Located on an olive oil tree-cultivated hill at south Koroni, Peloponnese, the 140 sq.m. country house is conceived as a retreat with an unobstructed view to the sea and the green Messinian landscape. Through the architectural proposal undertaken by the Frame Architects Studio, an amalgamation of the contemporary residential elements with the uniqueness of the local traditional architecture is achieved. The former private residence of the German architect Enrich Portmann, designed by him in 1992, was acquired by a German-Swiss family in 2021, in order to house their summer residence in Greece.
Life in the Mediterranean has always been equally divided between the interior and the exterior space of a residence. A common characteristic element of the Mediterranean architecture, which is also adopted in this case is the square atrium in the center of the residence. All spaces are organized around it, creating two L-shaped volumes, one containing the interior spaces of the residence and the other the outdoor shaded area. At the same time, emphasis was placed on maintaining the movement flow between indoor and outdoor space by enlarging the existing openings of the living area. This asset strengthened the extroversion of the residence while achieving the best optimal view towards the sea and Taygetos Mountain.
The building complex consists of two units. The main L-shaped unit is formed on two levels and includes a central living-kitchen-dining area and two bedrooms, each one with their own bathroom. The second one, forming a rectangular volume, contains the warehouse and the laundry room. The indoor layout was slightly modified in the bedrooms so that it serves the needs of the residents in terms of function and aesthetics. Great emphasis was placed upon the bedrooms acquiring an unobstructed view of the green landscape. The initial bathroom layout, however, was radically changed so as to accommodate two separate bathrooms instead of one; one for each bedroom. The aesthetics of the bathrooms follow the minimal lines of the house, combined with the extensive use of microcement coating. An equally important parameter of the architectural study is the access to the residence and the feeling it gives to the visitor/resident. The entrance to the building is a gradual process, initiated by a path that “hugs” the building complex and which leads to its rear façade. Subsequently, an outdoor corridor defined by the two built volumes of the building complex opens up to the semi-outdoor threshold of the residence, completing the transition from the natural environment to the living environment.
