House on Tinos

Klaus-Peter Gast

Description

The breathtaking natural landscape of the Greek islands was the planning location for this holiday home. The expansive view over the sea and the islands on the horizon presented a drama that had to be translated into architecture in a way that could be experienced, but without competing with it. Nicolacopoulos solves this problem with a simple rectangular block responding to the line of the horizon. A small ramp shaded by with a pergola takes visitors along a continuing wall leading to the house. Set on a steep, treeless slope, the horizontal line of the building subordinates itself to the impressive natural surroundings and tries to become one with them, despite its geometrically crystalline form. So materials are used that are available locally and that can be worked by local craftsmen.

The powerful, load-bearing wall structure is in unclad, undressed stone and mortar; the stone is available on site. The building grows into the subsoil and yet remains independent. The right-angled ground plan of the house, with its long side following the shape of the plot, is structured in two parallel zones. One is a living area facing the horizon, and forms a continuum of indoor and outdoor spaces, and the other is partly buried in the slope, as a servant kitchen and bedroom area. The two ‘strips’ are separated only by room-high wooden dividing and glazed walls, which means that the space can still be seen as a whole. The long rooms with their horizontal, calming proportions strengthen the house’s aura of relaxation, and the thick masonry walls perform a protective role as heat reflectors. In this way it is possible to experience and enjoy the Aegean Sea as a cool and relaxing place.