Located in the village of Oia on the island of Santorini, Greece, Canaves Hotel, designed by Kapsimalis Architects, occupies a site overlooking the Caldera, with direct views toward the volcano and the Aegean Sea. The project combines a preserved traditional cave house with a newly constructed complex of five hotel rooms. The architectural intervention proposes a contemporary strategy of integrating hospitality functions within the morphological and spatial framework of the village.
The entrance to the hotel rooms takes place from its west and north side, via the public pedestrian street and through the two main exterior staircases of the complex. Taking into account the shape of the plot, the slope of its natural terrain, its relation with the pedestrian street, and the neighboring properties, as well as the optimal orientation towards the view, the inpidual rooms of the hotel complex were placed in a stepped manner and in a rhythmic backsliding and twist from each other. Specifically, the complex consists of four rooms on four different levels in the ground floor, and one room on two different levels on the upper floor. Each room of the ground floor comprises an open plan living space and bedroom area with its bathroom, as well as a private exterior yard with its lounge area and its plunge pool. The upper floor’s room comprises a living room and a bedroom with its bathroom, as well as two private exterior verandas with lounge areas and one semi-open plunge pool space.
Kapsimalis Architects Studio’s design aims to create a composition of rooms-cubist prisms, with reference to the scale and form of the existing white cubist architecture of the traditional village, and on the specific typology needs of the hospitality use. In the context of accomplishing the desired view and microclimate, the openings of the complex are designed with certain geometries and proportions, so as to contribute to the fluidity of the internal & external space. Parts of freestanding exterior walls, placed vertically between the yards, as well as scattered green elements, contribute to the pision of exterior areas, without obstructing the view and the natural light. The composition through the creative reinterpretation and interrelation of the above reference points leads to the formation of a balanced net of forms and spaces with a minimalist architectural identity.
Concerning the interior of the hotel complex, off-white smooth plaster for the walls, local cement plaster for some built furniture, large slabs of dark grey marble for the floors, dark stained oak, metal works and perse kinds of marbles for custom furniture, fabrics with different textures, mirrors, ceramic decorative pots and plates, lights made by opal glass, metal and marble, are the materials that shape the inner space and the objects that have been collected. The outer space moves in the same direction, as the colour of the exterior wall is a warm white, and its floor is a continuity of the indoor floor. The approach of the interior design is to offer an eclectic, unique style and discreet elegance that pair harmoniously with the exterior forms of the architectural composition.
▲ 客房成階梯狀旋轉布局,獲得最佳景觀視野
room volumes are arranged in a stepped, twisted configuration
▲ 建筑大廳出入口位于北側和西側,并設有樓梯便于上下通行
public access is provided via staircases on the north and west sides
▲ 5間客房順著傾斜地勢以階梯形態錯落有致的排布
five guest rooms cascade across the sloping terrain
▲ 每間客房均設有私人泳池和休閑庭院
each ground-floor unit includes a private plunge pool and lounge yard
▲ 私人泳池和露臺的設計增強了空間私密性的同時,又可將室外景觀引入室內,提升室內舒適度
plunge pools and terraces enhance privacy and outdoor living
▲ 建筑外觀為白色極簡主義風格,保持著當地的傳統色彩,并與周邊景觀互為融合
minimalist white facades maintain harmony with the local context
▲ 建筑立面的窗戶尺寸和陽臺位置經過精心設計,可成為觀海景的最佳視野處
balconies and openings are proportioned to frame sea views
▲ 每間客房的陽臺均設置有分戶墻,劃分空間的同時也不會遮擋陽光
freestanding walls define outdoor spaces without blocking light
▲ 室內采用米白色石膏板飾面,地板為深色大理石,顏色界定分明,可在室內塑造不同的質感
off-white plaster walls and dark marble floors define the interiors
▲ 室內定制家具以深色橡木、金屬與本地石材打造質感細節
custom furniture uses dark oak, metal, and locally sourced stone
▲ 室內飾面為簡約風格,并在其中融入不同質感的家具擺設,在簡約基調中融入豐富的觸感體驗
interior finishes balance simplicity with tactile richness
▲ Kapsimalis建筑事務所在設計時始終保持以統一材質基調貫穿整體的設計理念
Kapsimalis Architects’ design maintains a consistent material palette throughout
▲ 該項目設計旨在將室內與室外緊密聯系起來
the project achieves a strong connection between the interior and exterior realms