Category: Summer Houses

On the southern side of Paros, oriented southwest, three residences are conceived as a unified architectural gesture. Instead of repeating standardized volumes, the design adopts a free geometry: a white ribbon that rises from the ground, unfolds organically across the terrain, and embraces the natural morphology.

The proposal follows a dynamic, multifaceted layout that adapts to the topography and enhances spatial experience. The ribbon does not impose itself on the land but flows with plasticity and freedom, creating folds, courtyards, and terraces that align with the site’s natural rhythm.

Architecture here is conceived as transition — a form in continuous evolution, responsive to terrain, light, and orientation. The three residences, though autonomous, are placed on the same elevation and connected through the ribbon, which transforms into roof, wall, courtyard, or veranda as needed. This unity creates coherence while allowing variation.

Planted roofs reinforce integration with the landscape. Using local vegetation such as thyme, aloe, and hardy shrubs, the design establishes a transitional zone between natural and built. Beyond ecological benefits, these layers contribute to thermal insulation, rainwater management, and the blending of architecture with its environment.

Interiors are arranged around protected spaces and courtyards that act as thresholds between inside and outside. These areas provide natural light, shade, and ventilation while ensuring privacy. The geometry of interiors follows the ribbon’s dynamic lines, avoiding static layouts and encouraging movement, flow, and interaction.

Circulation is conceived as an extension of the ribbon: pathways and staircases guide residents through gradual revelations of the landscape. Each step becomes part of an experiential narrative, enriching the user’s relationship with the site.

Ultimately, the project proposes a dialogue between architecture and nature. It does not replicate traditional forms but interprets the spirit of the place. The white ribbon becomes connective tissue between residences, landscape, and people — a geometry inseparable from its setting, embracing, flowing, and evolving with it.

LOFOS is situated on a hill overlooking the island of Naxos, facing east. Surrounded by a peaceful landscape the plot is bordered by a mountain path frequently traversed by animals.

Concept & Integration with Nature:

Nestled within the land’s contours, the house blends seamlessly with the surrounding olive grove. Its jagged outline echoes the rugged terrain, forming an organic structure that feels like a natural extension of the earth.  The architecture appears to emerge from the landscape, as though shaped by time and nature itself.

Spatial Continuity:

A fundamental aspect of the design is the fluid connection between the built and natural elements. The landscape extends onto the rooftops and into the adjacent lot, where the guest house is located. This continuity fosters a dialogue between the mountain path and the living spaces, reinforcing a sense of harmony between nature and architecture.

Roofscapes as Circulation:

The design of the house goes beyond the typical patterns of circulation found within the building, extending these patterns onto the roof. These “roof walks” are a unique feature, responding to the environmental conditions and offering new vantage points. More than a surface, the roof becomes an experiential space—inviting movement, interaction, and a deeper engagement with the landscape.

Integration of Fauna & Flora:

The local fauna is thoughtfully considered in the design, allowing the structure to exist in quiet coexistence with its surroundings. Planting areas and seating elements are seamlessly incorporated, further dissolving the boundary between architecture and nature.

Earthwork Architecture:

Embedded in the Cycladic hills, the house is conceived as an earthwork—an architectural form that feels inherently rooted in the terrain, as if sculpted from the land itself.

LOFOS emerges as a quiet symphony of earth and architecture, where built form and nature intertwine in effortless harmony. Its contours echo the land, its pathways extend the rhythms of the terrain, and its presence feels less constructed than discovered. Here, habitation is not imposed but revealed—a seamless dialogue between shelter and landscape, time and timelessness.

YARN is located in the settlement of Agkairia on Paros. It has a southwestern orientation to maximize light and protect against the strong northern winds characteristic of the Cycladic island.

The plot allowed for the development of this residence with open floor plans, following a curvilinear line that embraces the volumes of the house, creating sheltered courtyards, outdoor spaces, visual boundaries, and sheltered outdoor seating areas.

By incorporating elements of Cycladic architecture found in similar buildings, we designed a house that harmoniously integrates with the landscape, adhering to the principles of bioclimatic architecture aimed at minimizing the building’s environmental footprint and creating protected spaces from the strong winds and heat of the summer months.

Although oriented toward the view, the residence possesses an interiority that exudes tranquility, inspired by the Cycladic monasteries. The large volume of a single building is fragmented into smaller masses, ensuring a harmonious adaptation of the structure to the landscape and significantly reducing the building’s bulk. The courtyard space that connects the separate volumes creates a cohesive residential ensemble.

The entrance on the eastern side is marked by a descent and endemic planting that defines the central axis around which the residence develops. Living spaces are located on the southern side with an open floor plan, while the sleeping and guest quarters are arranged on the northern side in smaller, independent volumes.

Particular attention has been given to every morphological element added to the building to meet the needs of modern residents. The design of the openings is integrated with the architectural character of the structure. The element of repetition and standardization of openings dominates the design. Additionally, the pergola in the BBQ area rests against the stone wall.

The dry stone walls, a unique construction characteristic of the Cyclades, extend in a ribbon along the entire length of the residence, defining its aesthetics in relation to the existing landscape. The largest white volume of the living area is centrally positioned within the residence, adjacent to the swimming pool courtyard.

All elements that compose the surrounding outdoor space—small scales, pergolas, planting, materials, and floor coverings—are directly related to the unique geometry of the project. The composition leverages the irregular layout of the stone walls, which nonetheless conform to the topography and shape of the plot, creating a living space with functions that are interconnected and developed in sequence.

The stone “ribbon” symbolically defines the space and organizes the development of the residence, primarily establishing human intervention by utilizing earth materials, namely stone masonry, with the aim of ensuring the building’s harmonious integration into the environment.

Endemic planting complements and connects the building with its surroundings, delineating the space.

In conclusion, the distinctive geometric arrangement, the simple volumes, the use of unplastered stone walls, and the economy of hard surfaces emphasize the archetypal form of this residence. The landscape architecture is integrated into the project, covering much of the land with vegetation while leaving the majority of the plot intact, preserving its original flora.

 

Yarn Residence / REACT ARCHITECTS | ArchDaily

The vacation home, accommodating five bedrooms and a central living area, is in Kakapetra, on Paros Island; its location features a westward orientation that enjoys panoramic views over Parikia Bay and the open sea. The design drew inspiration from the dry-stone walls and geological formations of the area, seamlessly blending into the landscape like a stone structure that harmonizes with its surroundings.

The site is marked by clusters of rocks and preeminent geological formations; its byname, “Kakapetra,” etymologically translates to “rugged stone” or a place marked by the prominence of stone concentrations.

In such a context, the residence takes shape and evolves, utilizing the excavation’s stone. Traverse walls that face towards the view create passages, entry stairs, longitudinal vistas, and living spaces. These walls mold the building adjacent to the landscape, the place, the stone. While traditional retaining walls, the “pezoules,” evolve in parallel with the topography and elevation relief, the residence’s walls penetrate the ground, emerge from it, and subsequently shape living spaces.

The entrance is located on the eastern side of the plot, at its highest point. As the walls traverse and intersect the dwelling, enclosed courtyards are formed on the western side to protect the bedrooms and establish areas of privacy.

The roof slab rests upon the stone walls, and shelters the living space. The rock, the landscape, permeates the interior and then turns toward the view and the sea. The expansive pergola, as an extension of the reinforced concrete covering, merges the interior and the exterior, unifying the rock, the living room, the courtyard, the view, and the sea into a single sequence. Roofs are complemented with soil for planting, allowing the local flora to continue its journey downhill through and over the building.

A spatial interplay, a succession of events, shapes a contemporary living experience. The building, as a material entity, takes on a secondary significance in relation to the movement, circulation, passages, and room created for human dwelling. The residence serves as a continuation of the natural terrain, declaring its presence through the simplest form of stone walls that demarcate human intervention. These walls, expanding across the plot, invite residents to enter the structure from various points, disregarding conventional pathways in a typical rural dwelling.

The architecture, adopting a modest and reverent approach, doesn’t clearly define the space but extends its boundaries, without overshadowing the arid, rocky environment. The relationship between humans and the stone, as well as nature, constitutes the rationale behind this architectural endeavor. The imprint remains minimal, celebrating the singular Cycladic location.

The sanctity of this place, which encompasses millennia of civilization, guides the architectural intervention , imposing a humble yet simultaneously sincere approach to the Landscape, through a personal interpretation.

Rotating the imaginary axis of the building by 15° was crucial to perfectly frame the view of Makria Myti bay. This adjustment facilitated the creation of all exterior spaces and configurations. The primary objective was to minimally intervene, transforming the building from a cluster of volumes into a residence that seamlessly integrates with the landscape’s morphology and spatial elements.

The building’s design unfolds along parallel and perpendicular axes, forming the characteristic cubic volumes of Cycladic residential complexes. To accentuate this geometric arrangement, three additional parallel walls were incorporated. Two white walls extend towards the entrance, enclosing the staircase leading to the rooftop living room, while a third stone wall on the north facade houses the staircase to the first-floor room.

A notable feature is the palm tree in the enclosed courtyard, adding to the nostalgic ambiance of the Cycladic landscape. The building’s ambiance is further enhanced by the combination of small openings, stone walls accommodating pergolas and decks, fragrances from plants, and meticulous garden landscaping, reminiscent of Monet’s paintings.

Attention to construction details is evident, with specially designed metal pergolas filled with local reed and a minimalist railing that securely attaches to the staircase’s steps. The building’s base is adorned with visible stonework to minimize its volume, while the stone walls extend into the relief, creating leisure spaces, external courtyards, and paths that seamlessly blend interior and exterior environments.

The two houses with a cave guest house are placed on a particularly sloping plot.

The orientation is southwest on the long side, overlooking the sea and the bay of Parikia. The project has its roots in the arid topography of the Cyclades and its white walls emerge from it, unfolding like a ribbon in the landscape forming the volumes of the house and the external and internal living spaces. The surfaces with small deviations give the possibility to exploit the view and create privacy between the two houses.

In this way, a jagged building is created adapted to the particular morphology of the plot.The multi-level exterior courtyards oriented towards the view are created. The courtyard space is exploited to create a single residential complex that nevertheless preserves the privacy of the individual units.

Both the guest house and the main building have openings that unify the interiors with the exteriors and make it possible in the summer months for the residence to grow by making use of the courtyards protected from the northern wind. Another dominant feature of the building is the long narrow openings that find a rhythmic repetition on the checkered facade and intensify the architectural expression. The stone masonry acts as a background to the white ribbon and creates large retaining walls and bridges the large slope of the plot with accesses, or the walls of the underground part that is unified with the large external courtyard in view.

The logic of the ribbon can also be seen in the flexible flows that arise both between the living spaces and the roof. The visitor entering from the central staircase, the highest point of the plot and the road, is led between the white and the stone retaining wall reminiscent of dry stone. From there he can either enter the building or continue his course towards the planted roof and sitting areas and enjoy the view of the bay. The building, although inspired by the materials and layout of local architecture, aims to redefine it through a modern prism. The dipole between white surfaces and stone that enclose the residence highlights a form with plasticity.

The ysterni traɪæŋɡ^əl is in the settlement of Ysterni on Paros and nearby are the remains of the Vigla phryktoria of Ysterni. It was one of the 11 phryktorias that made up the Tinos- Asia Minor communication network during the Mycenaean era. Following the planning of the phryktories, the residence is placed on the hill of Ysterni. It has a southeast orientation for maximum use of light and protection from the strong northerly winds that characterize the Cycladic Island.

The site is triangular, which is sometimes a deterrent factor for the layout of the house due to the sharp and claustrophobic angles. On the contrary, this residence with free floor plans manages to overcome this obstacle and make it the central element of the design. Using also elements of the traditional Cycladic architecture, we designed a residence that is fully in harmony with the landscape with the principles of bioclimatic architecture, the goal of which is the smallest footprint of the building in the environment.

Although it is facing the view, the house has a tranquil interior because it was modeled after Cycladic monasteries. The single building’s vast volume is broken up into smaller volumes. In this way, the building and landscape are harmoniously adapted, and the volume of the house is noticeably reduced. Utilizing the courtyard area that connects the several volumes, a single residential complex is built.

The entrance on the north-west side is marked with interrupted steps which, together with the olive tree, define the central axis around which the residence is being developed. The common spaces are developed on the right side of the axis in a free plan and the private areas are developed on the left, in smaller independent volumes.

Importance has been given to every morphological element that comes to be added to the building, serving the needs of the modern resident. The design of the openings is combined with the architectural character of the building. The element of repetition and standardization of openings dominates the design. Also, the pergola in the bbq area in turn emphasizes the triangular shape of the building.

In conclusion, the triangular arrangement, the modest volumes, the use of stone and wood, the economy of hard surfaces come to underline the archetypal form of this residence. The landscape architecture is integrated into the project by covering the largest part of the building with vegetation and leaving intact the largest part of the plot that maintains its original vegetation.

Located in the area with the toponym “Psilafi” in Paros Greece. As it is betrayed by its Greek name, it is at the highest point of a hill, it has a southwest orientation on the long side, overlooking the sea and Antiparos. The “dwellings” found in the area have a special character due to the topography. It is a series of buildings of local architecture with different uses (houses, warehouses, stables, etc.) and geometry (oncoplasia) that are composed as a whole.

Influenced by the vernacular architecture and its reduction to a more modern and free form, we proposed the creation of white folded walls  that are rooted (riza) to the ground and begin to unfold on the landscape, and can easily adapt to it due to its plasticity.

In this way, a multifaceted building emerges from the ground and adapts to the particular morphology. In this way, multi-level exterior yards facing the view are created. The yard is used as connecting element in order to create a single residential complex that is reminiscent of the local dwellings, “katoikies”.

The guest house is separated from the central volume with the aim of privacy for the tenants. Both the guest house and the main building have openings that unify the interior with the exterior and allow the house to expand during the summer months, utilizing the courtyards protected from the north wind.

Another strong feature of the building is the openings in different sizes and heights that give a more playful mood with the intense and varied shadows that create in the once monotonous white volume.

The logic of Riza is also perceived in the flexible flows that occur both between the living spaces and the roof. The visitor entering from the main staircase is led between the white and the stone retaining wall that resembles the local dry-stone walls in the entrance courtyard. From there he can either enter the building or proceed to the guestroom with the element of water to guide him, or go up to the roof and enjoy the view of Aegean Sea.

The building, although inspired by vernacular architecture, aims to redefine it through a modern prism.

The residence is located on the south side of Paros Island. It has a south orientation with a view towards the sea . The particularity of this plot is its location. Located on a promontory with views in all four directions.

Due to the topography, the residence was designed allowing views through the residence to the sea and the peninsula. Borrowing elements from the architecture of late modernism, translated and designed on a piece of land next to the sea, the residence forms a large roofed surface that rests on bearing walls, walls that acting as panels, defining views and places of inhabitation.

The water elements, the courtyards as well as the planting are spread out next to the  living areas, unifying the sea, the beach, the landscape with the living spaces.

The courtyards are formed next to the living spaces continuing the route from the residence to the sea. The pergolas extend the large slabs, forming a visual continuity with the exterior.

The succession of superimposed walls intensifies the fixation of the gaze on distant or nearby landscapes and helps to focus them on specific elements of the neighboring nature.

The reflections of the water and the infiltration of elements of the space towards the landscape form spaces inside the house. The walls work with the ceiling levels to stimulate movement and shape the architectural walking space. This movement through the elements starts a process of discovery.

The interior spaces are formed in relation to the local architecture, the spirit, the history and the nature of the place but also by the personality and needs of the customers.

The power of the place, its nature and its light, led to the use of entirely natural materials and colors. Their palette has been enriched throughout the project, to achieve this layering that gives the spaces a sense of living.

On the floor a Mediterranean stone, lightly hammered, laid in an intricate and characteristic pattern, covers all the interior and exterior floors, softening the dazzling white of the walls. The blond wood of all the furniture brings nature into the home. Terracotta tiles in bright Mediterranean colors characterize the bathrooms. Fabrics and specially designed rugs also play an important role, with their different fabrics and colors. The lighting is extremely subtle to avoid interfering with the magic of the moon and stars at night.

The architecture presence in this ideal landscape creates a residence, a place of rest and enjoyment. The reference to the Greek summer is evident in the way the spaces are not unambiguously defined and furthermore the fact that they flow towards the Landscape and the Sea. The residence is an interpretation – a borrowing of elements from the principles of modernism (so related to Cycladic architecture) with the aim of unifying and erasing the boundaries between natural and inhabited space.

The plot is located in the southern part of Paros Island. It has a southwest orientation on the long side, overlooking the sea, the bay of Aliki and Antiparos. The building rests on the hillside and adapts to the topography and the terrain’s morphology.

Large transverse walls penetrate the slope. These walls form the back yards and give continuity to the interior of the house towards the landscape.

Spaces created between the walls, define the entrance, organize the garden, give space for a water element and a sheltered courtyard.

These spaces flow from the interior and are shaped by the walls. The walls are visible only from the east side of the plot; therefore, the living scenario is revealed upon entering the residence. A path crosses them, which connects the thematic sections. The path unfolds parallel to the path inside the house, forming views towards the sea and the living areas.

The volumes of the house develop towards the view and project against a low stone wall forming a view to the west. On the one hand they are firmly hooked to the ground and on the other they seem to float towards the view and the natural relief. The same pattern is followed by the intermediate and front yards – balconies that aim at the sea.

The entrance is on the north side of the plot and the highest point acts as a gateway to the residence. Everything is hidden behind the white wall with minimal openings, which welcomes the visitor by concealing the interior layout, as well as the front yards. The composition works with design and functional dipoles.

Hidden spaces and those exposed from the visitor’s eye

Sheltered courtyards with sitting areas and courtyards open to the view.

Inner closed path and the path between thresholds.

Dwelling in Nature and hovering over the slope

The large volume of a single building is broken down into smaller volumes, directly adapted to the terrain. The “Fifth view”, from above, becomes dominant leaning against the hillside.

The architecture swings over The landscape forming spatial units in the attempt to define the scenario of the holiday habitability. The intense Cycladic light elaborately stages all possible scenarios and transforms, during the day, the architectural composition. Architecture embraces human activity, creating an intimacy with space and place.

The site is in the settlement of Pounta in Paros Island, with a view towards the sea and Antiparos from it’ s west side. It has a particular shape, a small slope, and it is within 120 meters from the shore.

The architects responded to the orientation of the site and it’ s polygonal form with Cycladic “gentleness”: the Π shaped plan, protective of the northern winds, the emphasis to the horizontal with the exception of the two-story volume that projects on the second floor towards the southwest, all these elements converse with a disarming simplicity with the environment. Buildings, courtyards, roofs, and the swimming pool interconnect by two “promenades” that give the feeling of a small settlement that extends on two levels.

The central courtyard acts as a nucleus, with immediate reference to the closed spaces and the environment: it is an organic part of the whole that retains both privacy and transparency. The living room and the kitchen are on the ground floor with a view towards the sea. The central bedroom is on the first floor. Four guest rooms are accommodated at the eastern side of the site, within a distance from the main house. The courtyards are situated among the living spaces and they are all adjusted to the natural slope. The fragmentation of the house into smaller volumes answers in modules that we meet at monasteries and traditional housing complexes.

The walls are made of plastered and painted brickwork, the doors and windows of painted wood. Industrial flooring is implemented indoors and outdoors. The canopies that are integrated into the buildings are painted white, and the metal pergolas with the reed canopies are painted dark gray. The landscape design is limited to the courtyards – the rest of the site is left natural.

The basic idea for the landscape design of the surrounding area of the residence was the geometry and the simple architectural design lines of the building. The synthesis of plants is discreetly combined with the structural elements and characteristics of the topography. The plantings create a Mediterranean and xeriscape landscape, with a variety of textures, colors and aromas that provide the space with harmony and seasonality, enhancing the biodiversity of the region.

The interior follows the simplicity of the exterior and the furniture as well as the elements of the decoration complement the architectural members. The volumes are left intact inside and the low partition walls enhance the continuity between the outside and the inside.

Transparencies, Paths, enclosed courtyards, decoration on the borders of absence, stairs that change levels between white panels, compose a entity where holiday relaxation is combined ,forming  an architectural adventure of light and forms .

The site used to be the home of a family of partridges. The family continues to consider the site it’s nest.

Τhe site is located at Ag. Giannis at the municipality of Kostos on the island of Paros. It’s orientation on the long side is southeastern, with a view towards the sea and the gulf of Naxos. The house extends on this side. The building protrudes from the slope of the hill, fully adapted to the contours of the terrain. On the western side it is almost underground. The zig-zagged walls refer to the dry-stone walls of the Cycladic rural landscape. They combine to create a “shell” that maintains a favorable microclimate regardless of the weather conditions.

From the west side and the highest point of the site the visitor descends towards the heart of the house. The rooms of the main house are connected by a long corridor, offering framed views of the Kefalos Cape in Paros and of neighboring Naxos. Upon approaching the house from the road it is barely visible. The descent towards the interior and then outside, to the big outdoor plateau in front is a gradual transition from within the house and the framed views of the Aegean landmarks towards a panoramic view: Naousa, Naxos’ chora, the Antikefalos Cape, the west side of Naxos, Kastraki, Herakleia, and Ios.

The courtyards are paved with mosaic and are positioned next to the living areas. They are adapted to the natural slope. The courtyard on the west side refers to the living room. The living room, the kitchen, and the two bedrooms have a view towards the sea. On a lower level, a semi-subterranean guest house concludes the design.

The doors and windows are made of wood planks, colored grey. The retaining walls are made from stone. The landscape architecture is limited to the courtyards. The rest of the site retains the natural Cycladic landscape.The walls have a low height and they surround the central courtyard following the proportions of traditional architecture. An emphasis has been given to the “fifth” elevation, the elevation of the rooftops. Repetition and standardisation of the openings are of elementary importance to the design.

The architecture has a dual nature: it is both integrated into the landscape geometries “elevated” from them by a distinct white wall that generates living spaces. This wall morphes into a façade that delineates the different levels and organizes living and viewing spaces. The design avoids the typical white volume clustering, defining a series of patios, walkways, enclosed courtyards, descents, and connecting stairs behind the white wall. The architectural language is a result of the use of natural elements. It fills in voids and redefines necessities, images, and living spaces. It complements the surface of the landscape, it takes root, and it becomes an integral part of it’s surroundings.

The plot is located in LAGGERI PAROS ISLAND. It has a north-facing sea view.
The house is located along the south side of the plot, overlooking the beach. The volumes of the houses are lined up to the view and there are protected courtyards as well as courtyards to the sea.
Courtyards are adjacent to the living areas next to the natural slope of the ground. The entrances are located on the south side of the plot and at the highest point.
A second building complex hosts the guest rooms and is architecturally connected to the main building.
The back yard creates a nucleus with direct reference to the living areas and the enclosed “blue” living room – patio.
The building creates views to the sea, through airy openings and integrates visually and functionally the backyard, the residence and the terraces on the north side.
The interior is dominated by materials and colors that enhance the elements of architectural design and unify the exterior with the interior spaces.

Using elements of the Cycladic architecture, the house was designed to adapt to the arid landscape in order to minimize the impact on the environment as we are located near the protected area of ​​Langeri.
Architectural emphasis has been given on the ‘fifth façade’ (roof plan), aiming to exploit the distinct  geomorphology of the area so that the volumes can be harmonized and assimilated into the natural environment.
Landscape architecture is incorporated into the project, covering most of the surrounding area of ​​the building with endemic vegetation, leaving intact a significant part of the plot that retains in its original form.
The house is trying to “root” in the topography by adapting all its architectural and functional elements accordingly. Intense architectural elements are incorporated into the interior of the building. The views are heightened towards the sea and the building acts as an observation-viewing machine, albeit sheltered, from the surrounding.
The transformation of the morphological elements of Cycladic architecture with the aim of creating a modern architectural language constitutes, along with integration into the natural landscape, the guiding principles of design.

To hug is to be intimate, to bond, to protect, to keep close, to fit tightly, to cherish.

This project was visualized as a realisation of this simple yet vital act, and was named accordingly. It is situated in the northern part of the island of Paros, in the Cyclades. We chose to construct two smaller buildings instead of one that would be larger, so that they may discreetly hug the gentle slopes of the cycladic landscape. A central coartyard lies protected from the aegean northern winds.The buildings face eastwards, towards the Aegean and the Bay of Naoussa, and are adjacent to the Environmental Park of Aghios Ioannis Detis. The area is supervised by a special protection order.

The entrance to the complex is situated to the west of the site, at the highest point. It is tucked between the stone buttressing walls. The main purpose of the design was for the buildings to blend into the landscape, and to be of a minimum disturbance to the protected area. A second, rear courtyard, also protected from the northern winds, acts as an outdoor living space with a direct reference to the interior, and organises the various functions. This typology is encountered in monasteries: the living compartments (the “cells”) develop at the perimeter and the main church stands at the center. Similar typologies are found in the traditional “katoikiés”, rural outbuildings encountered in all the Aegean islands.

The stone perimetric walls hug both exterior and interior, creating either open courtyards or enclosed spaces. The plastered white walls are visible only from the inner courtyard, and only fragments of their elevations can be seen by the passer-by. They surround the central courtyard in a way that a certain plasticity of form is achieved, allowing for a unitary approach of architecture. The openings in the walls are adjusted to the architectural character of the building. Repetition and standardisation are predominant, and they are as few as possible. The “fifth” elevation, the roof, is designed with the utmost care, in order for it to be a place of embracement of the sweeping views.

In conclusion, the guiding principle of the design is the transformation of the typological features of the cycladic architecture into a contemporary architectural language that is in dialogue with the arid landscape. The boundaries between the outdoor and the indoor are dissolved, creating thus a space of habitation which embraces human activity and it’s connectivity with the landscape and the “topos”.

The house is located at Ageria, on the island of Paros, in the Cyclades. It faces west, towards the sea. The buildings protrude from the natural slope, and they are aligned on a cantilever slab that floats over the land. On their eastern side lays the patio, protected from the northern winds. The entrance to the house is placed on the westernmost point of the plot. The backyard nestles in the core space between the buildings and the slope, and it extends towards the south side to meet the patio. It is the intermediate between the natural and the built, and between the main house, the common areas, the guest house and the patio. The buildings reinterpret the basic elements of the Cycladic architecture: white volumes interconnect with open spaces, but this time they rest on a cantilever platform, an observation point that touches the earth lightly, with a view towards Antiparos island and the hillside that plunges into the Aegean. A gesture that creates a contemporary architectural language, integrated with the natural landscape, since the platform was part of a pre-existing agricultural terrace. The house is designed as a series of frames towards the view, thus turning the building in a “viewing machine”. We perceive the architectural design as a subtle definition of the Gaze, and the house as a viewing machine, but also an object that itself is subject to observation.

The project SEA PATH  is located in Drios of Paros with east orientation and view towards the sea and the neighbouring island of Naxos. The two houses are developed along the plot, and are  in contact with the coastal path.
The living room and kitchen are positioned on the ground floor and the master bedroom on the first floor. On the west side of the plot and at a distance from the central volume there are three guest rooms. The central two-storey volumes of the houses line up towards the view and a courtyard is designed with a view to the sea. The swimming pool is placed on the extension of the front terrace
The courtyards are positioned next to the living areas. The exterior spaces is used in order to create a unified residential complex.
The placement of the volumes create a meandering path that allows views to the sea.
The proposal places a walk between the building volumes that emphasizes the character of a small settlement. Similar forms – layouts are found in traditional “residential” complexes. The volumes create enclosed courtyards, protected from the prevailing north winds.
The plasticity of the forms is integrated in an architectural unit based on the combination of white plastered and stone volumes. Recesses are designed in the volumes, either on the ground floor or on the first floor, in order to create shading areas.

Inclined two-storey walls intensify the sculpturality of the forms.

This alternation of the materials of the building volumes intensifies the complexity of the paths between them, creating viewpoints.
The design of the openings follows the architectural character of the building.
The transformation of the morphological elements of the Cycladic architecture with the aim of creating a modern architectural language is the guiding design principle.
The design of the building is a dialectic of local and modern architecture, combining the proportions of volumes, the aesthetics of the facades, open spaces and colors in a residential ensemble.

A modern residence in Paros with simple cubistic volumes in a composition that respects the scale that characterizes the architecture of Aegean is designed by the office React Architects – in collaboration with architectural office GEM .The idea was to link the building with the rocky landscape and to create a house that doesn’t stand as a single volume rather as a combination of cubistic volumes . Thus, the house is presented much smaller than its size and simultaneously maintains the scale of traditional architecture. From the entry that is found in the Eastern side, a line of wide steps lead into the residence. Long white walls extend from the house framing the view and creating outside spaces of dwelling.  The house is designed in order that the dynamic form of walls undermines the presence of single built-up volume, and creates the impression of a viewing platform that is turned to the western light and the view of Antiparos.

These walls are element of design and composition, frame the view spectacularly and at the same time create a shield of protection from the north prevailing winds. The house is transformed in a big open space where the inside and the outside are unified with the landscape in order to create exterior spaces in direct contact with the environment.

The house develops in two levels. The white cubic volumes in different heights are placed between the walls, determining uses. In the ground floor  the livingroom, the Kitchen and the dining room in the same single space while, the bedrooms with their bathroom are placed on the sides of house. An internal stairs leads to the floor where the bedroom of householders is placed with an open bathroom.

The house has references in the archetypal models of dwelling with a modern certain output.  In the interior the lack of bisector walls and the complete absence of elements such as curtains that would hide the light create a disposal of absolute freedom. Built by simple materials, plaster in white colour, floorings and bathrooms by poured material, the house is distinguished by austerity and a simplicity in lines.   The water and his light blue sense are present with the swimming-pool, around  which exterior spaces unfolds and views to the west and the sea, that are strengthened by the enclosed form of walls.  A space that submits its own pace,  dictated by the light and air depending on the day and the season.

The house is located in Paroikia, also called Chora, the capital and harbor of the island of Paros which has been inhabited since prehistory.

Paroikia extends from the Kastro (Castle) area, which touches the limits of the coastline, to the Ekatontapyliani church. The layout of Paroikia is determined by circuitous alleys that spread out from the Kastro neighborhood. The settlement’s landscape is characteristic of the development of small-scale property. Small churches and neoclassical houses , contribute to a variety of architectural forms, decorative elements, and colours.

The plot was empty, which is quite rare in Paroikia. The elements of the house are layed out in such a way as to create a unified entirety. They define and protect the courtyard in the south end of the plot, towards which the living room, the kitchen, and the two bedrooms face. The northern courtyard is defined on the one side by the wall that extends on the perimeter of the plot, and on the other, by the kitchen and the storage rooms. On the southern side, attached to the neighboring plot, there are two workshops and one storage room. On the eastern side, again beside the neighboring plot, two small yards accommodate the bedrooms and the workshops.

The floor plans are developed in harmony with the traditional settlement. The central courtyard, the nucleus of the housing complex, refers to the layout of the ancient houses. The decision to fragment the volumes of the house is essential to retain the views from within the neighboring houses; a characteristic element of the traditional house-type. The wall at the perimeter of the plot is preserved and is perceived in independent frames from the alley wanderer.

The house is in full view from the surrounding balconies and roofs. It is basically a series of cubistic forms behind a tall courtyard wall. It is an interplay between open and closed space, void and full, light and shadow. In Paroikia, to dwell was to coexist: this is a concept that we wished to embrace and reflect in this project. It was a co-existence of the old with the new, the hidden with the apparent, of architecture and of non-architecture.

It is not a “modern” interpretation of local architecture, but an intention of connecting the human scale with the mysticism of a historic settlement. The formations and the relations of the individual spaces attempt to define the concept of dwelling in a modern way, liberated from the usual reproductions of traditional forms

The purpose of the study is the design of two houses with a view to the sea and the Bay of Kolymbithres in paros island. The houses are placed at the eastern area of the plot.

Ancient spaces are the connecting element of the dwellings. Spacious corridors with large terraces lead to spectacular “plateaus”, penetrating outdoor and indoor spaces. Planting is strengthened in the inner yards and the perimeter of the plot with an artificial hill.
On the south side of the dwellings there are openings only in the internal sheltered courtyards and in the east side is dominated by plantation with local vegetation . In the northwest there are large openings and viewing outdoor seating areas.
The basic principles of the entire intervention are:
The use of the archetypal form of the wall, an element known in the Cycladic landscape, sometimes as a boundary and sometimes as an element of habitation.
Adaptation to the environment, unification of the interior of the building with courtyards, accesses and scales.
The splitting of larger volumes with small movements in order to create protected yards from the intense northern winds.

In the courtyards mulberry trees offer shade. There is a network of paths that tranceds the back of the houses and enables views to the sea.
The creation of a residential complex that gives a strong habitation identity and leaves a unique design footprint on the otherwise mild landscape.
The use of intense Cycladic light. In the views created by moving, between walls and spaces ,shades of blue and intense shadows dominate,  transforming the building into a viewing machine.
The swapping of materials, with the continuous movement of the plastered wall ,surrounding the dwelling and the stone walls that function as a filling panel, creat spaces both indoor and outdoor.
The complex of the two residences either opens to the scenery, and at times it is hermetically closed, creating intense shades and long views in the Gulf of Kolymbithres, surrounded by  Mediterranean plantation offering generous outdoor living.

Purpose of the study is to design two summer homes with guest houses, overlooking the sea and neighboring island of Antiparos. The residences located on the highest point of the lot. The courtyards constitute the conjunctive element of residences.  Wide stairs lead to landings in the large viewing “plateaus”, traversing indoors and outdoors spaces. Planting is enhanced on roofs and intermediate yards.

In the north and south sides of houses openings only appear in courtyards. The east side is dominated by planting with local vegetation and the sight of the transverse walls.

The basic principles of the whole design procedure are:

The use of the archetypal form of the wall element familiar in Cycladic landscape, sometimes used as a limit and sometimes as an element of habitation.
Adaptation to the environment and dissolution of boundaries between lived and natural spaces. Integration of the interior of the building with the courtyards, the accesses and the stairs.

The split of bigger volumes with small movements to create courtyards sheltered from the strong northerly winds. In the courtyards mulberries are planted to provide shade. Back yards exist through the whole project and through the large openings viewing to the sea is possible.

To avoid the design of a single plane facade. Elongated openings piercing the transverse walls to set the sights and to create spaces with visual continuity.
The creation of a residential complex which leaves intact the natural landscape and adapts to the slope of the plot, so that the east side is almost buried.
The use of intense Cycladic light. Shades of blue and intense shadows dominate the views created while moving trough walls, spaces and landscape. The building is transformed into a viewing machine.

The plot is located at the island of Paros in the Cyclades. It has orientation in the big side South-western with view to the sea. The project concerns a summer house with hostels and a pool. The place of the residence is to benefit of the view to the Aegean Sea. The houses volumes are placed on a Π shaped layout with a central courtyard as according to traditional prototypes. The central courtyard organises the operations, creating a central core in direct report to the uses around it. Using the elements of the Cycladic Architecture, we designed a building that is adjusted to the landscape, split in different levels. In this way the adaptation of the building to the landscape is harmonious and the volume of the central residence is the least possible. The building from the eastern side is almost entirely adjusted to the ground. The architecture is subjugated in the landscape and at the same time is using the intense Cycladic light to elect a particular morphology using as background the arid landscape and the endless blue.

The house has references in the archetypal models of dwelling, with a modern certain output.  In the interior the lack of bisector walls and the complete absence of elements such as curtains that would hide the light create a disposal of absolute freedom. Built by simple materials, plaster in white colour, floorings and bathrooms by poured material, the house is distinguished by austerity and simplicity in lines.   The water and his light blue sense are present with the swimming-pool, around which exterior spaces unfolds and views to the west and the sea.  A space that submits its own pace, dictated by the light and air depending on the day and the season.

The house is located in the settlement of Kamari on the island of Paros. It has west orientation on the long side, facing the sea and Antiparos. The housing volumes are lined up linearly to the view, creating a courtyard attached to the slope on the south side.

Courtyards are formed adjacent to the living room, in dependence on the natural slope. The roofed pergola courtyard is protected from the northern winds in direct relation to the living room and the pool.

A wide staircase connects the outdoor sitting with the water element. On the rooftop, a lounge area is formed with panoramic views of the mountains and the sea extending the outdoor space on the roof of the house. The staircase leading to it, constitutes an integral design element.

The large volume of a single building, breaks down into smaller ones, directly adapted to the terrain. In this way the adjustment of the building in the landscape is smooth and the volume of the housing is as small as possible.

The house is positioned along an existing plateau. Great emphasis is given to the “fifth” aspect, ie roofs, as the housing is adapted to the natural environment.

The design of the openings is associated with the architectural style of the building. The element of repetition and standardization of openings dominates the design leaving the white volumes almost intact.

On the interior, jointly with their owners, a pair of professionals in the cinema field, construction materials dominate the design, such as exposed concrete ceilings and industrial flooring as well as wood construction in white color, as a continuation of the walls.

The furnishings and décor were selected so to leave the shell intact, highlighting the selected furniture pieces. Vintage objects but also designer pieces from Greece and abroad were chosen, in order to create an aesthetically bridging between architecture and design.

The transformation of the morphological elements of the Cycladic architecture using a modern architectural language were, together with the integration into the natural landscape, the guiding design principles of this project

The holiday home, in Kakapetra, Paros, is located on a sloping plot outside the city plan, with unobstructed views of the bay of Parikia. The building is set on the central plateau of the plot, overlooking the sea.
The dominant element is the feeling of an intense Cycladic landscape with monolithic vegetation on rocky, arid soil. In response to such an environment, sculptural forms are created in a fluid, architectural composition that always remains “imperfect”. Synthetic principles that are also found in the wider area, in the traditional rural houses, the so-called “dwellings”.
The house in Kakapetra is characterized by plastic forms that create “housing containers”. Open shapes and curved lines enclose freely demarcated spaces. The resulting movement, within them, is smooth and continuous with a single-fingerprint imprint. A similar relationship is observed in its connection with the inside and the outside. The boundaries are diffused in order for the movement to continue, uniformly.
This particular concept of architectural composition can accept different interpretations and multiple scenarios of habitation, precisely because of the fluidity and the unified space and movement. Moreover, the composition of spaces and volumes is only one version of the multiple combinations that can result from such an treatment.
Functionally, the building is developed in three different volumes:
The main system, with the master bedroom, open bathroom and office, the kitchen with dining area and the living room. A second single volume that houses the hostel. A third outdoor, covered area serving a secondary outdoor kitchen with dining area and a small spa.

The plot is located at the island of Myconos in the Cyclades. It has orientation in the small side Northerner, with view to the sea. The project concerns a summer house with guest houses and a pool. The place of the residence is to benefit of the view to the Aegean Sea. The building is preexisting and the proposal concerns the designing of the interior and the exterior – landscape and pool. A large courtyard is designed in order to accommodate a long lap  pool and the sitting area. Stone walls are created to protect from the prevailing north winds. The setting of the exterior walls on a Π shape courtyard provides the best view towards the Aegean Sea and accommodates a comfortable exterior living area. Long stone walls form areas of gathering, eating, lounge and enclosures for the privacy of the bedrooms on the ground floor. Thus the building is adapted to the arid Myconian landscape stretching along the site. On the interior, design features from well known artists as well as sculptural forms are used to create a relaxing space that accommodates a family with its guests. The aim to design a resort house with the minimal intervention and the shuttle use of the existing is achieved by using elements such as Wooden decks, treated cement textures, stone plastered walls and light wooden pergolas .A canvas is created on which the house transforms to a sensual habilitation of the landscape.

On the south side of the island of Myconos is the holiday home that we designed and renovate.

The colors and forms are combined appropriately simplifying the volumes of the house, similar operations were performed outside in order to unify the exterior spaces using stone elements and materials that strengthen this logic.

The goal was the removal of elements and to simplify the forms as possible in order to create a house that will offer a pleasant and relaxing holiday. The color palette used in grayscale aligned with a minimal interior.

Simplicity leaves essentiality be revealed and highlights the beauty and drama of the landscape combined with the impressive view to the sea and the Aegean.

The Taxiarhaki  Estate is a traditional Cycladic villa, resembling the first developments of the small Cycladic villages. It is built on the highest spot of a hill overlooking the port of Paros, offering a breathtaking view of the absolute blue of the Aegean Sea.
The bedrooms, the living room and the dinning room have a view of Portes reefs and the Aegean Sea.
The surrounding area awakenes the guest’s senses and emotions. The rocky landscape at the background of Taxiarhaki Estate, the gentle sinking of the sun within the Aegean Sea, and the golden path on the surface of the sea created by the full moon, enrich the estate’s exceptional beauty elements.

The duplex is part of a complex of four houses. The ground floor is 70 m2 and of the first floor is 40 m2.

Τhe ground floor  accommodates the living- dining room, an open air kitchen and one bedroom. The first floor has two bedrooms with an unobstructed view towards the sea.

The house sits over the bay of Kolymbithres , on a hill overlooking the Naoussa area. The complex was built in 1990 so the house needed a total renovation. The intervention consisted of altering the facades of the building as well as the interior and exterior spaces.

The goal of the intervention was to make the house resonate a more modern atmosphere and to incorporate new types of materials. All the installations were redone, electrical and plumbing, and an external thermal insulation was applied to the building. The external areas were blended to create more ample outdoor space. At the exterior a poured flooring was applied (drain type) , covering all the areas including the stairs.

A modern Cycladic approach characterizes the design and the new openings were carefully positioned in order to provide views to the sea and at the same time open light wells towards the interior. The interior was decorated taking in mind the aesthetic of the building. The furniture was chosen specifically to enhance a summer style living, and a mosaic floor was applied in the interiors. A light pergola shades the main terrace and provides an outdoor living space,  complete with built in benches.

React Architects have a long and experience working with Cycladic architecture. They have transformed this small duplex into a modern niche that overlooks the sea,  and offers it’s space for a relaxed summer vacation.

The plot is located in the southern part of the island.
The complex of the two buildings is developed in steps in plan and in section with the level of each house and the surrounding area to be adapted to the natural level of the ground.
The alignment of the walls that compose the two buildings is radial so that there is a slight rotation of one volume from the other, like snapshots through a camera lens. Between the two buildings is created a through courtyard that frames the view to Antiparos.
Important elements of the natural environment such as the forest at the back of the house and the large tree in the central courtyard emerged as dominant architectural tools.
Large openings have been avoided in order to maintain the tectonic sense of the volumes, while the small openings have the form of holes-frames in the view.
An attempt is made to refer to a Modern Cycladic Architecture that transforms morphological elements and knowledge from the past for the creation of a modern language.
The division of the house into smaller volumes, the stepped structure of the handrails, the chimney and the stone terraces, create the feeling of a cubist sculptural composition, which is transformed during the day by the natural light.