Ktima House

Following the local construction tradition Camilo Rebelo and Susana Martins composed on the Greek islands of Antiparos a house that, seen from above, appears like a thick white and abstract line.

Ktima, in Greek, means farm or parcel with fertile land. The project site is a plot with steep slopes, mostly green, with a few trees that are an exception in the context of Antiparos Island.

Order and chaos can be found in Greek civilization throughout the ages, including in our days – Camilo Rebelo and Susana Martins were interested on these aspects and both were part of the concept for this house.

In the territory we can perceive this construction in two different ways. From above, in the main access area, we see a thick white and abstract line, adapting to topography and to the interior requirements. On the other hand, looking from the sea, we discover the facade with a figurative, continuous yet apparently fragmented composition that refers us to an ancient citadel.

In the Greek regulations, volumes can’t exceed ten meters long and this rule dictates the composition rhythm, always related to the interior spaces. All of them have distinct landscape framing and particularly varied in the amount and intensity of light. Based on a large program the house has been divided in two levels: the entrance level being the main house and the lower level the guesthouse, service and staff areas. The house was built following the local construction tradition and the island regulations – those aspects were crucial to the house expression.

This house has a particularly favorable condition from the sustainable point of view: the green roof guarantees with efficiency a constant temperature in the interior, without the need of powerful cooling systems. On the back of the house the architects incorporated a few patios that are extremely important for both levels ventilation, in an attempt of using simple architecture elements to achieve low energy consuming.

Ktima house was nominated to Mies van der Rohe 2015.