Project: Prodromos and Desi Residence
Architects: Vardastudio Architects & Designers
Location: Paphos, Cyprus
Area: 4,133 sf
Photographs by: Creative Photo Room
The Prodromos and Desi Residence, designed by Vardastudio Architects & Designers, is a stunning three-story house nestled on a hillside in Paphos, Cyprus. With its four bedrooms and spacious living areas, this residence is a true architectural marvel that takes advantage of its unique location to provide breathtaking views of the sea.
The central concept of the design is to configure the spaces vertically, making the most of the site’s morphology for access, privacy, and views. The kitchen, living, and dining spaces have access to a cantilevered swimming pool and terrace that extend out over the cliff, providing uninterrupted views of the horizon.
The use of fair-face concrete creates an unexpected composition that appears to defy gravity, with large concrete building volumes seeming to float from the hillside. The residence is also half-submerged in the earth, utilizing the soil to insulate the interior and enhance the building’s environmental performance.
With its high-quality construction and energy-efficient systems, the Prodromos and Desi Residence is a testament to the potential of sustainable, contemporary architecture.
A four-bedroom three-story house with entry at the top level. The car entrance is from the road level, and a parking area is at the top enclosed with vertical louvers. Cantilevered verandas and a swimming pool extend towards the view to the south.
The project site is located on a hillside with a steep drop down from road level. Aside from the challenge, the topography affords panoramic views to the sea.
The central concept is the configuration of spaces vertically, taking advantage of the morphology of the site for access, privacy and views. Car access and parking is from street level, with the house unraveling in three levels below, with privacy increasing towards the bottom.
The kitchen, living and dining spaces have access to a swimming pool and terrace, both of which cantilever out of the cliff to the horizon. Secondary functions like storage and bathrooms are located at the deepest part of the plan at each level.
The individual volumes of each story, the parking, the verandas and the swimming pool are outlined clearly from below, whilst from the street the residence has a discreet presence of a single story. The parking is covered but open, with vertical timber louvers for shading and security.
Looking at the residence from below, the form seems even more dramatic thanks to the extensive use of fair-face concrete. Large concrete building volumes appear to float from the hill side, creating an unexpected composition that appears to defy gravity.
The building is half-submerged in the earth, using the soil to further insulate the interior. The thermal mass from the cliff means the house stays cool during the summer and warm in the winter. Large south facing windows were mandatory to make the most of the views, and the use of louvers and overhangs controls passive solar gains depending on the season.
The building envelope is constructed and insulated to a high standard, to enhance the building’s environmental performance, and all active systems as well as lighting and appliances used were selected for their efficiency.
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