Sequences

The proposal draws inspiration from the landscape and the vernacular architecture of the island of Kythnos where dry-stone walls, rock formations and rural cells (kelia) compose the topography of the countryside and constitute its main characteristics. Their local density creates natural rock gardens and visual landmarks.

The spatial organization of a rural chapel opposite the village of Dryopida is used as a design tool. The chapel with its enclosed courtyard and a tree in the middle, a building that functions as an auxiliary space, sections of dry stone that form the terraces, a threshing floor and a cell at the bottom of the stairs, are all parts of a composition that is both complex and harmonious.

The purpose of the proposal is the contemporary reinterpretation of this composition into 4 detached country houses, scattered on the dry slope of a southern bay. The retaining walls and terraces create corridors, thresholds, stairways that cross and intersect with the buildings, forming internal courtyards that protect from environmental conditions. They create spaces of privacy and openings where the view is revealed in order to give more importance to the landscape.

The lowered roof slab of the entrance roof acts as a transitional element – a spatial arm of the dwelling. It is supported between the two main volumes, penetrates the interior and extends towards the view and the sea. Pergolas, living rooms and courtyards are organized in a single spatial sequence that ends at the sea.