HOUSE AT TALA
The residence is a composition of two blocks; a square containing main areas and a rectangle for the auxiliary ones. They form an ensemble visible on the roof level in a grid of corridors among extruding block volumes. Every main program is accommodated in an independent volume. This volumetric and programmatic arrangement is visible from street level – the building’s main façade is its top view.
The house is situated on the slope of a mountain, 560 meters from sea level, north of the city of Paphos with a wide view of the coastline.
With the long side parallel to the slope, the building is symmetric to a central axis.
It is developed in two levels. The street entrance is on the roof.
The residence is a composition of two blocks; a square containing main areas and a rectangle for the auxiliary ones. They form an ensemble visible on the roof level in a grid of corridors among extruding block volumes. The two block types are always placed in pairs so that the main areas are orientated to the south-west view.
On the level of the main floor, the two master bedrooms open symmetrically at either end of the building. The entrance is placed centrally between them, with common spaces – sitting room, office, dining and kitchen – on either side of it.
Descending from the street to the lower level, a covered outdoor space, covered with glass, opens inside the building. This linear atrium functions as a protected yard during winter and windy days. The car parking is located next to it.
The atrium also gives entry to the house. A glass-bridge crosses it, through common areas, to a wide deck at mid-level, open to the view. Further down, a staircase to the basement opens to a central common sitting room while the two apartments are placed symmetrically on either side.
Every main program is accommodated in an independent volume. The volumes’ intermediate grid serves circulation and incorporates all service spaces. The perimeter corridor around the building creates a sun shielding gallery. Moving through the house feels like circulation through urban roads, giving to different space-buildings. This volumetric and programmatic arrangement is visible from street level – the building’s main façade is its top view.
The house’s structural system is bare reinforced concrete supported by repeated L-shape columns defining the corners of the cubic blocks. The gallery at the perimeter is defined by a row of walled units, built with solid Cyprian sandstone, shading the openings at sunset.
