NCaved by Mold architects – Iliana Kerestetzi

Type: Residence
Location: Ag. Sostis, Serifos Island
Gross area: 360m2
Site area: 6.000m2
Construction: Mold Architects
Year: 2020
Architectural Design: Mold Architects + Iliana Kerestetzi
Consultant Architect: Manos Kerestetzis
Design Team: Iliana Kerestetzi, Konstantinos Vlachoulis, Mixalis Xirokostas
Structural Engineer: Studio 265
Mechanical Engineer: TEAM M-H
Lighting Design: Nikos Adrianopoulos
Photographers: Yiorgis Yerolymbos and Panagiotis Voumvakis
Video: Panagiotis Voumvakis
Timelapse Video 2018-2020 by Mold Architects

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This is a far off view of the house from the vantage of the sea showcasing the cliff over the sea area of the house.

This is an aerial view of the house showcasing how it assimilates itself within the surrounding terrain.

You can see here the various outdoor areas of the house like the pool and terraces that are the only ones above ground giving it a unique design.

This is an aerial view of the house seems to blend itself into the surrounding terrain and landscape.

This closer look at the above-ground areas of the house showcases the concrete steps and balconies along with large windows.

The house maximizes the view of the sea.

This nighttime view of the house showcases the warm glow of the outdoor areas making it stand out against the dark terrain.

The windows and balconies of the house glow with a warm light that escapes from the interiors.

This close look at the house exterior showcases the various structures and walkways above ground.

This is a close look at the concrete steps and concrete walkways of the house exterior adorned with a lit pool of water.

The interior and exterior areas of the house combine with the help of this set of tall doors that retract.

Just inside the retracting doors are the dining and kitchen areas by the modern floating stairs.

This is a close look at the wooden rectangular dining table paired with matching stools.

This is a close look at the dining area and kitchen island right beside each other.

This is a close look at the dark stone kitchen island that stands outa gainst the light tone of the floor.

The kitchen island has a sink at the far corner and on the side of the kitchen is a hallway with adobe walls.

This is a view of the kitchen looking at the modern floating stairs that lead to the indoor balcony above.

This is a close look at the staircase that has wooden floating steps that match the tone of the ceiling.

This is a side view of the staircase with floating steps with a concrete wall on the background.

This set of steps lead to the indoor balcony of the upper level.

This is a look up the stairs from the vantage of the foot of the stairs showcasing the wooden steps and the wooden ceiling.

This is a close look at the second-level landing down to the stairs showcasing the consistency of the wooden tones with the wall.

The indoor balcony has a low arched ceiling and bordered with wrought iron railings.

This is a look at the view of the indoor balcony that is brightened by the large glass wall on the far side.

This is another look at the indoor balcony that has wrought iron railings on the sides leading to an adobe stone wall.

This is a close look at the hallway on the upper floor with wooden walls on both sides leading to the indoor balcony.

This is a close look at the nedroom that has built-in cabinetry on the walls with a slated wooden design.

The bed is placed on a large platform across from the wooden cabinets.

This other bedroom also has a platform bed and has a set of concrete steps on the side leading to an upper floor.

Across from the bed is a sliding glass door that leads to a balcony outside.

This is a close look at the bathroom sink with a glass wall on one side and a mirrored wall on the other.

Behind the glass wall of the bathroom is a miniature garden that has adobe brick walls.

This area is brightened by the natural lights coming from both sides of the room.

This is a look at the panel structure protruding from the edge of the house exterior and its slated design.

This is a clorner of the house that has a large wall of slatted wood that also lets light pass through.

This wall slatted wood has a door that is almost hidden from view on the side.

This door opens to an indoor balcony of the interiors.

You can see here the railings from the indoor balcony and the view of the outdoor pool in the distance.

This is a close look at the slatted wooden wall and the subtle differences in the transition.

The slatted panel of the wall is bathed in natural lighting.

This view of the slatted wall panel showcases the view of the plants behind it.

This is a close look at the retracting doors of the house exterior that bring the exterior to the interior.

On the side of this exterior area is a wall of mosaic adobe bricks.

This is the walkway and balcony flanked with adorbe brick walls and has a view of the sea.

This is a look at the shadows of the slatted panels on the adobe walls.

This balcony is adorned with a plant that is directly planted on the soil under the concrete walkway.

This is a close look at the opening right beside the dark kitchen island.

This is a walkway with stone steps leading down to the lower level.

This walkway is flanked with tall adobe brick walls giving it a rustic look.

This is another look at the set of concrete steps that are flanked with tall adobe walls on both sides.

This is a look at the outdoor swimming pool of the house with a view of the sea and landscape.

This is a view of the pool with a wall of adobe bricks on the side and view of the sea.

The view of the pool blends well with the view of the sea.

The view of the swimming pool blends well with the view of the sea in the distance.

This is an aerial view of the house showcasing the pool on the lower level.

This is a look at the main entrance of the property.

This is a look at the top of the panel covers.

This is an illustration of the house's axonometric.

This is an illustration of the house's construction detail.

This is an illustration of the house diagram showcasing the retracting doors.

This is an illustration of the house diagram showcasing the stairs.

This is an illustration of the house elevation.

This is an illustration of the house's floor plan.

This is an illustration of the house's floor plan for the roof level.

This is an illustration of the house's section A cross elevation.

This is an illustration of the house's section B cross elevation.

This is an illustration of the house's section c cross elevation.

This is an illustration of the house's site plan.

This is an illustration showcasing the proximity of the house to the cliff facing the sea.

This is a sketch of the house showcasing the facade.

This is a sketch of the side elevation of the house and how the sunlight touches the sections of the house.

NCaved is located on a small secluded rocky cove seemingly hovering just above sea level. The need to create a protected shelter, at a location of disarming view, but openly exposed to strong north winds, led us to the decision to drill the slope, instead of arranging a set of spaces in line at ground level.

We applied a rectangular grid to the slope to produce a three-dimensional “chessboard” of solids and voids. This strict geometry has discontinued the rotation of the last axis of the grid, which provides the living area with an ampler view. Shifting the axis intensifies the sense of perspective significantly, and thus the imprint of the residence appears minimized at the conceptual end of the ascent.

Longitudinal walls of dry stone create the vertical borders, which lead the visitor’s gaze to the horizon line. In contrast to the sturdy stone walls, the transverse facades are light, made of glass, and can open along their entire length. The front is fully open to the east view, while the rear windows frame indoor gardens, enhancing the airflow and letting light into the residence.

An in caved staircase connects the three levels externally and leads to the main entrance, located at the living room loft. This smooth descent into the interior of the house slowly reveals the initially hidden spaces of the house, while framing a two-sided view: a visual outlet to the sea during the descent, an outlet to the sky during the ascent.

In-caved areas are “negative” spaces. They result from severing and removing part of the rock. This rough feeling of a natural cavity was what we aimed to recreate with our choice of materials and color palette. Stone, exposed concrete, wood, and metal are used with precision to create coarse inner shells.

By Jon Dykstra · See their LinkedIn.