Last Updated on September 6, 2022 by teamobn
Antiparos Island Greece – DECA Architecture
Built: 2005 – 2008
Area: 237 m2 (2,560 sq. ft.)
We can’t help but get excited when we see an innovative design. Sometimes it works out, and sometimes it doesn’t. But either way, we admire the effort that went into creating something new.
Both types provide opportunities to learn, adapt or adopt! We especially like this unusual home because of the way it fits with its environment.
Aloni is an unusual home from Antiparos Island in Greece. The home is built into a hillside and has a number of features that make it unique. And it has all the amenities you need for a comfortable stay.
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The architect’s notes:
“The design of the house is a dual response to the particular topography of the site and to the rural domestication techniques that in the past shaped the raw ‘Cycladic island’ landscape.
In the past, dry-rubble stone walls domesticated the land for agricultural purposes and were the most prominent man-made interventions in the landscape. The walls retained earth and transformed a steep topography into a series of arable plateaus.
Today, the Cycladic Islands are being reshaped by a very different force: the demand for holiday homes. The design uses the precedent of earth-retaining stone walls to create an artificial landscape that is both rural and domestic in use.
The site is a natural saddle where two slopes meet. On the north-south axis, the slope rises between two hills while on the east-west axis the slope drops, opening to the sea views. Two long stone walls bridge the hills allowing the house to nestle in the space within while maintaining the continuity of the landscape which flows over it. This simple strategy blurs the edges of the house and makes its mass imperceptible within the broader skyline of the island.
The presence of the house is revealed by the four courtyards carved into the flowing landscape. The courtyards separate the living spaces into five interior areas, an arrangement that resembles the fifth side of a dice. As a result, the house is protected from the elements, yet is full of natural light, generous views and a compact but rich relationship to its setting.
The name of the house itself, Aloni, refers to the remains of a crop-harvesting circle that was found and preserved as part of the agricultural past of the site.”
This unusual home is quite impressive and would be a great spot to stay or live. It has all the amenities you need for a cozy life, which is great. The only thing I’m not too fond of is the location. It’s a bit too remote for my taste. But other than that, it’s a wonderful place.
The structure of this home is remarkable and catches your eye instantly. It is unlike any other home I have ever seen; the design is one that makes you want to take a closer look and explore all of the nooks and crannies. This is a home that is begging to be explored, and you can’t help but be intrigued by all it has to offer.
What do you think of this unusual home? Would you also want to explore it? Then, check out our gallery for a more detailed look inside this unusual home in Greece.
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