Located at Vagia beach on Serifos island, three distinct vacation residences of an existing complex were completed by Fotis Zapantiotis Associated Architects, focusing on the reinstatement of the relationship between the buildings and the natural landscape that surrounds them. The original structures had been initially constructed at a higher level than permitted, as a response to the site’s high water table. Consequently, the ground floor remained cut off from the surrounding environment, while the buildings appeared starkly detached and exposed in relation to the natural terrain.
“The design’s main objective was to mitigate the height difference and properly manage the large embankments that would cover the exposed underground level, without leaving an imprint that would harshly interfere with the natural landscape”, as the architects describe. The considerable height difference was scaled towards the beach through two successive lowerings, aiming to improve the view of the complex from the sea. The ground level of each residence responds to a first, same-level, shaded terrace, before ending at a lower-level wider terrace, oriented towards the West and the view. The western terraces either function as retaining walls, in the form of solid, cube-shaped formations, or lead, as a slab, to the dry stone retaining walls surrounding the whole composition. The use of bush-hammered sand-colored concrete for the terraces gives the sense of a solid, natural material optimizing their integration into the natural landscape. Taking advantage of the slope at the eastern boundary of the plot, the ground’s natural inclination is restored through retaining walls, with the adjacent hill level meeting the entrance level of the houses and allowing the terrain to evenly accommodate the complex.
Some intermediate spaces like inner patios that were absent from the initial study, were created as they were considered necessary for the residences’ proper function. The transitional space provides the residences with an additional outdoor place, an introspective patio, vital for the users’ social life, and a typical aspect of Cycladic architecture. In this way, each residence acquires its own enclosure, with inner patios, intermediate spaces, and open terraces fully aligned with the view.
The linear walls that form the patios are constructed from local dry stone, following the design axes of the three residences, to reinstate the notion of a “hard boundary”. The stone wall boundary is articulated at the rear part of the residences, functioning both as protection against the strong winds of the area, and also as a primary filter separating public from private spaces. The broken line of stone walls connects the three residences, giving the impression of a single-building complex. At the center of a common courtyard, a fountain adds the element of water to the space, while acting as a reference point for the complex. Moving from the central entrance slightly upwards within the surrounding area, the walker gradually acquires a view of the space, intensifying the element of surprise, to end up at this lower-level courtyard placed centrally in the composition, where all movement initiates. Local stone, red-colored concrete from the excavations, and metal constructions integrate the complex into the surrounding environment and serve as a reference to Serifos’ mining tradition.
