixture of materials such as wood and stone, while the walls are rendered in plaster. Pedestals are positioned along one side of the room displaying traditional Japanese pottery. Directly connected to the spa area is the beauty treatment spaces featured in shades of brown and grey. The pedicure area is raised on a platform, while a backlit wall serves as a backdrop to the overall space.

The shop is located on the ground floor, where the extensive as well as sophisticated use of wood and stone in the space emphasizes the spiritual and calming effect that natural materials have. Similarly to the communal baths, the shop becomes a space of assembly for clients to experience new aromas and tastes. The central wooden table acts as a gathering area, where customers are offered tea and are given an exclusive overview of the products.

 

Method of Construction

Emphasis is also given to the construction method and joinery. More specifically, traditional Japanese carpentry uses very few nails, if any. In the spirit of honoring this, the construction of the divider/display follows this technique, using nails and screws only for securing the furniture to the floor and the walls.

Exclusive viewing

The VIP Boxes at the Panathinaikos basketball court in OAKA are exclusive spaces designed for enjoying games and events, as well as hosting meetings.

 

Functional Organization

The space features fully equipped suites with a range of amenities and facilities, granting exclusive access to premium services and designated areas within the stadium. A total of sixteen VIP Boxes encircle the stadium, providing unobstructed views and seamless connectivity to the event while ensuring privacy.

The VIP Boxes are available in three types, distinguished by their size and capacity: Type A accommodates eight people, Type B accommodates ten, and Type C accommodates twelve. Each box is outfitted with a cloakroom, a private restroom, a buffet area, and a kitchenette. The kitchenette includes a small sink and minibar, cleverly integrated into a hinged structure with pocket doors for added convenience and elegance.

 

Amenities & Furniture

The Boxes are fitted with cutting-edge video and audio systems, ensuring an immersive experience for visitors and enabling the playback of highlights from each game or event. The interiors are thoughtfully designed with modern furnishings, including a central seating area featuring a luxurious leather sofa set. Complementing this layout is a stylish marble and leather table that doubles as additional seating. Furthermore, a bar counter with stools is strategically positioned to offer an unobstructed view of the court, enhancing the overall experience.

 

Exterior Design & Materials

The view is enhanced by a retractable glass façade that seamlessly connects the interior with the exterior, creating a sense of continuity with the stadium. On the outside, seating is arranged to offer full visibility of the court, situated in a defined perimeter area that ensures privacy from the surrounding stands. The box area is adorned with high-end materials like marble and wood, and decorated with elements that reflect the Panathinaikos brand, including green accents on the walls and surfaces, as well as basketball memorabilia.

Uninterrupted facade

The project is one of the first points of contact for visitors to the Rogla sports and tourist resort. Built as the final addition to a group of hotels, it represents perhaps the biggest visual departure from the recognizable expression of the previous interventions, which referenced the local, rurally developed landscape to a larger degree.

 

Design Challenge

Hotel Natura was designed as Rogla’s highest-rated hotel but was never fully realized. Much of the envisioned accommodations remained unbuilt, however the investor now intends to modify its typology and to extend the hotel with the addition of multi-purpose common areas and a recreational swimming pool. As a result, the project’s most challenging aspect was to tackle the expansion through a different design approach, where the new section will stand more “elegantly” next to the distinctive, heavy-weight existing complex.

 

Architectural Approach

Rogla’s romantic landscape imagery greatly informed the extension’s main design: to create a façade that is seamlessly converted into a roof. More specifically, the facade is visually transformed into a timber gable roof, which acts as a historic reference to the context. The timber is freely stacked and uncoated, thus gradually aging and coalescing in sync with the surrounding landscape. The new addition therefore does not reference the existing building as much as it does the surrounding forest and traditional rural development.

 

Functional Organization

The interior organization offers a clear division between the public and the private accommodation sections. The entire public program features taller storeys that open toward the forest to the north, while all the guestrooms are designed with slightly lower ceiling heights and are oriented toward the ski stadium to the south. The difference in floor heights is bridged by a new staircase operating as a “vertical hall”, as well as a new double-sided lift. This strategic layout offers uninterrupted views and allows natural lighting to enter the interior, including in the corridors as well as all the public spaces.

Soft materiality

The design of the new space focuses on creating a warm and welcoming environment that exudes safety and tranquillity, offering a carefully crafted experience for every visitor.

 

Material Palette

The choice of materials is central to this goal, with wood being one of the main elements, combined with natural textures and neutral tones such as white and beige. This combination creates a balanced backdrop that promotes relaxation and comfort while maintaining a sense of cleanliness and elegance. The furnishings and layout have been thoughtfully arranged to ensure ergonomics and ease of use, while soft materials and gentle hues enhance the feeling of intimacy and care.

 

Layout Organisation

The interior layout ensures that visitors feel comfortable and safe throughout their visit. The examination rooms are designed to foster a sense of safety and protection, allowing visitors to feel calm and relaxed during their appointment. Soft materials and soothing tones contribute to this feeling.

 

Lighting Design

Special emphasis is placed on lighting, which shapes the atmosphere of the space. Soft, indirect lighting has been selected to create a gentle and welcoming environment, while natural light is maximized wherever possible. In areas with limited natural light, light fixtures in warm tones are used to enhance the cozy atmosphere. The combination of these elements creates a space where comfort, tranquillity, and aesthetics coexist harmoniously, providing a pleasant and human-centred experience for every visitor.

Parallel arrangement

The project is situated on a seaside plot, with the objective of constructing three houses for tourist use. A central element of the design is the arrangement of the residences in a parallel layout, all oriented toward the sea. These three linear volumes are designed to appear as if they are sliding between walls of exposed concrete, creating a striking architectural feature.

 

Morphological Elements

The two-story residences are defined by the openness of the ground floor, which features a continuous, permeable space. A glass slit in the ceilings, running parallel to the concrete walls, allows natural light to flood the staircase and the entire home, highlighting its linear design. This feature not only enhances the sense of spaciousness but also offers visual connections in all directions, serving as a unifying element between the two floors.

 

Accessibility & Circulation Areas

The corner house can be accessed from the road on the east side, leading into an open-plan kitchen, dining, and living area that opens to a corner glass door offering panoramic sea views. In the second and third houses, the entrance is located in the rear courtyard, where visitors enter into a spacious open-plan kitchen, dining, and sitting area beneath the skylights in the roof above, with views directed toward the sea.

The living room seamlessly extends to the front balcony, with full width glazing that blurs the line between interior and exterior spaces. Suspended metal stairs, set against a backdrop of exposed concrete walls, lead to the first-floor bedrooms. The master bedrooms, positioned on the seaward side, feature glass walkways that span the entire width of the room, enhancing the sense of openness and connection to the view.

 

Façade Design & Privacy

The terrace is enclosed by walls that ensure the occupants’ privacy while creating a striking volumetric feature in the overall view. This design element is echoed in all three residences, where a white cube projects outward, set apart from the concrete wall. In the corner house, the porch is distinct, extending linearly along the entire length of the residence, adding to its unique character.

A perforated ceramic lattice wall, positioned at the edge of the east-side balcony, serves as a privacy screen while accentuating the building’s linear form. The material palette consists of exposed concrete, metal, and white plaster. Each house features a small swimming pool in the garden facing the sea, while the site is enclosed by low walls around the perimeter to preserve unobstructed views from all points, even at ground level.

Domestic interactions

The main design premise in this two-level house, built in a quiet district of Limassol, is the creation of spaces which facilitate interactions between the family members, seamlessly merging indoor and outdoor areas while securing the privacy of everyday life.

 

General Layout

The property is adjacent to a green park on its east side, with the northern façade of the house turned to the street, as a solid boundary between public and private space. The façade is completely introverted, devoid of any openings, and protects the interior from the northwestern sun. The ground level develops in an L-shape, embracing the patio, which is the heart of the composition; this becomes an organic component of the house, facilitating outdoor living, which is ideal in the sunny climate of Cyprus.

 

Custom Structures & Privacy

Extensive glazing opens to the patio, merging the house interior with the outdoor space; the owners’ privacy is secured by means of a tall row of existing cypress trees in the property, the latter further enhancing the element of nature. The upper floor, accommodating three family bedrooms, faces south, looking over the patio. For reasons of privacy, sliding panels conceal the glazing on the façade, disrupting reflections and achieving a more discreet integration of the building volume into its environment. This way, the resulting balcony can become an outdoor extension of the bedrooms.

 

Façade Design

Concurrently, the wooden-clad façade protects from solar radiation, diffusing light to the interior and facilitating natural cooling. The upper volume remains consistent with the overall architectural vocabulary, through simple, geometric gestures. Slightly protruding from the ground floor outline, it creates a sheltered outdoor lounge by the pool and provides the necessary sun protection to the downstairs glazing.

Sustainable retreat

The 950m² house is designed to be lived in as a welcome break away from the bustling city life and, on frequent occasions, be able to host parties of up to 30 guests.

 

Site Integration

The site is situated amongst a densely built area, with only one adjacent remaining traditional two-storey wooden home and its lush garden lining the length of the property. The house is placed along the three built up sides of the site, creating a large garden. The building is raised half level, to secure privacy, its two floors expressed as separate units: the ground floor appears as an opaque black box, while the upstairs volume is white. Openings are oriented towards the courtyard, with the pool in the foreground, and greenery visually merging with the backdrop of the neighboring garden.

 

Functional Organization

The entrance from the street is recessed, through a dark box with angular aluminum cladding, with no hint of what lies beyond but a few sprouting branches. To the right, an opening directs towards the light, through a long corridor leading to the house, lined by the pool on one side and a reflective marble wall on the other. The solid wall on the right retreats to reveal a green pocket, accentuating the greenery of the house and providing a passage for prevailing winds. Behind a tree, perforated mirror- finished aluminium panels arranged in arbitrary angles, multiply the garden impressions, and allow glimpses from the interior. The entrance opens directly upon the dining area, with a custom-made table crafted from 200 years old timber. To the left, the double-height living area features a large, abstract geometric mural.

 

Furniture & Custom Structures

Above the cubist sofa, the chandelier echoes the mural with round bulbs and tubular fittings. The kitchen surface, island, and back wall are all lined with a smart black and white marble arranged in a diamond pattern. Cantilevered stairs, lit from a clerestory window, lead to the private living quarters, including the master suite and one guestroom. The space of the master suite flows naturally from the bedroom and dressing room to the green marble bathroom. The shower wall is finished in a white marble with black veins, arranged to form a pattern of three mountains. The sculptural bath is the centerpiece, naturally lit with a glass block wall behind and outdoor garden.

 

Sustainable Practices

The house is designed to respond to the turbulent tropical climate. In addition to cantilevered fins and eaves, to reduce direct sunlight and heavy rain, the glazing layer is recessed to create a continuous balcony. The external shutter system provides the outermost skin, allowing natural cooling. Each shutter acts as a heat exchanger, funnelling air through an individual aluminium fin which further reduces heat intake.

Architectural microclimate

The small ground-floor residence, located on a central road in the bustling northern suburbs of Athens, is situated in a busy area surrounded by high-rise apartment buildings, created to nurture the dreams of a family of three.

 

Design Philosophy

The Terra Form residence is designed with careful consideration of the wishes of all its members, as well as the functional and aesthetic demands of a compact urban home. Its name reflects the core concept of the design: the creation of an architectural microclimate that allows the owners to experience their ideal home, shielded from the noise, tension, and chaotic structure of the city.

 

Custom Architectural Elements

To accomplish this, the archetype of a traditional residence is deconstructed, redefining key architectural elements that are deeply tied to its essence, such as the roof, garden, hearth, chimney, threshold, and windows. The classic double-pitched roof is folded, extended, and liberated from its conventional role and tiled appearance. It is transformed into a perforated, two-sided structure that also encloses the home’s outdoor spaces, offering both shade and privacy.

 

Spatial Organization

The function of this new form is also mirrored in the floor plan. Underneath the redesigned structure, the gardens and indoor living spaces are seamlessly integrated along the east-west axis. In parallel, on either side of a central core, the sleeping areas are arranged along a vertical axis -one side positioned as far as possible from the main road for privacy, while the entrance area is pushed closer to the street, enhancing the sense of invitation and hospitality, a defining characteristic of the homeowners.

The prominent entrance, visible chimney, garden, and perforated white roof, combined with the building’s bright tile color, create the final narrative of the Terra Form house. This design is expressed through its façade, evoking a rural way of life even in the heart of the bustling city.

Modern tradition

The project is a single-family house located in a small Portuguese village in the south of the Lisbon Metropolitan Area. Its rural character embodied by low and traditional constructions is affected by out-of-scale buildings from the 1980s, informing the new design.

 

Architectural Form

The existing buildings guide the project, whose aim is to replace the original house with a contemporary residence strategically positioned within the area to avoid direct exposure to the immediate neighborhoods. The design follows the village’s architectural identity as well as the plot’s longitudinal shape, creating a simple, minimal building with a pitched roof.

 

Functional Organization

Programmatically, the project is divided in two clear zones: the service spaces -bathrooms, closets, circulation areas, kitchen- are located on the northern side of building, where the facades are composed of small openings to ensure privacy from the main road. To the south, the living room, office and bedrooms gradually open up towards the garden through a series of large windows, while the array of different ceiling heights, create different experiential moments within the space.

 

Material Palette

The materials and construction techniques follow the local traditions found in mediterranean villages. Hydraulic mosaic tiles and wood are used for the interior flooring, enhancing the natural light entering the building, while a divider made of stone is constructed in-between the street and the residence, unifying the complex and connecting the parking area to a vertical volume -a clear allusion to the original oven house.

Dialogue with the city

In the developing area of Makedonitissa, a new two-story residence that includes a basement and swimming pool introduces a modern design concept for urban living.

 

Design Morphology

The project aims to emphasize the dynamic interplay between privacy and transparency, providing an immersive residential experience. Situated on a plot of land with a steep uphill slope, the building turns the challenging topography into a design advantage. The façade is characterized by a tall, perforated wall that enhances privacy and security, facilitating a dialogue between public and private spaces and clearly defining the residence’s boundaries.

 

Spatial Configuration

On the ground floor, the interior layout provides rich visual experiences and seamless connections to the outdoor areas. A spacious atrium, located at the heart of the residence, serves as a central axis that functionally and visually connects the staircase, living area, and dining spaces. This design fosters a sense of openness and brightness, promoting social interaction and visual continuity with the surrounding environment. The infinity pool, positioned near the perforated wall, introduces an impressive aesthetic dimension and creates an atmosphere of tranquility and relaxation, establishing unique views that enrich the residents’ experience. On the first floor, three en-suite bedrooms are strategically positioned to maximize the plot’s uphill slope, providing panoramic views of the city. The integration of these spaces into the natural topography achieves an impressive and functional configuration.

 

Material Selection

The residence’s materiality is based on earthy tones and high-quality textures: white oak, marble patterns and concrete become the dominant textures, combining modern aesthetics with warmth and elegance and creating an intimate and harmonious environment that compliments the urban fabric.

Folding structures

Inhabitants of the Arabian Peninsula have a long-standing tradition of travelling to seaside or desert destinations during the holidays and setting up temporary infrastructures for leisure and relaxation.

 

Roof Structure

The projects aim is to conceptually create a sense of “gathering” in a five-holiday-house-complex, by designing a lightweight and discrete shelter structure. An elegant, “folded” roof made of white concrete becomes the most characteristic element of the design, while providing protection from the sun and wind. Additionally, the roof is perforated in certain parts, allowing sunlight into the interior spaces, while a series of rectangular cuts offer stunning views of the sky.

 

 

Exterior Design

The exterior ground floor includes communal spaces for social gatherings, featuring a lounge and dining area as well as a pool surrounded by ample vegetation, reminiscent of a calm and peaceful and oasis. The outdoor gardens meet in two communal, double height shaded spaces that visually connect the residence’s interior with the beach, and at the same time, further accentuate the main façade.

 

 

Accessibility & Privacy

The interior spaces are oriented towards the central “green oasis,” creating a seamless connection with the surrounding context through a series of expansive openings. This design maximizes openness and transparency, offering unobstructed views towards the beach. In contrast, the sections of the residence that are adjacent to the street are predominantly solid, ensuring a high level of privacy. By striking this balance, the design not only fosters a tranquil and open living environment – characterized as both a desert camp and a beach house – but also provides a sanctuary from the bustling street, enhancing both comfort and seclusion.