At every stage of the creative process of a project, we aim to, through dialogue and constant analysis, to understand and satisfy the uniqueness of each client's lifestyle. We want the final design space to be a new powerful and sensory experience for the one who inhabits it.
At the same time, our love and respect for the natural environment is always the core and fundamental principle in each of our architectural journeys, from the creation of the design concept to the completion of the construction. We believe that the sustainability of an architectural project lies in its harmonization with the particular characteristics of the place (natural and built) where we are called upon to integrate it, thus contributing to the preservation and promotion of its identity.
Renovation of an old hotel of 80s to eight detached residences.
In the bay of Ysternia, in Tinos, on an imposing rock in front of the sea, stands a building constructed in the 80's, originally intended to serve as a hotel. This is the reason for its current image.
This specific location was the core for the approach of architectural design. The aim is to improve its aesthetics and to respond to modern residential needs, especially in the summer season, by designing independent luxury residences.
During the first visits to the project site and moving around the inside, what was clearly captured was the sense of floating that it exudes. We chose to keep and emphasize this feeling mainly through the redesign of the exteriors, which had been damaged.
To restore its total appearance, to reduce its size and make it appear as a continuity of the rock, the two lower levels were covered with stone, of the same tone as that on which it rests, to integrate it into the surrounding area.
The direct interaction with the coastal landscape of the bay of Ysternia led to the choice of the palette of materials used, with the main characteristic being the use of metal corten in the cladding of the balcony and parapets. The characteristic of this material is that it has the effect of the external environment and corrosion on its surface, so it is in direct agreement and dialogue with the effect of the sea on the structure. This is an attempt to reflect the transformation that the passage of time brings to the structure from the beginning.
Morphologically, the dialogue with the sea can be seen in the wave that is attempted to be created by the sequence of the extrusions and the alternation of their shape, both along the same level and per level. The metal balconies are enclosed by architectural projections that frame the view of the sea and reinforce this architectural “wave ".
Building-wise, the project involves the design of eight independent residences, divided into two on each level of the building. Each house is designed to serve four people and includes a living, kitchen, and dining area and two bedrooms with two bathrooms. Emphasis was placed on creating, of sufficient areas, outdoor spaces, and outdoor living areas.
Design of a complex of residences within the traditional settlement of Arnados.
The study concerns the design of a complex of three residences within the traditional settlement of Arnados, in the Municipality of Tinos.
The main factors were to make the best possible use of the southern sunlight and the view, protection from the northern winds and at the same time integration into the topography of the area and the architectural settlement environment.
At the same time, the aim is for each of them to operate independently, ensuring their privacy, but the combination of the three to form a single whole and reflect the sense of belonging to it. We have therefore chosen to design the houses on either side of two imaginary axes, which in fact represent the main axes of movement to and from them. These axes separate the volumes from each other but at the same time unify them at their intersection. The above intersection point acts as a focal point for the residents to meet and socialize and is the gathering point for all the collective activities of the complex (communal bosom and ancillary spaces). Finally, in order to integrate the building into the topography, a scaling of the volumes is sought, starting from the street level and following the slope of the ground.
More specifically, the project concerns the design of three detached houses, one two-storey and two ground floors with basement. The placement of the houses on the plot was made with a view to the best possible integration into the traditional settlement, without harming the adjacent properties and respecting the scale of the site as follows: The two-storey dwelling is placed in the north-western part of the plot, at the junction of the country road and the municipal road - path, which is adjacent to the western boundary of the property. Through the above design proposal and not covering the entire northern boundary of the plot with a building, it is sought to protect, to the maximum extent possible, the view of the building located upstream of the road. At the same time, a second volume - an architectural projection - is created in this building, with reference to the geometric openings found in the dovecotes of Tinos. With respect to the above traditional architecture, an attempt is made to borrow these characteristics in order to highlight them through modern design and appropriate lighting. Each of the remaining two houses consists of two levels, ground floor and basement.
The design of the openings was made with a view to the best connection between the interiors and the open-air - courtyards and the framing of the particular characteristics and views towards the surrounding area: the view towards the surrounding settlements , the sea and the dovecote to the west of the house. Finally, to improve the quality of ventilation and lighting of the underground spaces, the skylights on the respective basement facades contribute to the improvement of the ventilation and lighting quality, as well as the creation of a skylight space in the residential areas with the basements
Sōma is a compound from the words solid mass and a conceptual synonym from the etymology of the ancient Greek “body”. The building is integrated with the ground creating the ultimate unity.
The dynamics of the above is stated through the angled engravings, turning the composition into a landscape architecture. The steep, rough and rocky landscape of Tinos was the inspiration for these engravings which define the points where the ground rises to reveal its essence.
The study concerns the design of two residences with guesthouses and small-scale swimming pools within the traditional settlement of Arnados, in the Municipality of Tinos.
The primary material for the creative process was, on the one hand, the "handmade" natural environment of Tinos, with the countless "stairs and, on the other hand, the buildings known as ‘kelia’, which are found throughout the island and are fully integrated as a form with this landscape.
Based on all of the above, a grounding of the architectural composition is sought in a variety of ways:
The residences are structured on one level, throughout their entire length and are adapted to the natural environment, leaving the second to continue its natural presence on either side and above them. All four houses are developed on the east-west axis, with the northern side of the houses joining the ground, protecting the buildings from the wind and at the same time revealing the southern side to the view of the surrounding settlements and the Aegean Sea.
Overall, the composition aims to reinforce the inseparable connection between landscape and residence, through both the human experience of them, which starts from the path and continues with the transition from it through the plot of land to the open space of the residence first and then inside it.
Highlighting all those features that make up the rural landscape of the area was the central design focus: The path - a backbone, which runs along the entire length of the north-eastern boundary of the plot, is the one that connects the settlement with the intervention area and leads in a chain from one house to the other.
Each of the residences consists of a linear arrangement of volumes, on the east-west axis, alternating both in terms of their cladding material (white plaster and stone) and in terms of their position, with the second ones moving back to the north. In this way, the houses are organically tied to the ground, turning their backs to the air and creating protected open spaces, while also taking advantage of the view of the surrounding settlements and the Aegean Sea. All of the above leads to a compact pattern of architectural, geometric and topographical features of the Tinian natural and man-made landscape.
Starting from house A, access to it begins from the stepped municipal path. The resident then enters the plot and on foot approaches the first stone cube, which acts as a patio and entrance threshold to the house. In this way a sensory escalation is sought in terms of the resident's perception from the outside to the inside.. On the outside, in the recesses created by the retreat of the volumes, the open spaces of the house, such as the living and dining room, are designed, as well as green spaces with olive trees.
In continuation of the open space of dwelling A, the transition to dwelling B - the guest house - is made. This dwelling, is of smaller surface area. In terms of volume, it is chosen here to emphasize the cube shape, made of stone, in reference to the archetypal form of stone cells found on the island.
Finally, we find the remaining two houses. The entrance is also made here from the same path that runs through the plot to the east. Between dwelling C and D, a space is planned with a stone perimeter, which has the role of a connecting link between them, as a patio - threshold. This space, leads to the entrances of the two houses in opposite directions. House D, consists of two-room rooms ( living room - kitchen) and a bedroom and bathroom area in continuation of the previous ones. In house C the entrance is placed in the living room area. This volume, is located in the center of the floor plan. This design was intended to provide privacy to the bedroom spaces by dividing them at the two ends.
The dormers of the white render-faced volumes continue the natural ground with the planting that the study area displays, so that the overall image does not impose itself on the larger whole and is in harmony with it
The materials chosen are natural and rough and serve the architectural design, capturing and emphasizing the geometric shapes chosen and the perception of the set of sensory stimuli it wants to evoke. The alternation of volumes is emphasized by the alternation of stone and white plaster on them. The stone is chosen to clad the volumes with the cubic character so that the reference to the cells is evident. Continuing and with the use of local materials in mind, grey marble is used in the presses and aprons of the openings ( doors and windows) , which remain external and visible in order to be imprinted on the facades of the project. Finally, the pergolas in the courtyards of the houses will be made of wood. All the above colour tones and external geometric features are drawn from the palette offered by the natural and residential environment of Tinos.
Filippidou 12,
Tinos 84200
tel: 2283024065