konstantinos stathopoulos | KRAK. architects unveils geometric villa with refracted swimming pool light

konstantinos stathopoulos | KRAK. architects designed ‘villa aquatica’ in corfu, greece, using elements that trigger exploration and play to constitute a symbolic example of ‘a story of rebirth’— a process that deeply inspired the designers. they state that one of the first stages of our contact with the world takes place in a humid and quiet environment in the context of maternal pregnancy where information from the outside world is filtered by the amniotic fluid, sounds, rhythms, and intensity of light and shadows. konstantinos stathopoulos | KRAK. architects wanted to recreate the idea of rebirth through space by revealing a wonderful world of senses inside this villa.

all images courtesy of ©konstantinos stathopoulos|KRAK. architects

the main idea of ‘villa aquatica’ by konstantinos stathopoulos | KRAK. architects is based on the encouragement of the user through spatial stimuli. the design started from the location, the plot takes place in corfu, elevated by the sea, with special morphology and views. the salt and the wind overcome the rocks and create cavities, tensions, and reductions while the rich rainfall contributes to the intense vegetation. the house is developed along the view and is partly underground to intensify its horizontal dimension.

concrete boulders-prisms evolve from the ground following the rocky pedestal of the plot, delimiting movements and views in a doric character. the existence of the plot right on a gentle turn of the country road gave rise to the first lines on paper. two sharp prisms counter-respond to this curve, defining the entrance and creating a strict boundary to the road traffic. the view opens to the user, framed, by a cyclopean plate that covers the main areas.

the first floor in the form of a free plan hosts the living room and the main room whereas two guesthouses take place in the lower level with an independent entrance. the guesthouses offer a special architectural experience of ‘diving’ as they are bathed in the refracted light of the swimming pool. conversely, a transparent elevator in the center of the composition serves a symbolic movement of ’emersion’ from the lower level (seabed) to the bright sunlight and air.

the elements of the composition are made of raw concrete, carved taking into account the views and the light, they acquire rhythm and measure, thus contributing to a separate choreography. the whole composition is a proposal to renegotiate the concept of holiday residence and the importance that the wall blocks acquire in a particular place. conciliation with the landscape is attempted through a dynamic and dialectic relationship with it. with tools from nature itself, light, concrete (as a modern stone), and water a special architectural experience is being composed, offering spatial springboards to our senses.

project info:

name: villa aquatica, a story of rebirth

architecture office: konstantinos stathopoulos |KRAK. architects 

lead architect: konstantinos stathopoulos

development: c3 chalikiopoulos corfu constructions 

location: corfu, ionian sea, greece

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edited by: yasmina karam | designboom