Villa V

By: Aristides Dallas Architects

The proposal is for a holiday home on a steep rocky slope in northwest Corfu. The composition incorporates two contrasting trends. It develops parallel to the elevation and is gently anchored to the topography by stone retaining walls. It protrudes from it with local projections, like converging tectonic plates that were revealed and opens up to an unobstructed view of the sea.

The building is developed on three levels, following the slope of the ground, with the middle one housing the public spaces. A system of two thick slabs at a 45-degree angle to each other, resting on the stone walls, forms the centre of the composition and is oriented towards the opposite rocky islet of Kyracadia. The rooms are arranged around it, maintaining a functional and morphological connection with it. They are expressed as interruptions of the stone, have a discreet presence and let nature approach. The spaces of the building are approached as stops in a continuous serpentine downward path to the sea that will run through the entire composition.

Entrance is via an outdoor staircase at the rear leading to the level of the public spaces. From the mid-level of the entrance with a large free height, the view reaches through the kitchen and living room to the sea. A small staircase will lead to the living room, and then to the first pair of rooms. The living room is unified with the large courtyard by a single glass façade. Alternatively, a quick staircase takes us up to the master bedroom, via a small internal bridge. Crossing the common areas we meet the descent to the second pair of rooms.

At its core, the work is at its core a landscape configuration with individual elevations. It integrates into the landscape as much as it contrasts with it in a delicate balance.