Kythnos Edge
Summer Housing Complex
Kythnos Greece 2019
Architecture
ADD Architecture Studio
Interior & Light Design
ADD Architecture Studio
ADD Architecture Studio Design Team
Dionysis Koutsioumaris, Argyris Chronopoulos
Photography
ADD Architecture Studio
Awards
11th Biennale of Greek Young Architects
The project concerns the architectural, interior and light design of a hospitality complex consisting of 8 housing units. The plot is situated on a slope within the characteristically raw landscape of the island of Kythnos.
The inclination of the natural terrain allows all houses to have unobstructed views to the sea. Each house is semi-submerged in the rocky landscape. The rooftop of each house is accessible and planted, while as a whole they function as “green landings” of the pubic route of stairs which transverse the whole property. The houses are strategically placed, parallel to the altitude curves, allowing the natural terrain to “flood over” their roofs. The visual result comprises of a harmonious coexistence between natural and man-made landscape.
The project aims to redefine the Cycladic house design by infusing elevated materiality, boho-inspired details, elegant-crafted furniture and contemporary ambient light solutions into traditional island architectural forms. These newly inserted elements add tints of the new onto the old and emphasize the spatial qualities of the design, resulting into a strong visual identity.
The sustainable character of the design is influenced by traditional architectural “patents”, thus ensuring proper lighting and ventilation. Each house is naturally ventilated through an excavated private back yard which also allows daylight to permeate through all living spaces. Each private back yard is equipped either with a pool-jacuzzi or an exotic-plants garden.
The dominant material used throughout the wholeness of this project is natural stone, provisioned to come from the plot itself. The stone gives birth to the perimeter walls of the complex. It also acts as the main supporting element of the structure, cladding the bearing walls of the sub-merged parts of the houses. The choice of local materials acts as a balancing factor, reducing the harshness of the visual impact of the man-made intervention, as most outer surfaces of the complex are integrated to the natural landscape.
