Located on Mirage, Tinos Island, Greece on the northern side of the Cyclades, Kois Associated Architects designed a single storey home that is almost invisible from a distance – save for the stunning roof top pool that cloaks the entire roof surface in water, including its terrace. The building is so integrated into its landscape that from a distance, the infinity edge of the pool causes it to merge seamlessly with the Aegean seascape in the distance.
The steep slope of the south facing site created an optimal position to design the home in such a way that that the inner volume is completely buried and uses retained earth as thermal cooling for its exterior walls. Once built layers of vegetation where added for additional temperature control by cooling the micro climate through evaporation.
The visible portions of the home are clad in materials collected in the vicinity of the site to help the home merge into the landscape from a distance and for their thermal qualities. Local techniques were also used in the dry construction of the stonewall.
The pool terrace was designed to expand out and over the outdoor terrace below to offer both shade from the sun’s radiation and protection from the prevailing winds.
The interior volume and outdoor terrace are accessed by a stairwell that slices through the landscape as it disappears underneath the rooftop pool
The roof itself is not just a swimming pool, but also a rooftop terrace with a layer of water covering its deck. Sitting in one of the two loungers, with water lapping all around and the stunning vistas just beyond it is a moment of pure bliss.
Kois Associated Architects
