Project B – Four houses in Santorini

Project B is located in Santorini. The brief called for a housing complex, consisting of four individual vacation houses.The plot is of 6.000 square meters approximately. The surrounding area is not densely inhabited and the presence of the wild, Cycladic, natural environment of the island is unique.Due to the shape of the plot and local building regulations, the available space for construction was limited.
The main goal throughout the designing process was to create small, functional spaces that exploit in the best way the view to the Aegean Sea and connect seamlessly with each other, creating a unified form.
Each residence has three levels, a ground floor, a basement and an attic. The ground floor area of two of the houses is of 41 square meters approximately and respectively of 43 square meters of the other two. In this limited area, it was necessary to provide small spaces that conform to the daily activities without sacrificing their functionality. The final design consists of an adjoining kitchen, dining and living area, with a bedroom and en suite bathroom. The attic features an extra bedroom and lavatory, to accommodate additional guests. The basement is used as ancillary areas for the rest of the house, mostly for storage. Each house has its own private patio for sightseeing and a private jacuzzi at the terrace. Behind the houses, there is an outdoor shared space for social gatherings of the residents.
The final image is a continuous form with high and low points connecting with sloping walls, creating small outdoor planted and living areas between the built volumes. Varying levels of privacy throughout the composition help to better accommodate the different uses. The color was selected to complement the natural hues of the landscape, but also transfuse a unique identity to the structure.