House in Psychico

The house is located in a residential area near the centre of the city, being subjected to restrictions pertinent to the limited area of the site, the orientation and the programme. The uniformity of the plots in this neighborhood results in houses of similar volumes, while the distances between them are the minimum allowed by the building regulations. The cross-section of the house, determined by the need for a southern orientation, allows the sun to reach all the main spaces, despite the close distance to the adjacent building. In its long side, the house follows a linear arrangement in plan and section, having on the north side the entrance and circulation spaces. A straight-flight staircase signifies the direct diagonal movement through the volume of the house, which connects functionally and visually all three levels.

On the south side, the living space on the ground floor extends through the whole length of the house, like an extruded volume, having part of the ceiling raised in order to provide for a continuous opening to the south. On the first floor, right above the living space, lies the raised courtyard where the children's bedrooms open up to. The courtyard occupies a third of the plan, creating an openair space within the volume of the house, which is internalised because of its enclosed form and externalised because of its opening to the sky, the street and the garden. On this level, the three children have the choice to share two communal spaces, one interior: part of the circulation space and one exterior: the raised courtyard. On the third floor the structural system is expressed, revealing one of the main compositional elements. The plan of this level incorporates a small terrace, which is an extension of the bedroom space and has a southern orientation like the main courtyard right below.

The fact that uninterrupted spaces extend through the whole length of the house at different levels, transforms the street and garden elevations into expressions of the cross-section of the house. The linear openings on the elevations define multiple horizon lines, which dictate a viewing strategy towards the outside. It was part of the initial concept of this house to accommodate the potential of a future change, towards a more public use. This parameter has been incorporated in the logic of the partitioning system, as well as in its total infrastructure. The house is constructed out of exposed reinforced concrete, having steel frame windows, plywood partition panels and penny tile floors.