Homa Vagia is a small rental property of 180 m2 in Vagia Serifos. It was designed in 2021 and completed on July 2022. The construction period was 16 months. The contractor of the project was Kostas Fameliaris and the budget of the project was € 500.000.
It consists of 3 independent lodgings, with 2 bedrooms and a flexible living area each. The outdoor areas, proportionally more spacious than the indoor ones, provide kitchens, living/ dining areas, private patios for each bedroom and exclusive swimming pools. Additionally, support spaces have been provided to assist in operational efficiency such as laundry room, linen storage, caretaker, and technical areas.
The project is an attempt to showcase the history of the island through contemporary design. It integrates seamlessly in its natural environment and at the same time is clearly recognizable from its distinctive flat perforated roof that acts as an artificial extension of the rocky slope. The efficient architectural programming creates comfortable and fully private living spaces, offering the possibility of multiple living scenarios through the space qualities of the exterior spaces. The guest experience surpasses the boundaries of a typical hospitality resort as the architectural composition itself acts as a narrative device reviving a dwelling scenario based upon the historic galleries inside Serifos' mines.
The Historic Frame : < POINT > < LINE > < PLANE >
The frame within which the project was created is the southern shore of Serifos, an area inseparable from its past vivid mining activity. The scarred landscape along this particular part of the islands' shore is adorned with traces of mining facilities -which were operating from the end of 19th century for about 90 years- all these traces scattered in the landscape tell the tale of a vibrant ‘second level of habitation’ -a rich subsoil and an equally important cultural heritage.
< POINT > The room-sized voids resulting from the excavations indicate the entrance into a second -underground- network of galleries below the ground level.
< LINE > On the surface, the cobbled paths as well as the network of railway lines of the wagons, create sharp linear cuts that emblematically integrate into the natural landscape.
< PLANE > These linear configurations produce broad flat surfaces acting as artificial extensions of the sloping terrain.
The Composition
By acknowledging and embracing these remnants, a housing scenario below the ground surface, formed the core idea of the design.
Taking advantage of the natural curvature of the plot, we designed two angled lines (LINE) that are assimilated into the landscape. These lines define two flat platforms respectively (PLANE), on which the lodgings are placed. (One on the first and two on the second.) Each lodging is positioned with a slight rotation, ensuring privacy and variable sea views.
The lodgings are approached from the roof, through linear staircases which define the entrance to a “new ground” of habitation, below the surface.
Analogous to the adits -from Latin aditus, entrance-, which were the only source of light in the dark galleries of the mines, the patios, stairs and pools, result from the subtraction of square and orthogonal masses from the planes, creating a sequence of of voids and fulls.
These voids reinforce simultaneously the bioclimatic character of the architectural composition as they improve the space qualities of the living areas, promote the circulation of fresh air and offer natural light.
The materials used, the natural earthen mineral pigment in the plaster, the built furniture from white exposed concrete, the wood and the use of natural rocks that frame the construction underline the simplicity and the monolithic nature of a composition which derives from the sculptural processing of the natural soil.
Suppliers & Contributors:
Τitle: HOMA VAGIA
Location: Vagia, Serifos Island, Cyclades
Plot: 5.500m²
Gross area: 180 m²
Design: 2021
Construction: 2022
Architectural design: Mold architects - Iliana Kerestetzi
Design team: Iliana Kerestetzi, Konstantinos Vlachoulis, Maria Vretou
Stuctural design: Technodynamics
MEP design: Agapakis consultants
Lighting design: IFI group
Plaster: Stonecrete, Borovas
Frames: VIEKKO Frames
Lighting Design: IFI Group
Landscape (Plantation-Irrigation): Kipeusis
Pools: Crystal Pools
Decorative Lights: Kraal Lighting
