AK House - Paphos Cyprus

Location Paphos Cyprus

Area 160m2

Year of Completion 2022

Category Private House

This project was about designing a compact and low budget house to accommodate a family of four. The project was focused on a contemporary family of young people who have to deal with the post covid-19 reality – having to work from home and spending many hours in the house – who also require bioclimatic design, low maintenance and environmentally friendly techniques and principles. 

Therefore, the project involved substantial challenges. Firstly, we aimed to maximize the use of the available space, taking advantage of every inch of the house and making every space exactly as big as necessary. Additionally, it was important to take advantage of the great views offered by the plot and of the big altitude difference in the plot, and combine these with the best possible orientation of the house. All these led us to create an easy to live in space divided into 3 sections: the common spaces located on the ground floor, the more private spaces located on the first floor and the entertaining/hobby section located on the basement which involved the garden and an underground indoor space with a gym and a small crafts space. 

Natural lighting & air circulation were clearly two key factors in designing the house. The design allowed for ample morning natural light, coming into the interior from the east direction. Importantly, the cross-air ventilation through all window openings helps to bring down daytime temperatures to a comfortable level of 24-25 degrees Celsius.

The main entrance is on the ground floor of the building from the west side and is joined by a movement zone on which unfold the different rooms, the living room, the dining room and the kitchen on the southwest side. On the north side of the movement zone is the staircase, with a large northern opening that offers constant lighting throughout the day and in the summer contributes to the ventilation and cooling of the space, and the east-facing office that offers plenty of natural light during the morning hours.

The main living spaces have a south orientation with the kitchen also having openings to the east, giving a nice note of natural light in the morning. The living room has small openings to the west, which during the summer months contribute to the creation of natural air flow and cooling of the space. The living room is visually connected to the dining area with the double-sided fireplace, while the dining room is an extension of the kitchen whose vital part is the island in the middle.

Great importance was given to the shading of the openings to create a better microclimate inside the house, to the insulation, to the natural ventilation and lighting and to the planting.

The design language is simple with no frills, with white walls and exposed concrete dominating. Only one wall in the living area is covered with a natural local stone installed to create a warmer atmosphere. The same stone is also found in the grill, which was also designed after studying the needs of the users.

Overall it is a project we loved like we love its residents, for whom it was specifically designed and built.