Riza

Paros 

React Architects design a series of entangled houses on Paros island, Greece, this is the first one of the series, named Riza house. As the title indicates (Riza is the Greek word for root), the main concept is that the project is rooted in the topography and the white walls emerge from it, unfold like a geometric ribbon on the landscape, and form the volumes of the house.

Located in the area with the toponym "Psilafi" in Paros Greece. As its Greek name betrays it, it is at the highest point of a hill, it has a southwest orientation on the long side, overlooking the sea and Antiparos. The "dwellings" found in the area have a unique character due to the topography. It is a series of buildings of local architecture with different uses (houses, warehouses, stables, etc.) and geometry (oncoplasia) that are composed as a whole.

Influenced by the vernacular architecture and its reduction to a more modern and free form, the architects proposed the creation of white folded walls that are rooted (riza) to the ground and begin to unfold on the landscape, and can easily adapt to it due to its plasticity. In this way, a multifaceted building emerges from the ground and adapts to the particular morphology.

Project details

Architectural design: React Architects Natasha Deliyianni,

Yiorgos Spiridonos

Collaborating Architect: Nikoletta Georgopoulou

Structural Engineering: Aggelos Kottikas

Mechanical & Electrical Engineering: Nikos Chrystofyllakis

Renderings: Andreas Androulakakis, Tatiana Tzanavara,

Nikoletta Georgopoulou

Site Supervision: React Architects

Photos: Panagiotis Voumvakis