House in two volumes

  • Year: 2022
  • Location: Patras, Greece
  • Size: 240 m2

This project is a four-bedroom family residence at a medium density suburb of Patras. The first design challenge here was to provide large and naturally lit living spaces by simultaneously ensuring privacy from the adjoining lots. The second was, to avoid the creation of a very big volume that would impose itself on the street. In order to achieve this, an entry axis is created that splits the house in two volumes, according to function. One for the living quarters and one for the bedroom quarters, along with an independent guest house. This gesture solves the morphological problem of the single volume a one-storey part and two-storey part, allowing for a separate approach of the two facades regarding form. Thus, the bedroom quarters are more solid to ensure privacy and quietness, while the living quarters are more transparent, with large areas of glazing to allow for views towards the sea and the pool, with heavily articulated stone columns holding the concrete slab and creating protected semi-outdoor spaces.

However, the large glazed surfaces of the house do not come at the expense of energy efficiency as the project is designed with a thorough energy strategy on the background. Therefore, the living quarters feature an inverted concrete slab with large overhangs, which bears a green roof, and insulates the space underneath while providing shade for the South and West facades. To add to this, the position of the pool takes advantage of the South-West prevailing wind to create an evaporative cooling effect during summer, when the glazing is completely open. Last but not least, rotating aluminum fins provide total shading if needed, while blocking certain views of the living spaces from street level.