Conceiving, designing and constructing the Beachcomber Cocktail Bar & Restaurant right next to the sea in Stalida, Crete, was a prime challenge for Parthenios architects+associates, as they combined innovation in design and construction processes with local and traditional practices and materials, and brought together prosperity in a typical touristic region with a new model for sustainable growth.
Earthy, non reflective, materials such as wood, stone and cement were chosen in order to give a coarse, natural feeling. Orientation, wind flow, sun protection, thermal behavior and energy consumption were all carefully taken into account during all design stages. Attention was paid to respecting the local flora too. Transitional, adaptive spaces with a variety of degrees of freedom and openness play a crucial role in a Mediterranean environment, which aspires to offer comfort to visitors for six months per year.
Every shape, every surface and volume, follow the dominant curved paths, which derive from the initial topography of the land. Furthermore, curves were used in order to maximize the sea front and also facilitate the paths from the street towards the beach. One of these curves serves as the path for materializing a 30-meter long stonewall, which becomes the new physical border between main and secondary functional sections. The kitchen is placed on this path, right in the heart of the project.
