QUADRA COUNTRY RETREAT
Messinia

Location - Messini, Pelloponese, Greece

Plot size - 7000sqm

Habitable area - 100sqm

The plot’s topography is flat and has an olive Grove which has grid structure which has determined the design of the building. The plan is square and is composed of voids and solids in order to create a sequence of indoor and outdoor spaces with direct views over the countryside that can be used according to the direction of the sun.

The brief was to design a country retreat which has versatile character, can be used entirely by the owner and his family or can be rented out individually or as a whole during the summer months for touristic purposes.

The building complex is composed of three residential entities, each having an independent entrance from a common courtyard enclosure. The courtyard forms the heart of the complex and its high walls create privacy from the neighbouring houses, shaded spaces during the day and ideal surface for outdoor cinema projections during the night.

The linear form of the design is coordinated with the axis of the trees and its low volume engages smoothly with the Olive Grove allowing not a single tree to be removed during construction.