Macrame is located above Voulisma beach, in Istron-Kalo Chorio, on the north side of Lasithi, the easternmost region of Crete Island. It consists of different spaces of leisure and it is developed in an area of 10.200 sqm on various levels.
The project includes an open bar, two pools, a water element with sunbeds on the water, areas of relaxation, a small market with summer clothing, and a restaurant. Macrame can be accessed from two points. The east entrance is located on the highest level next to the exterior bar and at the lower level, the north entrance connects the restaurant with the beach.
Regarding the organisation of the project’s spaces, it was decided to keep the existing ground levels untouched, as they were creating an amphitheatrical stage for an uninterrupted sea view.
The buildings are placed at the lower level, on the west side of the plot, close to the back boundary, just to leave the minimum required access for the restaurant’s supplies. In this way, the buildings stay out of the guests’ view, while a square is created in front of them, which is the restaurant’s seating area.
The simplicity of the buildings’ volumes and their organisation gives the feeling that there are small alleys between them, leading to a central axis of movement, which is shaded by loose ropes standing on wooden trunks. This central axis works as a threshold between the buildings and the square. This square is shaded by three pergolas with olive trees in between, under which the guests can enjoy the view. The grid of the pergolas includes openings that let the olive trees freely overpass through. These olive trees are defined by low walls, which transform into built-in sofas for the tables. This pattern creates the feeling that nature interrupts the structures and intrudes in their space.
The pools were adjusted to the existing height levels, continuing the idea of maintaining the natural landscape. Steps of which strict geometry emerges through the sand create possibilities for free movement through the rock gardens and the different levels. The rock gardens support the ground and define the various levels, while they blend the project into the surrounding nature.
The earth colour of the rough plaster, the paving stone and the stonework, as well as the wooden pergolas with the reed or the ropes as shading material, adapt the structures in harmony within the natural environment. In addition, the water as an element of the project reproduces the turquoise water of Voulisma beach.
ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN
ΤΕLFORD 46 ARCHITECTS
INTERIOR DESIGN
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PROJECT SUPERVISION
ΤΕLFORD 46 ARCHITECTS
LANDSCAPE DESIGN
ΤΕLFORD 46 ARCHITECTS
LIGHTING DESIGN
ΤΕLFORD 46 ARCHITECTS
ΤΕLFORD 46 ARCHITECTS DESIGN TEAM
ARIS THEODORIDIS
MANOS TSELAS
PLANNING CONSULTANT
KRYSTALIA MOSCHOVITAKI
STRUCTURAL ENGINEER
GIORGOS SOMARAKIS
MECHANICAL ENGINEER
EMMANOUIL KOTIS
CONTRACTOR
VAVOULAS GROUP
PHOTOGRAPHY
BABIS CHATZAKIS