tenon architecture sets sculptural wooden cave within greek mountain resort

apostolos mitropoulos thanos zervos of tenon architecture have designed and built a sculptural wooden cave at the hyades mountain resort, located on the edge of the lower district of trikala corinthias in southern greece. the project offers as warm and welcoming environment of hospitality and leisure, comprising a guest room with two beds, integrated within the undulating wooden structure. the rest of the space includes a kitchen, a bathroom, and a living room with a fireplace, enclosing visitors within a well-equipped shelter amid the steep slopes of mount ziria.all images by spyros hound photography, video by daniel oikonomeas

tenon architecture has set the project within an existing space of the hyades mountain resort, which it has converted into a wooden cave. the athens-based studio has drawn from the qualities of the ‘cave’, which once provided shelter and protection to humankind, and implemented those into a contemporary interior of hospitality and leisure. characterized by curved surfaces and wood throughout, the space invites guests into a a warm and welcoming environment that retains the archetypical feeling of a natural shelter.

the project was constructed on-site (see video below) using wood as the primary building material. inside, the space is divided in two parts: the main, cave-like side, which incorporates the sleeping areas; and the front of the building, characterized by large windows that offer wide views of the surrounding natural landscape.

‘the brief of the project was to create a space, intended for commercial use in the hyades mountain resort in trikala korinthias,’ tenon architecture tells designboom. ‘the space would be a cave like guest room, in an existing concrete shell, that would accommodate people, while also offering amenities as a kitchen bathroom and a living room with a fireplace.’

‘the cave, being an archetypical shelter for humans, was intended to create a space that would make the visitors feel safe, while creating a distinction between a hard protective exterior and a warm and inviting interior,’ continues tenon. the greek architecture studio carried out the construction of the project on-site. ‘the curved structure consists of 1.112 different curved wooden pieces,’ says tenon. ‘the drawings of each piece were produced algorithmically and transferred on-site, where the pieces were processed manually and converted into 55 larger modules. each of the modules was then hand-carved and shaped before the final assembly of the structure. the absence of any digital fabrication methods in the construction resulted in the adoption of a more sculptural approach towards the final form. this kind of highly customized sculptural process also meant that no carpenters, workers, or other technicians were employed, and every part of the structure was constructed and assembled by the two members of the team.’