The project involves transforming a classic 1970s detached house in a suburban area of Thessaloniki to better accommodate the contemporary needs of its new inhabitants.
The project’s restoration is centered around key principles: the building’s connection to its surroundings, as well as its bioclimatic, aesthetic, and functional enhancement through a combination of enclosed, transitional, and open spaces. While preserving the existing structure, an effort is made to distinguish between the two-storey and single-storey volumes. Specifically, the two-storey volume maintains its solid characteristics, while the walls of the single-storey volume are demolished, thus creating a series of large openings to increase natural light in the bedrooms.
A key project decision is the restoration of the ground floor’s elevation in relation to the garden. With this adjustment, along with the addition of sunshades and large windows, the interior and exterior spaces now function as a unified whole, offering visual and functional continuity. This creates inviting transitions from the interior of the house to the garden. Additionally, the old wooden canopies are replaced with new aluminum structures featuring pivoting and fixed sunshades, forming pleasant transitional spaces and “outdoor rooms” for seating and dining.
The main entrance is now accessed via a curved, “S”-shaped path designed to maximize the open space of the front courtyard. This path highlights the garden’s most prominent feature, a cedar tree, which serves as the focal point of the garden’s design. Ultimately, the interventions to the building’s shell and its surroundings, along with the interior renovations (including the addition of an elevator, upgrades to electrical and mechanical systems, and new finishes), significantly extend the building’s lifespan.