houses near the sea

Spiladi with cave-bathroom in Mandraki

The spiladia are stone built dwellings fully aligned to the hard landscape of Nisyros. Traditionally, the farmers built the terraces, vastadia, in order to hold/maintain the ground and work with the land. In most of these fields they built the spiladia since they were away from their settlements, for storing their crop and for the manufacture of koukouzina the traditional raki.

The spiladi under study is located in a land of 3,5str which is organised by vastadia. There is also an underground cellar like a cave. The spiladi retains all its basic features: the stone arches that are an important construction characteristic and the small openings like embrasures.

It was restored based on the traces of the past, with a small intervention of a small kitchen to make it viable. The fireplace is rebuilt and the existing holes in the wall are kept with double glazing to allow the passage of sunlight.

The embrasures act as windows with a wooden frame which can be removed in the summer. The double-sided barn door is being retained.

The underground cellar/cave is converted into a bath. A natural hollow has been formed with natural caves. The space is being redefined with the parallel formation of a perimeter bench. Thus an outdoor living room is created, a hug. An outdoor bed is built with stones under the agramythas which dominates the space: an ancient and protected tree.

On the outer side of the bench another path is being formed leading to steps made of stones to the cave/bathroom. For the conversion of its use, the bath should be submerged below 1.5m from the existing level to have appropriate, sustainable height.

The main intervention actually happened in the landscape. Several pre-existing elements maintained that define the rural character of the place. Such are the threshing floor and the two cisterns. In the awkward triangle formed between the spiladi and the fence, various electro facilities are placed, a small storage room and a washing machine.
An outdoor shower is placed on the north east of the spiladi and beside a small agramythas

All trails have been formed with natural paving. They lead to all the different uses of the property, such as the path to the massage table, the only place that allowed visual contact to the sea through the many trees.