Kalavrita Project | Helen Brasinika & Associates

Redefinition Creative Remodelling by Helen Brasinika is Silver A' Design Award Winner in Architecture, Building and Structure Design Category, 2012 - 2013. PRIMARY FUNCTION: Creative remodelling INSPIRATION: The commodity in terms of Karl Marx's critique of political economy as an object or good produced by human labour was the driving idea behind the design concept. UNIQUE PROPERTIES / PROJECT DESCRIPTION: The customer defined the desired outcome as keeping the mountain context, without emitting stereotypical rustic remembrances of existing mountain residential typologies. It involved a major renovation, of a common mountain house. The aim was to create a a space where everything would be manufactured on site, using basic materials metal, pine wood and mineral aggregates, human labour and expertise. The main idea behind that was to let the objects acquire use and sentimental value when the owners would start feeling them as useful and pleasant. OPERATION / FLOW / INTERACTION: The house has 3 levels, accomodaitng en-suite bedrooms, guest rooms, bathrooms and autonomy in daytime activities. The Desire was clear to accomodate the familiy's extroversial way of living allowing for co-habitation and mobility for daytime and nighttime zones. The need was to allow for guest families and their children to make creative use of space different hours of day and seasons. PROJECT DURATION AND LOCATION: The concept and design development started in July 2012, and it was finally delivered to customer end of November 2012. FITS BEST INTO CATEGORY: Architecture, Building and Structure Design PRODUCTION / REALIZATION TECHNOLOGY: Emmiting the architectural feeling of black burnt metal and volcanic stone. Constrcuctions and levels of nightime and basic traffic patterns were defined by black metal, mineral aggregates defined the floorplans, wet areas and main elevations while pine wood defined the storage areas. The color pallette was reduced to minimum contrast and low saturation in order to let the materials and textures define the context of the project redefining prevailing mountain houses of rustic country feeling. SPECIFICATIONS / TECHNICAL PROPERTIES: Each floor is about 50 sq meters, lower and middle level shell of local stone, while top floor log cabin. TAGS: Mountain, residential, remodelling, sustainability, typology, redefinition, mineral, metal, wood RESEARCH ABSTRACT: Reserach was done in prevailing mountain typology, availability of materials in the vicinity that would allow for easy access, minimum transportation and manufacturing costs. Pigmentations and stains also were selected in terms of reduced VOC emissions, low cost maintenance and taking into consideration the building life cycle and reusability of materials. CHALLENGE: The project following sustainability and bioclimatic values in house remodelling, had to utilise maximum natural daylight, a design lighting scheme using only led lighting sources and emitting the feeling of light candelas using very low light color temperatures. This had a serious impact since the customer desired to leave the existing shell and openings intact.