Located in one of the South suburbs of Athens, the site sits between the seacoast and the old airport, an area defined by large plots of land with low rise residential buildings and in relative scarcity of “urban” reference points of the surrounding scenery.
The architectural gesture of a long “L” shaped flowing form along the two main edges of the site seeks to create a threshold between the surrounding scenery and the resulting negative, a courtyard of similar scale to the building footprint. This fluid form “narrows” and “widens” to create “tension” with the enclosed courtyard but is rigid along the perimeter of the site, forming a well-defined edge, opposing the absence of any relationship with the context. The curved edges of the building mass soften the rigid appearance towards the surroundings anticipating a “change” where the house, inner courtyard and the external scenery are connected in a balanced synergy, united by natural light, identifying the recognizable threshold and its tense and continuous relationship between the building and the inner landscaped area.
The building form stretches through a series of large pergolas to cover parts of the courtyard and to create a rather “staged” sequence of closed/open and semi-open spaces where at the same time indicating different levels of transparency and opacity with large openings towards the garden.
The building program is spread over two floors with the main living areas in the ground floor and the private areas on the upper floor, along with the family room, to keep the noise levels in control, with the exception of the master bedroom which is located in an a private corner of the ground floor plan, taking advantage of the orientation, and with direct access to a secluded area of the garden and the swimming pool.
Strategically positioned at the center of the articulated building form and intended to act as a meeting point is the kitchen, where one can oversee the formal and informal activities as part of everyday life. Additional amenities include an external mini basketball court, a gym and a private working area with its own entrance in a small satellite building, opposite the swimming pool.
Large openings that “punch” the fluid form, choreograph and narrate the act of inhabiting highlighting the buildings connection with nature, all flood with natural light.