toledano + architects plants passive 'mavrogia house' in southern crete's dry landscape

Mavrogia House fades into the sloping terrain

Architecture and design firm toledano + architects composes ‘Mavrogia House’, a passive residence in the south of Crete built with local materials and designed to minimize its visual impact on a wild site a few steps away from the sea. Located near Agios Pavlos, the wildest remaining region of Crete, the structure stands in direct access to the beach facing the sea surrounded by dry vegetation. The plot’s very steep topography dictates a large part of the design process. The linear curves of the layout embrace the terrain and allow the project to blend in. The upper part of the elongated building fades into the ground as the lower level is semi-buried and visible only from the shore. Several covered outdoor spaces, such as patios and shaded terraces, along with carefully placed stone walls offer summer comfort and protection from the sun and the strong winds.

the building gently fades into the site | all images by Bs Arq

linear layout arranges a dense living program

The long linear semi-buried layout enables a very discreet construction despite the dense program and the size of the house. Wide sliding glass doors allow the living areas to widely open to the landscape while stone walls carefully placed on the outdoor terraces shield the structure from the winds. The design team attends to the site’s accessibility difficulty as well as the limited water supply and resources without compromising on aesthetics through an entirely passive design. Solar panels placed on the upper part of the site produce adequate energy for all spaces. The heating and cooling system is ensured through a pump where rainwater is collected to be reused.

the linear layout traces the terrain and faces the seascape

local stone, wood, and marble adorn the interior

The material selection is carefully chosen within a local palette. Sourced from the surrounding area, the stone walls reflect the site’s colors as wood and indoor marble used for the kitchen also come from Crete. ‘Patiti’, a Greek material similar to polished concrete, made of natural ingredients allowed for the composition of continuous floors. The layout arranges six bedrooms; one master suite, four bedrooms, and a children’s area. The top floor distributes the common living zones of the kitchen, living room, dining room, and the master suite separating the private area from the open public spaces through a patio covered by a wooden pergola with a back semi-circular wall to protect from the north winds. The lower floor assembles five bedrooms, three of which are accessible from inside the house to enhance winter comfort, while the last two form an independent guest wing that can be reached through a second covered patio with helicoidal stairs.

the upper part of the elongated building fades into the ground as the lower level is semi-buried

a helicoidal staircase connects the lower floor patio to the upper shaded terrace

an infinite pool achieves visual continuity to the sea views

on the upper patio, a wooden pergola provides comfort and protection from the sun and the strong winds

locally sourced stone adorns the internal spaces

‘Patiti’, a Greek natural material similar to polished concrete composes continuous floors

project info:

name: Mavrogia House
designer: toledano + architects | @gaby.toledano

location: Crete, Greece

renders: Bs Arq | @bs_arq

designboom has received this project from our DIY submissions feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

edited by: christina vergopoulou | designboom