Greek House Of Rock Split Design
We often say to ourselves at SATORI & SCOUT that a house is best served not to leave a mark on the landscape, but be the mark and be the landscape. One such home with the same ideology is this wonderfully lush rocky hillside dwelling that so nicely blends into it's context's topography. Located on the island of Kea (Greece), the family home is multi layered and rises as the mountain grows tall.
With the rocky hillside characterising the local context, the home is but an atypical dwelling of the neighbourhood. Designed by Cometa Architects, a "Barcelona based practice of exciting, energetic and dedicated architects committed to the creativity of designing and the process of construction..." it is certain this home meets their ambitions. With the landscape winding around the peak located beyond the back gardens, the dramatic land is echoed through the home with it's constructional method being traditional, namely 'Kotounto', with a dry and humid-free space between the land and the building.
Featuring three volumes that are distinct in material and layout, they consist of a kitchen and dining area, a circulation tower and a bedroom quarter. Despite the Mediterranean location, the home boasts underfloor heating - no, this is not the northern parts of Scotland - and so too does the house benefit from rainwater off the mountainside. With an array of canopies and shelters to protect from the sun, this is a home for all weathers.
With it's furniture very much matching the interior in which they are contained in by materiality and colour, what is particularly nice is how some of the room's architecture becomes the furniture, for example in the double decked kitchen featuring the higher floor acting as a backrest to the lower part. SATORI & SCOUT cannot quite work out which is nicer, the inside or the outside (or both together), whereby the sustainable architecture is really compelling in the exterior, but the way everything internal 'just works' is really refreshing. Offering outdoor verandas to combat the internally exposed beams, there are various features competing for top spot in our hearts. Discover more about the home's architects at: CometaArchitects.com
Photography credit : Cometa Architects