The 150m² house is located in the southeastern side of the island, overlooking a deserted gorge. The choice of concrete in this project is a reference to kathikies, the scattered, earthen agricultural constructions that appear as accents in the local dry-stone walls, dotting the landscape.

This is a monolithic, primitive kind of housing, completely integrated into the landscape because of its materiality, of its light-absorbing properties that keep it invisible in the terrain, and its scale. Concrete resembles molten stone, in its neutrality, monolithic character and color affinity. The wooden board formwork alludes to stone building, giving the impression of an articulated material.

The house is broken into three distinct volumes, each one housing a bedroom, and a shade delineating the living room. All movements and accesses are from the outside. The organization follows three different qualities of the outside view: The living room enjoys panoramic vistas and, as a result, becomes theatrical; from anyplace the view of the surroundings is comprehensive.

Movement towards the bedrooms organizes vertical glimpses and captures the view in frames, becoming cinematic. Two parallel walls limiting the bedrooms frame a given landscape, like a painting. Those three different qualities are framed by concrete. Its grey color fades, the neutrality of the frame creates the illusion of its absence, and the feeling that the view is limited, disappears.

The different conditions of moving and seeing are defined with the use of grey mass, vanishing the limits. The tenants, the space and its objects come into a relation between object and background, where the latter is the house’s concrete structure.

Kokkinou Kourkoulas Architects and Associates

Yorgis Yerolymbos

ek241 October 2019

The post Concrete Frames was originally published on ek magazine | Architectural Publications | ek magazine – Architectural Publications.

BiancoVillas is a compound of two deluxe maisonettes – “Adam” and “Eve”. This bespoke architectural project in the Pefkos area of Rhodes, resulted in two minimal summer houses with a bohemian atmosphere.

The individual white shapes of each house intersect in order to compose a single, monolithic building volume. The project involved the transformation of an existing concrete building frame in two single houses. The design procedure prescribed shared functions between the two houses, reflected in the architectural result.

The interior of each house accommodates three en-suite bedrooms, a large living area and a kitchen. Every room is designed considering the orientation and view. The communal spaces open towards a swimming pool (one per individual house) and an outdoor kitchen. Large pergolas filter the sunlight, creating a pleasantly relaxed outdoor sitting area.

Dimitris Melenos | Klimis Katogas

Harry Zampetoulas

The post Bianco Villas was originally published on ek magazine | Architectural Publications | ek magazine – Architectural Publications.