Vacation House in Tinos Island by Ioannis Exarchou

Ioannis Exarchou designed this vacation house by reconstructing a 100 year-old abandoned stable in the countryside of Tinos island, creating a summer retreat with minimum cost that enjoys views to the surrounding mountains and the valley beneath. The architect’s main objective was to retain the unique cavernous feeling of the space. The original stone building structure was left intact and the interventions were limited to plastering the inner side of the walls, the mortar joints on the external walls and the colored concrete floors of the interior. The few new structures created include a rough concrete bench with a sink, and a shower space and toilet room surrounded by concrete walls. An oblong area for everyday activities (such as food preparation and hygiene) and an antechamber (distribution of movements, cupboards, entrance) form a corner that encloses the square area provided for rest and sleep. The layout also includes a courtyard and a wood-fired oven. Overall, the project serves as a case study on how abandoned traditional buildings can be rehabilitated, by taking advantage of their unique human scale and creating a low-cost bioclimatic structure in the Mediterranean climate.