A few kilometres outside the town of Ierapetra, in Agia Fotia, in a plot of about 4,500 sqm were designed two villas of 115 sqm each, with basement and swimming pool.
The main factors that influenced the design of the buildings and their arrangement on the plot, were the shape of the plot, the orientation and the view to the sea.
The organisation of spaces in each building provides protection from the western sun and ensures privacy from the road that guides the occupant towards the parking area, which is located at the back, where the building’s main entrance is.
Additionally, each building acts as a barrier against the strong northern winds of the area, shielding and embracing the central courtyard.
Due to the narrow plot, achieving optimal visual access to the surrounding views for all spaces within each building presented a challenge. To address this, the primary living spaces of each building were organised across two levels. On the upper level, two bedrooms are strategically positioned, featuring expansive openings that span the entire width of the southern facade. This design allows uninterrupted sea views and creates a fluid connection between indoor and outdoor spaces. One bedroom is connected to an accessible rooftop terrace, while the other opens onto a balcony, both of which maintain a visual connection to the adjacent green roof.
At the level of the ground floor, the kitchen and the living room co-exist in an open-plan space. There is also a bedroom facing east and opens onto a hidden courtyard which is surrounded by water and vegetation that is mirrored on it. The space of the kitchen and living room opens completely to the southeast and becomes one with the central courtyard and the water element which are surrounded by the building.
The water, as an element in the project, merges the external spaces, as it connects the main courtyard with the secret yard of the bedroom while it defines them as a barrier in between. Also, it becomes a pool and through the illusion created by the infinity overflow, the structures are integrated in harmony in an environment overwhelmed by the local vegetation.
The pool, the pine trees, and the olive trees that have been located for years in the southern part of the plot are part of the view that is completed with the endless horizon between sea and sky.
The north and west facades, with the small openings, the simplicity of lines and volumes, combined with the earth palette materiality, intend for a smooth amalgamation of the buildings to the natural surroundings and also attempt to create subconscious memories of the old houses in Crete.
The morphology of the building is organized by emphasizing on the horizontal lines that are defined with clarity by exposed beams, while the exterior compact stoneworks, divide the functions of the spaces and designate privateness. The vertical and horizontal louvers, the interaction of volumes and voids, as well as the transparent glazing panels, handle and open, or respectively protect from the light, the view and the wind. The reference to the work of Aris Konstantinidis, like the stoneworks, and the exposed beams, is intentional, in an attempt to reformulate Greek modernism, to the extent that this can be accomplished.
ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN
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INTERIOR DESIGN
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PROJECT SUPERVISION
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LANDSCAPE DESIGN
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LIGHTING DESIGN
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ΤΕLFORD 46 ARCHITECTS DESIGN TEAM
ARIS THEODORIDIS
MANOS TSELAS
IRO MATTHEOU
STRUCTURAL ENGINEER
DIMITRIS THEODORIDIS
MECHANICAL ENGINEER
NIKI THEODORIDI
CONTRACTOR
PYLON DEVELOPMENT
3D VISUALIZATION
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