向阳夏日别墅丨希腊

Architects:Tassos Biris - Sofia Tsiraki & Associate Architects

Area:200m²

Year:2025

Photographs:Mariana Bisti,Babis Louizidis and Katerina Glinou,Nikos Daniilidis

Category:Houses

Lead Team:Sofia Tsiraki, Tassos Biris

Design Team:Sofia Tzavella, Magda Champaloglou, Alkiviades Oikonomidis

Engineering & Consulting > Structural:Nikos Detsis

Engineering & Consulting > Mechanical:Nasos Aronis

General Contractor:Parostec

Landscape Architecture:Garoufalia Marianou, Karolos Chanikian & Manolis Oikonomou

Project Management:Panos Niarchos on behalf of Parostec

City:Agios Georgios

Country:Greece

Text description provided by the architects. The residence is perched above a steep, rocky cape in Antiparos, fully exposed to the northern winds. It overlooks the island of Despotiko -home to ancient ruins- and the open expanse of the Aegean Sea. Oriented westward, it enjoys views of the sunset and the neighbouring islands of Sikinos, Sifnos, and Serifos. The archipelago unfolds below: at times serene and radiant, at others wild and uncanny, embracing the architecture in a constant dialogue with nature.

The ancient presence of Despotiko and the surrounding raw landscape profoundly informed the design. They shaped the conceptual foundation of a house rooted in a timeless, elemental connection to place - a dwelling born from a desire to engage with a deeper, archaic origin of inhabitation. The core design idea emerged directly from the site, during the first physical explorations of the unshaped slope. Central to the concept was the imagined inscription of a cross - two perpendicular axes - on the hillside. This geometrical gesture was inspired by the soaring silhouettes of seagulls, wings outstretched, forming a cross as they hovered above the cape.

The positioning and orientation of this cross became fundamental to the spatial organization, aligning the dwelling with the four cardinal directions and anchoring it in both landscape and light.(a) The east–west axis follows a descending-ascending outdoor movement, leading from the entrance to the sea and the sunset - a gesture aligned with the personal wish of the client. This axis penetrates the composition and culminates in the cantilevered pool deck, framing the horizon.(b) The north–south axis, connecting the rugged, wind-swept northern terrain with the sheltered southern bay and the view toward Despotiko's ruins, serves as the primary, protected circulation route - transitioning from outdoor to semi-open and finally to enclosed interior spaces.

The residence is composed of two principal volumes, structured along these axes:(a) A linear stone wing, irregular in form due to the terrain, serves as a private living area for the children - a contemporary reinterpretation of a fortified, almost "castellated" typology.(b) A vertical, tower-like stone volume accommodates the main family bedrooms and the kitchen.

These two elements embrace the central communal space - the living room - which functions as the heart of the composition. This core space evokes the archetype of the protected courtyard, reminiscent of the ancient Greek "Aithrion", though here it is roofed. The roof is formed by a folded, inclined slab that follows the natural slope of the land, emphasizing continuity with the terrain. The space is bounded on one side by a natural rock wall and opens fully on the other through large glazed surfaces, offering unobstructed views to the west and the sea - an architectural gesture that merges enclosure and openness.

The formal language of the dwelling is expressed through its wings, cubist masses, horizontal slabs, and the folded roof slab punctuated by skylights. The composition reflects a contemporary, site-specific version of Kandinsky's elemental syntax - lines, points, planes, and solids. The vertical volume becomes the upward-reaching conclusion of the composition, a spatial gesture toward the sky. A subtle yet deliberate disruption of the formal grid is introduced through the guesthouse - a freestanding cubic volume encountered along the ascent or descent of the slope. It sits along the exact path we ourselves followed during the first explorations of the site - a path intended to allow the body to perceive the landscape before any design intervention was made.

Exposed structural elements - columns, beams, and slabs - are paired with rough local stone, laid in traditional dry-stone technique both inside and out. Sourced from the site excavation, the stone not only grounds the structure in the earth but also establishes continuity with local building traditions. The contrast between earthy textures, sharp steel elements, and the warmth of wood underscores the dual character of the dwelling: both archaic and modern.

Natural light is a defining feature of the design. It enters through skylights in the roof and multiple framed openings, enhancing the relationship between inside and outside, between living space, landscape, and sun. This spatial experience evokes a distinctly Mediterranean sense of summer - bright, warm, and immersive.

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