RizA II

The project is located in the area with the Toponym “Krotiri”, near Delio, the Sanctuary of Apollo at the top of the Hill.

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. In this way multi-level exterior courtyards oriented towards the view are created. The courtyard space is exploited in order 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 a 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.

It is a continuous dialogue with the intense Cycladic light and shadow, constantly mutating the form of the building.