Fyrgani
The small holiday home is placed within the landscape of Fyrgani on Sifnos Island, surrounded by configurations of dry stone walls (xerolithiés) and the outlines of abandoned rural buildings (themoniés) with their threshing floors (alónia).
The house is composed of three rectangular volumes alternating with open and covered spaces: two stone volumes contain the bedrooms and, between them, a small coloured volume contains the kitchen, functioning as a joint and a passage between outdoor areas and rooms.
The placement of the volumes ensures comfort in all climatic conditions and utilizes the natural qualities of the Sifnos landscape to create distinct experiences: the views to the sea and to the two settlements occupying the perimetrical ridges, the eastern sun bathing the large courtyard and the rooms, the sunset view and protection from the strong north winds in the small courtyard, the access provided from the gentler south side.
The basic materials of Cycladic architecture have been used for construction: local stone, wood, mortar, metal and wicker. With the once-colorful Cycladic settlements in mind, the interior and exterior floors were painted in the lilac blue colour of the Sifnos sky. These reflective surfaces generate a feeling of wetness, creating a dialogue with the sea and distinguishing the man-made environment from the surrounding natural and unformed landscape.
