Zephyros Residence - costas koutsoftides

“The shadow of your project is captured in the landscape, so you must first hearken it” said Renzo Piano.

Photo by Christos Papantoniou

From the early stages of the elaboration of the sketches we had in mind these words of the great architect. We wanted to enhance those elements which would contribue and reflect these thoughts , so that building and landscape become one:to receive at any time of the day and night,regardeless of the season the glorious sun,the Zephyros wind,the magestic blue sea and the mysterious silver moon of August,as when we were kids going camping and enjoying nature,so the users can embrace all the elements under one…permanent camping tent!

Photo by Christos Papantoniou

The house was initially designed as a holiday house.In the process ,our clients decided to leave London and come to reside in Cyprus.

Photo by Christos Papantoniou

Despite the fact that originally the house was meant to be used for holidays the clients decide to have …permanent holidays!

Photo by Christos Papantoniou

As you approach the house from the garage driveway, you face a stonewall with a staircase, with the main habitable area hovering above. The cantilevered mass above provides both shading to the lower ground floor, which accommodates a guest room and an artist’s studio, and a sense of playful curiosity, which invites you to the main entrance.The stone for the walls at the lower level was sourced locally from the Pomos region.The decision to use this local material enables the lower part of the house to blend seamlessly with the landscape, enhancing the weightlessness of the hovering white box above.

Photo by Christos Papantoniou

The main entrance to the house is through a corten steel door, which leads to a second staircase up to the main habitable areas of the house. As you enter, there are framed views of the sky,the mountains, and the horizon, with the sea-scape and the Pomos fishing harbour below. The main floor is divided into two by inserting in the middle a generous patio and a pool. Living in Cyprus is basically living outside, due to weather conditions , so we have decided to emphasize this by creating a patio with multiple faces. The sliding roofs retract to expose the sky, whilst the wooden screens , when opened , invite the surrounding nature to be part of the house. The house faces north at the small fishing harbor of Pomos which was our focal point. The location and the orientation of the property creates a soothing feeling of calmness ,whilst the proximity of the cliff and the surrounding fields with lemon ,orange and pine trees add a blend of smells , mixed with thyme and other aromatic wild plants. Living in this house is being exposed to the elements , whilst being protected , like going camping , enjoying every moment of the day and night.