Wanting to preserve what was found by minimizing the building’s visual impact on the surroundings, but also to exploit the precious sea views, the house by doxiadis+ is nestled into the slope of the hill and most of its volume hidden underneath the earth like a snail. Only two small volumes protrude, framing the views and signalling their presence, giving it the scale of the nearby traditional volumes and a very simple, almost poetic dimension. More images and architects’ description after the break.
The untouched landscape of the plot is dominated by a small hillock, where due to plot lines the house must be located. The client brief demanded unusual working and storing spaces for an artist and emphasized the need for a central copula at its core. Approaching the building through a slit in the landscape, one enters on the lower level into a vaulted, solemn double height space. A wide, spiralled ramp leads up to the ground floor inside the space’s circular outline, pouring into the living room which is one of the two protruding volumes, and revealing the sea view at its end. The neighboring volume shelters the bedroom of the house.
The building will be built from the stone excavated to accommodate it and will harness the water of its terrace and surroundings. Being built into the hill it will be perfectly insulated in summer and winter and cross ventilation will be allowed through the small hole at the top of its dome.
Architects: doxiadis+ Location: Triades, Island of Milos, Greece Scope: Architecture, Landscape Architecture Project: Private Villa Area: 250 m² built area, 0.5 h plot area Date: 2010-2011
