Kamares Holiday House
A harmonious combination of traditional and contemporary Cycladic residential design by architect Nikolas Kouretas in Paros Island Greece.
The site is located on the northern part of the village at the Kamares settlement, in a small slop from north to south and within a vineyard plot, overlooking the bay of Parikia. The area is characterised by the local retaining stone steps and the aegean landscape sparingly built in large countryside yards and shrub terrain. Across the valley on the south, Paros mountain tops dominate the view along with the historic monastery of Loggovardas. The client brief asked for the residence to house a four member family with additional spaces for guests.
The plan is organised in three levels. The ground floor is conceived as an independent unit with living room, kitchen, three bedrooms and two bathrooms. The first level (ground floor from the northern side) is organised with the common areas in the central area and western wing, and the sleeping area in the eastern wing. Living room, dinning and kitchen have separate spaces but without loosing the visual connection and continuity. Their main view is towards the south linking them with the garden via a covered veranda. A staircase leads to the second level which has an interior and exterior lounge area along with a larger roof terrace with panoramic views across the valley, mountains and bay. The surrounding plot is designed with a combination of soft and hard landscaping. Pavement for the car entrance on the north, gravel for the parking on the NW corner, and a large sitting area under a pergola with adjacent BBQ, traditional oven, storage units, and closed doushe on the western side. The south and east of the plot is left for the vineyard.
The load-bearing structure is with reinforced concrete while all exterior walls were made with 50 cm. of local stone from the island. The visible surfaces of the stone walls both externally and internally, as well as the window headers and interior wall alcoves were hand-picked from a quarry in Antiparos island and constructed by local masons in accord with the area’s traditional architecture. In every opening the window jamb was designed to form a curve creating a more vivid interplay or shadows and light over the white-wash plaster. The overall plastering of the walls was done freehand with a special glove in order to create a more sculptural surface against the strong Aegean light. Most of the furniture are custom-made and built-in.
The main concept of the composition was a stone tower embraced around by a waved wing and a sculptural chimney. An organic linear unfoldment based on proportions, balance, materiality, light and history.
Project ID:
Architect: Nikolas Kouretas
Structural engineer: Kostas Kalergis
Construction management: Nikolas Kouretas
Location: Kamares village, Paros island, Greece
Surface: 320 sq.m.
Design date: 2010-2011
Construction date: 2012-2014 (phase A)
Client: Giorgos Barbarigos
Photography: Pygmalion Karatzas
