Alfa Vagia Beach Houses / Zapantiotis Fotis Associated Architects

Alfa Vagia Beach Houses / Zapantiotis Fotis Associated Architects - Exterior PhotographyAlfa Vagia Beach Houses / Zapantiotis Fotis Associated Architects - Exterior Photography, Facade, Beam, PatioAlfa Vagia Beach Houses / Zapantiotis Fotis Associated Architects - Exterior Photography, Windows, FacadeAlfa Vagia Beach Houses / Zapantiotis Fotis Associated Architects - Interior PhotographyAlfa Vagia Beach Houses / Zapantiotis Fotis Associated Architects - More Images+ 34

Vagia, Greece
  • Design/ Head Architect: Zapantiotis Fotis
  • Detailed Engineering Design: Maria Agapaki
  • 3 D Visualization: George Vidos
  • Program / Use / Building Function: Residences
  • City: Vagia
  • Country: Greece
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Alfa Vagia Beach Houses / Zapantiotis Fotis Associated Architects - Exterior Photography
© Giorgos Sfakianakis

Text description provided by the architects. The study concerns the completion of three distinct vacation residences in an existing complex located at Vagia Beach in Serifos. The intervention revolved around the reinstatement of the relationship between the buildings and the natural relief, as they had initially been constructed at a higher level than permitted, in order to avoid the high water table in the area. Consequently, the ground floor remained cut off from the surrounding environment, while the buildings appeared starkly detached and exposed in relation to the natural terrain.

Alfa Vagia Beach Houses / Zapantiotis Fotis Associated Architects - Exterior Photography
© Giorgos Sfakianakis
Alfa Vagia Beach Houses / Zapantiotis Fotis Associated Architects - Exterior Photography, Facade
© Giorgos Sfakianakis

The considerable height difference was scaled towards the beach through two successive lowerings, aiming to improve the view of the complex from the sea. The ground level of each residence responds to a first, same-level, shaded terrace, before ending at a lower-level wider terrace, oriented towards the West and the view.

Alfa Vagia Beach Houses / Zapantiotis Fotis Associated Architects - Image 31 of 39
Master plan

The western terraces either function as retaining walls, in the form of solid, cube-shaped formations, or lead, as a slab, to the dry stone retaining walls surrounding the whole composition. The use of bush-hammered sand-colored concrete for the terraces gives the sense of a solid, natural material optimizing their integration into the natural landscape.

Alfa Vagia Beach Houses / Zapantiotis Fotis Associated Architects - Exterior Photography
© Giorgos Sfakianakis

The intervention then focused on the creation of intermediate spaces, inner patios, and elements that were absent from the initial study, but are considered necessary for the proper function and use of summer residences.

Alfa Vagia Beach Houses / Zapantiotis Fotis Associated Architects - Exterior Photography, Windows, Facade
© Giorgos Sfakianakis
Alfa Vagia Beach Houses / Zapantiotis Fotis Associated Architects - Interior Photography, Beam
© Giorgos Sfakianakis

Filtering public movement towards the interior, this transitional space provides the residences with an additional outdoor place, an introspective patio that is vital for the users’ social life, which is a typical aspect of Cycladic architecture. Each residence thus acquires its own enclosure, with inner patios, intermediate spaces, and open terraces aligned with the view.

Alfa Vagia Beach Houses / Zapantiotis Fotis Associated Architects - Interior Photography, Table, Beam, Windows
© Giorgos Sfakianakis
Alfa Vagia Beach Houses / Zapantiotis Fotis Associated Architects - Interior Photography, Kitchen, Table, Beam, Windows
© Giorgos Sfakianakis

The element of “linear wall” forms the patios. The linear walls are constructed from local dry stone, following the design axes of the three residences, to reinstate the notion of a “hard boundary” that was absent from the initial design. The stone wall boundary, with its fulls and voids, is articulated at the rear part of the residences, functioning both as protection against the strong winds of the area, but also as a primary filter separating the public from the private space of the houses, thus ensuring the necessary privacy for the user.

Alfa Vagia Beach Houses / Zapantiotis Fotis Associated Architects - Image 32 of 39
Plan - Ground floor

The element of water through a fountain is used at the center of a common courtyard that becomes a reference point for the complex. Moving from the central entrance slightly upwards within the surrounding area, the walker gradually acquires a view of the space, intensifying the element of surprise, to end up at this lower-level courtyard placed centrally in the composition, where all movement initiates.

Alfa Vagia Beach Houses / Zapantiotis Fotis Associated Architects - Exterior Photography
© Giorgos Sfakianakis
Alfa Vagia Beach Houses / Zapantiotis Fotis Associated Architects - Image 35 of 39
Sections - House C

The axes of movement, linear walls, planting, water elements, and seating areas become the primary compositional elements, dynamically contrasting the new additions with the pre-existing building shells. The materials, local stone, and concrete colored by red sand from the excavations and metal constructions integrate the complex into the surrounding environment and serve as a reference to Serifos’ mining tradition.

Alfa Vagia Beach Houses / Zapantiotis Fotis Associated Architects - Exterior Photography
© Giorgos Sfakianakis

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Project location

Address:Vagia 840 05, Serifos Island, Greece

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Location to be used only as a reference. It could indicate city/country but not exact address.
About this office
Cite: "Alfa Vagia Beach Houses / Zapantiotis Fotis Associated Architects" 24 Nov 2022. ArchDaily. Accessed . <https://www.archdaily.com/992662/alfa-vagia-beach-houses-zapantiotis-fotis-associated-architects> ISSN 0719-8884

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