Secret Garden House / Scapearchitecture

Curated by Paula Pintos
LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE, HOUSES • PAROS, GREECE
Architects : Scapearchitecture
Area : 400 m²
Year : 2019
Photographs : Ioanna Roufopoulou
Manufacturers : 10deka, Alumil, Berker, CONVEX, Softline, BELL Lighting, Bagno y Bagno, Betton, Broste Copenhagen, Europa, Foss SA, Kraft, LaCividina, Liakopoulos Bros, Prolight SA

Textual content description supplied by the architects. The Secret Backyard Home is a summer season residence designed as part of its surrounding panorama. As a substitute of one more white dot on the map, the residence is built-in into the slope, embracing nature, reasonably than displacing it, and establishing a brand new sort of symbiotic and sustainable relationship with its surroundings.

The residence is positioned in Faragas, on the southwest a part of Paros Island, constructed on a barely sloped plot in the direction of the ocean. A small olive grove on the southern half and a cluster of pine bushes to the east mark the property’s boundaries and outline the out there space for the home. Α gently stepped pathway leads from the carport on the southwestern nook of the plot to the principle outside residing space, set on the highest a part of the property. Dwelling and eating areas are discovered beneath an oblong, elongated shading pergola, together with a totally geared up kitchen, a sunbathing deck, and a shallow pond, enhancing the microclimate throughout the sizzling summer season months. Sheltered from the prevailing Cycladic northern winds, the outside residing space offers with unobstructed views in the direction of the encompassing backyard, the ocean, and Antiparos Island.

The primary home is semi-submerged, decrease into the slope, and in entrance of the outside residing space. It’s designed as a cave building, making the most of the constructed space bonus allowed by the Greek New Building Code. It’s accessible from a passageway reducing by way of the prevailing olive grove and it’s linked to the outside residing space and the pond by way of a 2m broad stepped air flow opening. Vast-span glass panels slide into the partitions offering efficient cross-ventilation whereas turning the residence into an open sheltered house with panoramic views in the direction of the olive grove and the ocean. The residence’s indoor areas embody an open plan kitchen, front room, two yacht-style visitor bedrooms, one main bedroom with en-suite rest room, and all of the required facilities. Patios present added cross air flow, considered one of them appearing because the outside bathe space of the grasp rest room.

The hybrid character of the Secret Backyard Home, balancing between panorama and architecture, was additional enhanced by a panorama design that highlights the enlargement of the architectural synthesis in the whole property. The evergreen crops have been largely chosen from native flora species, with low irrigation necessities, displaying a repeatedly remodeling color palette all year long. The pathways throughout the property are constructed of earthy, porous supplies, which disappear visually into the bottom, retaining their presence as discreet as doable.

Preserving and partially restoring the pure slope to include the architecture into it grew to become a liberating gesture to the residential expertise. Laying low below the bushes, according to the slope, the home encourages a selective detachment from the cosmopolitan frenzy of the island, particularly throughout the summer season months. In the long run, that’s what the Secret Backyard Home is about: a small non-public hideaway in a secret backyard, the place its occupants can loosen up and discover their interior self, having fun with the pure essence of residing within the Cycladic islands.

Robinson Adey