Necklace House

The plot is sited on one of a few relatively flat spots of the steep and rocky slopes of Southern Crete. From the south, the plot confronts a panoramic view of the Libyan Sea, whereas from the north it is surrounded by the rough mountainous rocks. The main house, along with its complimentary domestic volumes is articulated around a circular garden, in a way similar to the one that gems are attached on a necklace, and as such, it is gently placed on the rough terrain. The main spaces of the house are designed as repetitive and homogenous, cube-shaped beads, held together by a notional chain which is signified by the circular movement around the central garden. The panoramic experience of the landscape is intensified by the external staircases, which extend the circular movement on the roof top of the main house. The “Necklace House” is a study in search of archetypical forms and the use of traditional materiality in the contemporary context of inhabiting the unspoiled landscape.