The Arrowhead House holiday villa on Paros, designed byIwan Bühler Architekten, utilizes a design that weaves the rough, natural surroundings into a harmonious interplay with the villa’s strict geometry, featuring a rhythmic sequence that transitions seamlessly from the solid indoors to the inviting outdoors, integrating fluidly with the scenic Aegean backdrop.
- Name: Arrowhead House
- Bedrooms: 2
- Bathrooms: 3
- Size: 1,291 sq. ft.
- Lot: 0.62 acres
- Built: 2017
Situated on a small hill, not far from the fishing village of Naoussa, this unique holiday villa on the Cycladic Island of Paros offers panoramic views of the Aegean Sea. Taking the shape of a wedge, the building extends like an arrow along the land and welcomes the inhabitant at its narrow tip. Accompanied by an independent basement wall, the narrow path widens into terraces that follow the gentle slope of the land and finally offer a view of the Aegean Sea over the pool. Together, they effectively dialogue with the strict geometry of the villa and form a strong contrast with the wild nature.
The building rules, such as a distance of 15 meters on all sides to the boundary, a maximum façade length of ten meters and a limitation of the useful surface area to 120 square meters, give rise to a volume that is inspired by the elements of traditional Cycladic construction, while reinterpreting them in an original way. The resulting footprint forms a rhythmic play of covered outdoor spaces and fluid interior spaces.
Like a pearl necklace, the dining room, kitchen, living room and terraces follow one another and unfold in width, height and depth, depending on the view. Accompanied by the striking pergolas with their captivating play of light and shadow, the building is formed into an autonomous and self-confident geometry. Despite, or perhaps precisely because of, the free interpretation of the narrow legal framework, the construction manages to stand out perfectly from the classically inspired construction, without however escaping the typical reading of the place.
- Architect: Iwan Bühler Architekten
- Photography: Philipp Mächler
- Location: Kostos, Paros Island, Greece
