Antiparos Katikia 2 - VOIS architects

The house is located on a planar plot, surrounded by a rural environment of sparse, small scale buildings, intense natural vegetation and crops of olives and vines. The ruins of a farm house, which existed in the plot, formed the basis for the new dwelling. The design focused on the reconstruction of the old house, preserving the traditional architecture and typology of the island of Antiparos.

Photo by Yiorgos Kordakis. Published on December 05, 2013.

Following the above axes, with respect to the history of the house, the layout adapted to existing spaces. Particular attention was paid to the maintenance of individual elements such as recesses, built ovens and the preservation of proportions and dimensioning of spaces.

Photo by Yiorgos Kordakis. Published on December 05, 2013.

The heights remained low, having a maximum internal height 2,40m and the thickness of walls reached 0,50 to 0,70m. These dimensions differentiate from the modern construction and can be easily correlated to human dimensions. On exterior surfaces, the dominant colors are the white of the raw plaster on the walls and the olive green chosen for the doors and windows.

Photo by Yiorgos Kordakis. Published on December 05, 2013.

The building is placed on the north corner of the plot, and its volume looks solid, variating in height, according to the change or uses in the interior. With its back to the strong north wind, the house serves as a protective wall for the outdoor living spaces creating in the same time a U-shaped terrace around an olive tree. The consistent openings in the northern side achieve natural ventilation of premises.

Photo by Yiorgos Kordakis. Published on December 05, 2013.

The interior spaces consist of two bedrooms, two bathrooms and an open space that functions as kitchen and living room. The functionality of spaces is characterised by a discontinuity, a characteristic which was common in traditional rural houses or else “katikies”. Back then, the “katikia” consisted of small individual single space buildings, one fort every different function: living room – kitchen, laundry room, sheepfold, etc. The evolution was organic, in accordance with the alternating needs of the family and resulted from the addition of areas that where easier to build, with no interior access from the foregoing parts of the building. Most of the circulation was external. Following the above, one room has its own bathroom but no kitchen access and the other is in contact with the kitchen but outdoor access to the bathroom.

Photo by Yiorgos Kordakis. Published on December 05, 2013.

In order to maintain the roughness and the plasticity of the final surface the wall were plastered completely by hand. As a floor surface, forged cement was used and white plaster for the walls. The frames follow the form of old ones and the doors function as “stable – doors”, which open either in half or as a whole. Old marble sinks and custom made furniture adapted to the special dimensions of the house making into reality the coexistence of old and new.

Photo by Yiorgos Kordakis. Published on December 05, 2013.

The house is characterized as simple, humble, rough. It is a building that remains close to the earth, respecting the landscape and embracing user. House and environment coexist in harmony and creating unique scenery in calmness that develops a simple lifestyle in direct contact with nature and basic needs.