Aloni / decaARCHITECTURE
Architects: decaARCHITECTURE
Location: Antiparos, Greece
Project Team: Alexandros Vaitsos, Carlos Loperena, Elena Zabeli, Kyle Gudsell, Katerina Chryssanthopoulou
Owner: Oliaros AE (Antiparos Design Projects)
Structural Engineers: KYMA / Manos Kyriazis
Mechanical Engineers: TEKEM / George Kavoulakos
Contractor: Kataskevastiki Topometriki Parou ABETE / Nikos Kaggelis
Landscape Designers: Doxiadis+ / Thomas Doxiadis
Project Area: 237 sqm
Project Year: 2008
Photographs: Erieta Attali, Ed Reeve, decaARCHITECTURE
The design of the house is a dual response to the particular topography of the site and to the rural domestication techniques that in the past shaped the raw ‘Cycladic island’ landscape.
In the past, dry-rubble stone walls domesticated the land for agricultural purposes and were the most prominent man-made interventions in the landscape. The walls retained earth and transformed a steep topography into a series of arable plateaus. Today, the Cycladic islands are being reshaped by a very different force: the demand for holiday homes. The design uses the precedent of earth-retaining stone walls to create an artificial landscape that is both rural and domestic in use.
floor plan
The site is a natural saddle where two slopes meet. In the North-South axis the slope rises between two hills while in the East-West axis the slope drops, opening to the sea views. Two long stone walls bridge the hills allowing the house to nestle in the space within while maintaining the continuity of the landscape which flows over it. This simple strategy blurs the edges of the house and makes its mass imperceptible within the broader skyline of the island.
The presence of the house is revealed by the four courtyards carved into the flowing landscape. The courtyards separate the living spaces into five interior areas, an arrangement which resembles the fifth side of a dice. As a result, the house is protected from the elements yet is full of natural light, generous views and a compact but rich relationship to its setting.
section 01
The name of the house itself, Aloni, refers to the remains of a crop-harvesting circle that was found and preserved as part of the agricultural past of the site.
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- site plan
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- floor plan
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- roof plan
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- elevation
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- section 01
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- section 02
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- section 03
RT @archdaily: Love this house: http://bit.ly/7yAE92
Here are the other projects of the same developer on the same plot.
http://www.oliaros.com/
Congratulations! This is amazing.
why archdaily is posting the old project that has been posted here? ???
because architecture is made to last at least two years ;)
It’s the first time we feature this project in ArchDaily. Aloni was presented as the Piranesi Awards winner before, but with just one image (http://www.archdaily.com/41698/piranesi-awards-2009/)
I'd Live Here: Aloni. http://bit.ly/5JfMRP
Love it. Beautifully sculpted into the site and with interesting ideas towards adapting the way spaces work to an unusual landscape. Especially love the sloping garden.
for the most part I really like this project.
what I don’t like is the limited views that you have from the interior. This is a view picturesque site yet the only view you have from the living room is the “courtyard” slot cut thru the structure. the side walls are litterally blinders which cut you off from the surrounding terrain. the most buitiful views are hidden behind these little punch openings. the project description sais “generous views” but that’s really not the case.
seems like the designer spent all his energy making sure that the building blends in with the surroundings (which is does wonderfully) and not enough time thinking about the occupants.
I would probably agree with you if this house was in a different context but in the Cyclades the windows are traditionally small and it is forbidden by the law to have huge openings anyway. The small windows keep the interior cool despite the hot sun in the summer. It is the most appropriate thing to do for this specific climate. These small windows are set in a row to maximize the view..
Herzog & De Meuron – winery?
Great images of an interesting project.
masterpiece
Wonderful work
well done
Great job. It’s only missing the swiming pool ahah
12:49 AM Sep 1st
http://www.archdaily.com/45925/aloni-decaarchitecture/ ||| NICE, remainds me of our studio apartment projects , 2nd yr 1st trm
9:27 PM Apr 28th
Architecture and lanscape, brought together in one project http://lnkd.in/Btq–c
7:13 PM Dec 26th
Volver a la tierra, ese es el futuro de la arquitectura. Aloni / decaARCHITECTURE | ArchDaily http://t.co/M4ZKS6Ie vía @archdaily