314 architecture studio folds a house like origami on the greek hillside

314 architecture studio’s design is a result of exploring traditional japanese origami through the design of a residence sitting on a complex site. located at the foot of the imittos mountain, the diamond house is a four story residential building for a couple in voula, a southern suburb of athens, greece. due to its strategic position towards the sea and the mountainside, the 300sqm house is designed as an exposed building with adaptable features. the shape of the site gives a prismatic character to the design.

the architects dealt with a rocky terrain, which had to be flattened in some parts to use as a terrace, and others to become a part of the building. the uppermost story nestled in the roof contains the master suite; middle levels include living rooms and secondary bedrooms, and the lowest level includes more rooms and a parking area.

diamond house’s most prominent feature is the large windows that cover all the angled facades. all of them can be closed by an innovative system of movable aluminum curtains that control the house’s interior temperature and sun exposure. the curtains are programmed through an electrical system that optimizes natural lighting and ventilation during the day, depending on the hour and season, resulting in a house that is completely responsive to its surroundings.

project info:

project name: diamond house

architect: 314 architecture studio

location: voula, athens, greece

design team: pavlos chatziangelidis, giota chala,eirini bouliou, eleftheria fatsea, friny papadopoulou, eve apodiakou, dimitris panagiotou, antrianna triantafylopoulou, caterina palantzi, antonis sarris, eva agiek, christopher spyrakos, daphne gerodimou, anna stagaki, athanasia zioga, victoria ceban, mitrea victor-stefan, amariutei silviu, ursache iustin, prusu ioana, butnariuc clarisa, curca antoniu, aleksandra brzezińska, justyna amonowicz, monika biżuta, evita marioglou, eva papadopoulou, konstantina chronopoulou, lisa bartoletti, javier fernandez jimenez, timotheos kopsidas, efi sarri, natalia chorti, ariadne doriza, pauline vandier, vasiliki karagianni, davide cinnirella, rosy greco, alexia kasimati, foivi kamea, panos kalantzis

site area: 500m²

house area: 300m²

structural design: foteini karagianni

electric mechanical design: stefanos karagiannis

photographer: panagiotis voumvakis