HOLIDAY HOUSE IN AEGINA

AEGINA, GREECE

Set on a hill on the west side of the island of Aegina, the site overlooks the Saronic Bay and has views as far as the mountains of the Peloponnese. It is a long, but particularly narrow, site running parallel to the natural contours of the hill. The shape of the site, together with the need to save as many of its scattered olive trees as possible, dictated to a large measure the exact positioning of the building.

The house, part single-storey and part double-storey, is an interplay of volumes, where each volume relates to a different function. On plan, parts of the house project and parts are recessed, thus allowing for the creation of external areas sheltered from the south and especially the west sun.

A feature of the house is its salmon-red color, which contrasts with the vibrant blue colour of the door and window shutters. The immediate surrounding areas are paved with local slabs, the remainder of the site left mostly intact. Eco-friendly paints were used throughout the interiors. The external colour is not an applied colour but is derived from a pigment integrally mixed with the cement render.