In the area of “Spilia”, on a hill with panoramic views, in an olive grove of 9 acres, we were asked to design and construct a complex consisting of a main house and an auxiliary (guest house), intended for holiday homes. The intense relief of the plot, the avoidance of building on the ridge of the hill due to prohibition, the attempt to achieve views in 360ᵒ all along with our client’s desire of having a set of separate bungalows which blend in with the landscape, led us to a design concept consisting of volumes that follow atriums in a row and embrace the hill, while offering privacy between the volumes, as the volumes twist embracing the mountain, variety of views and visual escapes and the feeling of the small "hidden" complex in the olive grove. The guest house was placed under the courtyards of the main house, helping in saving both concrete and earthworks. The homes are made of stone and they are partially underground. The initial idea was to have green roofs, so that it could be completely blend in with the natural environment, but in the end solar panels were placed on all the roofs, making the house energy self-sufficient. This, combined with the use of natural materials and a very careful thermal insulation, make the house design passive.
Project: Nest House
Location: Spilia, Crete
Design: 2022
Completion: -
Plot area: 9000m2
Building area: 321m2