Teloneio Kardamyli

Once part of Kardamyli’s fortified 18th–19th century port, this listed customs house became a point of contention between private owners, the local community, and heritage authorities. Its careful restoration—guided by local craftsmen, using context-specific materials, and shaped in dialogue with preservation bodies—has since reconciled all sides. Now a private home, it occasionally opens its doors by arrangement, while its surroundings remain freely accessible. It celebrates continuity, care, and the quiet dignity of shared history by the sea.

The building’s transformation into a home required solving deep structural and spatial disjunctions. Originally fortified with disconnected rooms and storage vaults, the design challenge was stitching these into a coherent, liveable whole. Navigating heritage approvals proved equally demanding: listed at the national level, the project faced four years of negotiation with multiple boards. This called for patience, clarity, and a sensitive reading of heritage politics. Alongside official processes, we engaged with the local community, who held strong emotional ties to the building and its surrounding rituals. Listening helped align the intervention with broader expectations of care and access. Local craftspeople, builders, and materials were integrated throughout—not only for technical ease, but to root the process in trust and shared knowledge. The private owners were deeply supportive, enabling a strategy that balanced personal use with collective memory and long-term stewardship.

The existing structure—stone masonry walls, vaulted ceilings, was preserved and strengthened where necessary. Additions were minimal and reversible, with new elements clearly legible. Locally sourced materials were prioritised: chestnut wood for joinery and roof, recycled tiles, lime plaster, local marble, olivewood veneer, and pebbled screed. Steel windows, reminiscent of early 1930s types once present, were introduced to reinforce continuity. Sustainable thinking shaped every decision: use of passive cooling, natural cross-ventilation, thermal mass of thick walls, and minimal embodied energy through re-use and local sourcing. Circular economy principles were adopted, revitalising traditional building knowledge and craft. Modern systems were discreetly inserted to future-proof. Maintenance is straightforward: breathable surfaces, natural materials, and visible detailing ease upkeep and repair. The building’s quiet resilience rests in the way it ages well—with care, not replacement.