This unusual looking dwelling was completed in 2008 on the Cycladic island of Antiparos, Greece. Designed by decaARCHITECTURE, Aloni, as it’s known, is a good example of a residential structure that incorporates both passive energy-efficient and landscape integrated design. What may look to some as a bunker(…and I can see that), to others may appear as more harmonious design aesthetic that seeks to integrate and play upon the natural topography of the area rather than trying to dominate and juxtapose itself from it.
The home is situated at the bottom of a shallow valley formed by two large hills. As you can see from the images, the east-west portions of the site slope down and away from the home giving occupants an ocean view on one side, while the north-south axis buries itself into the sides of the two hills flanking the structure. The design allows the structure to literally disappear when viewed from certain angles as it mimics the natural ‘terraced’ plateaus along the hilly landscape of the island. This is an admirable and important feature of the design seeing as the natural uninterrupted landscape of the Cycladic islands is becoming more overrun with gaudy holiday homes every year.
Because the majority of the house, comprised mainly of concrete, is essentially beneath the ground and/or covered in earth (thanks to the extensive greenroof above it), its insulative properties are tremendous. The sunken and angled courtyards also offer significant daylighting into the home without solar heat gain. I’d take it as a holiday home.
images courtesy of ArchDaily
The Good: A home that has superior passive energy-efficiency as well as virtually no visual impact on the landscape in which it’s built.
The Bad: The sustainable nature of the ‘nestled’ design was largely a happy coincidence of aesthetic considerations. From what is known of the rest of the home’s features and systems, sustainability is not paramount in the design.
The Bottom-Line: A great looking and passively energy-efficienct home that is essentially buried in a valley; proving a nice modern design doesn’t have to contrast with its surroundings.
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