A former family residence in the dense centre of Fira is transformed into a five-suite hotel, where restored Cycladic forms, natural materials and planted spaces translate the principles of vegan hospitality into architecture.

Ethos Vegan Suites in Santorini by Kapsimalis Architects occupies a former two-storey family residence in the centre of Fira. Originally constructed after the 1956 Santorini earthquake and extended vertically during the 1980s, the building was reorganized as a small hotel with five independent suites.

Two suites and a compact reception and kitchen occupy the ground floor. Three additional suites are arranged above and accessed through an open staircase integrated with planting. Each room combines sleeping and sitting areas with a kitchenette and bathroom, while private yards, balconies or terraces extend the accommodation outdoors.

 

 

Reworking the existing shell

The transformation retains the characteristic geometry of the original building while simplifying later additions and adapting the structure to its new use.

Existing forms were restored and clarified to establish a contemporary relationship with the compact, whitewashed fabric of Fira. Selected parapets, decorative cornices and parts of the enclosure were removed or replaced, reducing the visual complexity of the former residence.

New thin metal handrails, solid surfaces and perforated ceramic screens introduce a lighter architectural layer. The screens define different degrees of privacy around the rooms and circulation areas while allowing daylight and air to pass through.

The intervention therefore does not attempt to reproduce a historic Cycladic interior. Instead, it works with the existing building and its recognizable forms, introducing new elements that respond to contemporary hospitality.

 

Five suites around shared and private outdoor spaces

From the pedestrian street, the entrance leads to a common semi-outdoor area. This intermediate space functions as a point of arrival and informal gathering before the circulation divides towards the individual suites.

On the ground floor, each unit extends towards a private yard with a small pool and sitting area. The rooms on the upper level open onto balconies or terraces, also incorporating small water elements and views towards the eastern part of Santorini and the Aegean.

The roof is partially planted with aromatic herbs and local vegetables. These are connected with the operation of the hotel and its vegan food and drinks, extending the project’s concept beyond the interiors and into the everyday use of the building.

 

 

Vegan principles as design parameters

A central objective was to translate vegan hospitality into architectural and material decisions rather than treat it solely as an operational concept.

Materials and furnishings derived from animal products were avoided. In their place, the architects selected natural and recyclable materials including ceramics, clay, stone, oak, mineral mortars, cotton, hemp and linen.

Local craftsmanship and custom-made furniture also form part of this approach. Built-in elements reduce the need for additional objects, while planting, water, daylight and natural ventilation contribute to an interior environment closely connected with natural processes.

The material strategy is therefore integral to the identity of the hotel. Vegan principles are expressed through sourcing, construction and atmosphere rather than through applied imagery.

 

Ceramic surfaces and mineral textures

The restrained palette combines variations of earth tones with the material character of ceramics, timber and mineral finishes.

Outside, small square terracotta tiles are laid with visible joints filled with natural beige mortar, creating a repetitive grid across the floors. The exterior walls and ceramic screens are predominantly off-white, connecting the hotel with the surrounding urban fabric.

Inside, large square floor tiles incorporate small ceramic fragments and tesserae. Walls and ceilings are finished with textured plasters containing natural components, while smooth white plaster emphasizes the vaulted ceilings of the two ground-floor suites.

Bathrooms are treated with pale cement-based finishes. Coloured glass partitions in yellow and green create translucent boundaries around the showers and introduce controlled variations within the otherwise muted interiors.

 

 

Oak, terracotta and recycled aggregates

Natural oak is used for wardrobes, shelving and other fixed elements, bringing a warmer material layer into the rooms.

Thin terracotta tiles appear on selected walls, while ceramic claustra are also used inside as supports for desks and as permeable elements that conceal technical equipment.

Kitchenette and bathroom surfaces combine plaster with recycled stone or coloured recycled glass. Their irregular aggregates give the surfaces a distinct texture and make the reuse of material visually apparent.

Bronze-toned mirrors, black metal details and custom travertine tables complete the composition. Lighting made from clay, coloured glass, timber and metal continues the same material language.

Rather than aiming for a uniform finish, the interiors bring together surfaces with different densities, textures and degrees of reflection.

 

Hospitality within the dense fabric of Fira

The project uses an existing building to create a small-scale form of hospitality within one of Santorini’s most densely built settlements.

Its identity emerges from the relationship between the restored shell, porous ceramic surfaces, planting, natural materials and individual outdoor spaces. The result combines the spatial character of a traditional island house with a contemporary programme organized around five suites.

Ethos Vegan Suites translates its operating philosophy into the architecture itself, using material selection, natural light, ventilation and landscape as basic components of the guest experience.

 

The project was first published in print in ek magazine 270 | September 2022, a monthly issue by ek Architectural Publications.

Spaceship Earth

On 3 November 1957, a stray from the streets of Moscow became the first living organism to orbit the Earth. Laika, the pioneering cosmonaut, although rather unnecessarily sacrificed -looking at the scientific impact of her hasty journey- on the altar of the competition between the two space superpowers of that time, can, today, be glorified again as the sub-object-symbol of a new era, that of the Anthropocene.

“No! We are in the Anthropocene era.”

Eugene F. Stoermer

Starting from the famous Trinity Experiment at the American nuclear test site, geologists, biologists, and other experts place the milestone of this new geological period, molded by the dominant participation of human activity in the formation of the planet’s geology and ecosystems, on 16 July 1945 in New Mexico. The atomic bomb is the point of no return, which has given man the ability to annihilate himself, in a few seconds, according to Buckminster Fuller’s “Spaceship Earth”.

Several decades later, Eva and Carlos, two Belgian Malinois dogs, Harris the cuckoo, five families of terns and six falcons and twenty sparrows, live and learn together in a new building, located thirty kilometers west of Madrid. Situated amidst rural fields that have been altered in recent decades by urban development and intensive agriculture, the architecture of the Educan School represents an integrated experiment in restoring the local ecosystem and reversing the negative impacts of human activity.

Educan’s architecture is a design for multiple types of “users”, including but not limited to humans. In the two classrooms, dogs and trainers practice sports that require dexterity, timing, and precision, such as Schutzhund. Meanwhile, birds gather in nests formed by the facade, enjoying the view and orientation as well as other benefits that particularly attract them. Small birds feed on rodents, contributing to the ecological balance of the neighboring fields. Smaller species and bats – which inhabit the south façade sign – feed on insects, such as mosquitoes, which can carry certain dog diseases, while also participating in the pollination cycles of flowers and plants in the area. Sparrows made an impromptu appearance in this self-regulating ecosystem, uninvitedly settling in the circular holes of the structure’s containers.

 

 

Non-humans (not as the opposite of humans, but as all species beyond humans) are at the center of the design. Ηas this, then, sparked a third architectural revolution following the theocentrism of the ancient and medieval periods and the anthropocentrism of the Renaissance and modernity? Form, an awkward yet fundamental criterion for determining the architectural identity of a new project, does not provide the answer. Educan is not necessarily different from a (well-designed) rural warehouse or an ordinary productive infrastructure for people and machines. Typologically and functionally, the differences in this new architecture are subtle. However, what is critical is the scale of the animals themselves, in what is usually called “detail.” The floors, typically designed for humans and their shoes, are adapted for the paws and joints of dogs’ feet. The training rooms feature removable rolls of PTE synthetic turf approved for dog training, while the theory rooms are covered with semi-polished, exposed, inert concrete made from river pebbles.

The average height of the architectural space drops from the typical 1.60 meters (the eye level of the average standing person) to just half a meter. Internal openings are raised to over one meter to avoid distracting trained dogs. Blinds shadow the south-facing openings, allowing enough space for the dogs to move. Rainwater is collected from the roof into large troughs for dogs and birds, while interior surfaces are lined with sound-absorbing foam insulation to minimize noise and reverberation.

The building employs a wide range of materials and construction practices, both conventional and digital, integrating various techniques, scientific knowledge, and production systems. This approach connects the building, from its production to its eventual demolition, to the natural environment and neighboring human activities. The materials used are either recycled or fully recyclable, while paying special attention to minimizing waste during their production, life cycle, and disposal.

The thermal capacity of the in-situ concrete mass contributes significantly to the energy efficiency and behavior of the structure, while the wavy sheets of the formwork are produced from recycled trusses. The optimization and standardization of the industrial metal sheets and the precise cutting and joining of the glued timber on the CNC, together with the reuse of HC 40 containers and the handmade iron construction with customized joints, follow a philosophy of minimal resource management for achieving the maximum result.

Unique elements such as the legs of specific furniture, light fixtures, and large sliding doors, as well as manual bioclimatic features like perforated shutters and blinds, have been designed, commissioned, and assembled. From the weight of the foundations and reinforced concrete walls to the lightness of the dry-structure elements, everything is conceptualized with two primary considerations: the behavior and perception of non-humans and environmental sustainability. This approach influences both the tectonic adequacy and morphology of the structure.

Educan is the tangible proof of a new architecture that responds to the demands of the Anthropocene. The basic components of architecture (of people for people) are reformulated based on a new, universal method, motivated by a totally innovative purpose: life on Earth beyond our own species.