A
R
C
H
I
T
E
C
T
U
R
E
+
D
E
S
I
G
N
P R O F I L E | M O L D A R C H I T E C T S
P
H
O
T
O
S
:
Y
I
O
R
G
I
S
-Y
E
R
O
L
Y
M
B
O
S
concrete, glass, timber, and metal that
unambiguously links it to the rugged
nature of the terrain, as well as to the
island's rich history in mining, which dates
to antiquity. From the textured exterior
walls to the interior cavity of the house, for
example, the project is purposely rough-
ened up. The result is a kind of coarsening,
an effect fortified in the practice's use of
local stone that was extracted from the site
and repurposed in the design. Beyond
directly referencing the landscape and
serving as a constant reminder that the
structure is underground, the rock also
helps regulate temperature while also
forming the large imposing stone walls
that run the length of the structure.
While these imposing flanks help call
attention to the sky, the home's vast
glazed openings—full-height, energy-ef-
ficient panels of glass—connect the
composition to the outdoors and draw the
eye out to the splendid sea-facing view.
The outdoor patios do the same, with large
overhangs offering shade. At the end of
one of these courtyards, a sleek infinity
pool, bathes in the sun.
landscape, the project, though a fiercely
individualist design, also represents
what is a textbook blending of the built
environment and the natural world. But
there is nothing bland about it. "Our vast
respect for the land did not lead us to a
timid design, which would reproduce and
be submitted to stereotypes," the practice
continues, but rather, "we aimed at an
architecture that declares its presence yet
manages to 'belong' to its surroundings."
Furthering that objective meant reinforc-
ing an organic aesthetic drawn from a
raw material palette of stone, exposed
26 DIGS.NET
| 4.17.26
