“Until now, our practice has mainly
been dedicated to architectural design
for specific clients – custom-built homes
that can pride themselves on a privileged
rapport with the natural environment they
integrate. With the Spahaus and Trihaus
projects, we are working in collaboration
with Fraternité developers to establish
an assortment of properties in nature that
are flexible and maintenance-free. This
collection of residences was designed
for this particular mountain site, by
rolling out a variety of different models
that serve as a bona fide, alfresco art
collection.”
This approach is not to be confused
with factory-built housing, which may
be attractive to some, but is conceived
without regard to ground unevenness,
natural layout, vistas or the alignment of
developments with human experience.
“To us, factory-built housing has no
place in nature, given that the proposition
wholly ignores the land on which it is
built. The construction of a factory-built
home requires significant deforestation
just to set up the different prefabricated
elements, delivered by way of heavy
machinery, rendering the possibility of
an intimate rapport between architecture
and nature impossible,” Yiacouvakis
explains.
As a further illustration of this point,
Spahaus units blend into the naturally
undulating contours of the mountain,
with each residence positioned to keep
other chalets out of sight, as if they
were laid out on the steps of a staircase.
With a large window design in front,
the ground floor’s concrete structure
welcomes a wooden playhouse (that can
accommodate a green terrace), which
constitutes an additional room on the
second floor. What we’re witnessing here
is the merging of the “tiny house” with
the thinking that goes into a modern,
functional space. Inaugurated in the
spring of 2015, these 21 Spahaus units
have nearly all found takers already,
while the Trihaus generate a similar
brand of enthusiasm.
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