PN HOUSE

The house occupies a rectangular plot in the junction of two roads with mild traffic, on the foot of mountain Parnitha in a quiet north-west suburb of Athens, very close to the Olympic Village. The area has been progressively developed the last years because of its key position which combines close distances from city centers, organized local facilities and contact with the natural environment. All communal areas like living-dining, kitchen, and study are developing on the ground floor following an open plan logic and having an immediate contact with the external spaces while bedrooms and private spaces are accommodated on the first floor. The living-dining common area, of which part extends vertical forming a double height space and visually connects the ground and first floor, is animated by the pattern of sunlight admitted through the various size and orientation windows while providing the inhabitants interesting views towards the vicinity. The connection between bedrooms on the first floor is achieved via a linear corridor that is naturally lighted by a rectangular 6,00x2,50 m window. It was designed in correspondence to the road that overlooks and can be read as a two-way connection, the corridor is the element of movement within the house while the road is the element of movement within the suburbia, one sees the other, through the window which acts as an interactive screen between them. Therefore, the movement becomes a spatial experience of light and shadow, transparency and views, rather than a typical procedure. The house’s external morphology can be seen as an expression of the internal arrangements, a transition of the inside, seen on the outside. The smooth plastered surfaces enhance the volumetric presence of the building and determine its clarity. The colors it is painted are similar to those of the local ground and match to the Mediterranean context and climate.