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.

In the small inland village of Cristinacce, three municipal apartments replace a ruin through a contemporary timber construction that combines social housing, local resources and the architectural scale of the existing settlement.

 

Municipal Housing in Corsica by Orma Architettura reconstructs and reorganizes a ruined building in the village of Cristinacce to create three city-owned apartments.

The project addresses three interconnected questions: the provision of affordable housing in a depopulating rural settlement, the environmental impact of construction on the island, and the insertion of contemporary architecture within an established village fabric.

Rather than treating these objectives independently, the architects bring them together through a building whose structure and envelope are predominantly made from locally sourced Laricio pine.

 

 

Housing as a tool against depopulation

The social dimension of the project begins with its municipal ownership. The three dwellings have different typologies, allowing them to accommodate a variety of households rather than reproducing one standardized apartment.

In the context of Corsica’s inland villages, this programme has a broader territorial significance. New housing is introduced not through suburban expansion, but within the existing settlement, on the site of a ruin.

The project therefore treats social housing as part of a strategy for maintaining year-round life in a small village. Providing well-designed homes for lower-income residents becomes a means of supporting a population that might otherwise be pushed towards the island’s larger coastal centres.

 

A contemporary building within the village

The new construction responds to the scale of Cristinacce without reproducing the appearance of its older stone buildings.

Its volumes follow the proportions of the surrounding fabric, while the timber construction clearly identifies the intervention as contemporary. Material continuity across the façades gives the building a restrained and homogeneous expression, helping the new volumes sit within the village without resorting to imitation.

Large openings distinguish the apartments from the more enclosed traditional houses around them. They introduce natural light, contribute to the environmental performance of the dwellings and frame views towards the distant Corsican mountains.

The architecture therefore negotiates between two apparently opposing conditions: continuity with the village and an explicit expression of contemporary construction.

 

 

Laricio pine as structure and envelope

Timber defines both the structure and the external surface of the building. The use of Laricio pine connects the project directly with a resource that is abundant across Corsica and particularly significant within the island’s forests.

The decision goes beyond the visual character of timber. By using it structurally, Orma Architettura explores how a regional material can support contemporary collective housing.

The load-bearing system is conceived with perimeter walls and a limited number of internal structural divisions. This approach gives the apartments a degree of spatial flexibility and avoids fixing the building too rigidly to its initial programme.

At the same time, the predominantly timber envelope gives the project a clear material identity. Its uniform treatment reinforces the simplicity of the volumes and distinguishes the intervention from the masonry structures around it.

 

Building with locally available timber

Despite Corsica’s extensive forest resources, the local timber-construction chain remains limited. One of the principal difficulties identified by the architects is the lack of drying facilities capable of preparing timber locally to the moisture levels normally required for conventional timber construction.

As a result, Corsican wood is frequently transported to mainland France or Italy for drying and processing before returning to the island.

The project seeks to interrupt this cycle. Its construction system was developed to accommodate timber that had not been industrially dried to the approximately 13% moisture content normally required for traditional timber-frame assemblies.

This decision allowed the Laricio pine to be processed with fewer off-island stages. The architectural response is therefore linked directly to the practical limitations of the regional production chain rather than relying on an idealized notion of local material.

 

 

Material economy and environmental response

The restrained construction supports the project’s environmental objectives. Local timber reduces dependence on materials transported over long distances, while the design of the openings improves daylight and natural ventilation within the apartments.

The project also avoids separating environmental performance from architectural expression. The structural material remains visible in the character of the façades, while the dimensions and position of the openings respond simultaneously to views, interior comfort and the scale of the village.

In this sense, the low-carbon ambition is embedded in decisions concerning sourcing, construction and spatial organization rather than added as an independent technological layer.

Municipal Housing in Corsica ultimately combines social, environmental and architectural concerns within a modest rural intervention. Its significance lies not only in the construction of three apartments, but in demonstrating how public housing, local resources and contemporary design can contribute to the continuity of an inland community.