The site is situated in a 2.600 square meter plot of land in a rural region in the outskirts of the settlement Ano Gavrio in Andros.
The strong inclination and the existing parables of the landscape, the nearby water creek with its dense vegetation (olive trees and sycamore trees) as well as the view to the sea in the west and the proximity to the port of the island are distinctive elements of the site that influenced our design decisions.
Following the natural inclination of the site, the three residences A, B and C (114,40 m2, 131,29 m2, 124,92 m2 respectively) are placed on three different levels.
The position of the buildings ensures the optimal integration of the buildings within the environment and their ability to extend into spaces that follow the already existing morphology of the ground. Additionally, the different levels between the buildings as well as within their interior, offers the desired optical relation of each residence to its surroundings as well as privacy from the neighboring houses.
From an architectural point of view, the residences constitute variations of one basic idea, the spacial representation of the earthly polarity of the human body. The bedrooms are located within cube-shaped volumes supported by stone and elaborated with small openings so as to follow the morphology of the traditional stone buildings of the area. In contrast with the stone cubes, the living rooms are designed as elongated plastered volumes.
The sleeping areas constitute the chthonic part of the composition, firstly due to the stone support and secondly due to its placement at a lower level, closer to the ground. Therefore, they provide the residents with a natural withdrawal for the night. On the contrary, the living rooms are placed higher and are more perforated in the eyes of the observer. Thus they reflect an aerial bodily experience during the day.
The roofs of the stone volumes are walkable (and partly planted with grass). They are accessible from the outside through steps extending from the stone walls that form the surrounding space. Thus there is a continuous flow of movement through the building, which creates various spaces from which to enjoy the view.
Residence A can be accessed from the municipal street and residencies B and C through a ramp for cars, since they are built at a lower level. Each residence offers two parking spots and the entrance is in all three cases in the east. The entrance of residence A is at the same level as the parking lot, while one can enter residences B and C through vertical staircases.
The initial attempt was the gradual reveal of the view while descending from the different entrances. Through the openings on the western facades, the view opens to the favorable orientation.
Each of the three residencies has an elongaded pool designed in a way that resembles cisterns, a characteristic element of the rural architecture of the island.
All in all, the architectural decisions followed the needs for a contemporary, holiday residence, taking into consideration the characteristics of the island traditional architecture as well as the morphology of the ground.
