Project A – House in Santorini

The project is a one-story house located in Exo Gonia, in Santorini. The concept behind the composition was to combine traditional elements and transform them into a contemporary design.
On the exterior, the building appears as a monolithic mass, resembling traditional fortresses and monasteries.
The building is designed based on a grid. The recessed walls create unique points of view around the building. These derive from a distortion of the designing grid. Small narrow openings on the exterior walls further enhance the fortified feeling. Exceptions are the openings at the east side of the house framing the inner courtyard, providing a glimpse to the interior and creating the main entrance.
The entire house is designed around the big, communal patio. A small pond and an outdoor relaxing area are also located in this area. This element is a reference to the traditional “Hestia”, which was a central space that every domestic function revolved around, used as the main meeting point.
The personal spaces of the house are located on the south side. There are three bedrooms -one of them master- with en suite bathrooms. The common areas of the residence, such as the kitchen, dining and living areas are located on the north side of the residence.
This separation allows different levels of privacy in each space, all connected through the main courtyard.
At a first glance the building is of white color, but on the inner patio and the small recessed areas, there is a vibrant, indigo color, traditionally called “loulaki”. This pop of color highlights the key designing elements and draws attention to the interior.