Identity A summer residence - with the intention to turn it into a permanent residence - located in a natural setting in Messinian Mani, an area with a long tradition of stone masonry tower construction, and a terrain that integrates nature and man-made dry-stone construction terraces. The design of the house, in a linear organization breaking the mass into smaller volumes, aimed to integrate these characteristics, in order to create a house that is passive solar, but at the same time, contextual, has historic references, uses local natural stone, and follows the natural topography.

Organization The house is organized in three levels following the natural topography of the adjacent stone terraces. The upper level - the living area - has a gallery (study) which adds to the height of the volume, creating the impression of a 'tower'. Bedrooms are oriented to the views and additional guest rooms and mechanical rooms are located at the lower storey, with adjacent outdoor space in the natural terrain and terraces.

Materials Concrete cast in place, ceramic blocks, 5 cm woodchip insulation, local natural stone, plaster.

'Green' design The house design followed the rules of passive solar heating and cooling. The house volumes are narrow, oriented with the long facade to the south, enabling unobstructed passive solar heating and passive natural ventilation. The living areas are heated with high-efficiency fireplace. The insulation used was 5 cm woodchip - a rigid insulation combining wood and cement.

The house was completed in 2008.