RIGHT, THE OPEN-AIR
DINING AREA OFF THE
KITCHEN FRAMES VIEWS
OF THE AEGEAN AND
TYPIFIES THE HOUSE’S
CONNECTION BETWEEN
INSIDE AND OUT
BELOW, THE GUEST SUITE
IS SET ON THE UPPER
LEVEL, LOOKING OUT
OVER THE ROOF, LINED
WITH RIVER GRAVEL
Marie Kojzar and Johan Annerhed, ofered
the ideal mix of international approach,
modern architectural style and local
knowledge (Papaigou is Greek). Their
starting point was the ‘sparse, untamed and
dramatic landscape’, say the trio.
‘The question became how to introduce
a foreign object – a house – into this
spectacular landscape, enhancing its
qualities without altering its character,’ says
Papaigou. ‘Rather than trying to mimic
the landscape, the house is gently placed on
the site as an object, leaving the surroundings
as untouched as possible. Landscape and
building are perceived as two distinct
elements that together create a new entity- much in the way a perfect shell fuses
with a rock over time and gradually becomes
part of the rock formation.’
The brief outlined a summer retreat
with three bedrooms and a guest room, as
well as living spaces and storage areas for
all the owners’ surboards and related kit.
An opening at the heart of the house serves
as a hub for meditation, yoga and karate
practice, and ofers an outdoor space that
remains sheltered even during the region’s
very strong gales. A terrace is located on
the more protected lower plateau of the site,
connected to the house via a series of
external steps. The main structure, made
mostly of cast-in-situ concrete, spreads
across the upper level and cantilevers over
the clif, taking full advantage of the views
to the sea. A series of ‘voids’ throughout
the layout strengthens the connection
between inside and out.
‘Karpathos does not have the strong
building regulations most other Greek islands
have. This gave us the chance to reinterpret
what a Greek holiday house can be,’ says
Annerhed. A stark, rather enigmatic, street
façade with a big wooden door leads to steps
down to the central courtyard, ofering access
to all the diferent parts of the house. Views
towards the water are carefully controlled
throughout. Openings build up to the large »‘We had the freedom
to create something
unlike anything the
clients had imagined’
∑ 145
Architecture