“If architects of the North stressed transparency, architects of the South stressed the poetics of shadow. For those architects in thrall to Mediterranean modernism, inhabiting space and place was based on the desire to activate the poetic qualities of geography and climate”

Michael Sabatino

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("North versus South: The Mediterranean and the Histories of Modern Architecture", The Mediterranean, New Geographies 5, p.p 273-283) 

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Summer House in Lahanada stems from the desire of our clients to return to their roots in Pylos region with the project of a summer retreat. They imagined this retreat as a place of respite and reconnection; a place from which to enjoy the virtues of their land in a way that is harmonious with not only the landscape, but also the tradition of living in such a place.

While the house is primarily designed for a family of six people, our clients also wanted to be able to host and enjoy the pleasures of cooking for friends, family and larger gatherings. As such, the program called for large living areas indoor and outdoor, a generous kitchen, two bedrooms for the family and two bedrooms for their guests. The desire to connect these spaces to the sea-view and the surrounding landscape was not only set out in the brief, but an innate and ever present aspect of the project.

The design approach focuses on taking advantage of both types of view, the sea view for the living areas and the fields view for the main bedrooms. As a result, a square-shaped courtyard is formed at the hurt of the building where all family could gather and everyday summer activities could take place. A transparent corridor leads to the private rooms and the separate volume for the guests on the north side. Finally, a terrace that is accessible from the inner courtyard through exterior stairs constitutes an other space of gathering with panoramic view.