Casa Odyssia by KRAK Architects

In search of Ithaca; the mythical Odysseus, washed naked on the island of Phaeacians, today’s Corfu. There, Nafsika, the king’s daughter, surrounded him and led him to her father’s palace, where he received the hospitality and supplies to return to his Ithaca. Casa Odyssia is a leisure residence that aims to host it’s user, as a modern Odysseus.

It is located in the northeastern part of the island in a verdant landscape with intense relief and at an altitude of 250 meters. The dwelling as a seed on the ground; it grows by finding space among the other forces of the site, the trees, the rocks; looking for the best view, the sun, the good orientation. The entire synthesis is structured around a central pillar, which refers to the sporadic outbursts of cypress trees, and turns towards south-east, aiming for the good orientation and the view to the horizon.

Following the axes x, y, z the elements of the synthesis, made of raw concrete, meet on the site, between the olive trees and the stones, creating spaces, boundaries and views, in a logic of endless movement. The house is a total of 142 sq.m. with the possibility of expansion in the space below the living area.

On the upper side of the plot, the volume of the rooms is ruptured by the main axis of movement, forming the entrance. Walking between the rooms, opens the view of the 1800 where the daily living takes part. Covered by a slab, bright and with large openings, it becomes one with the landscape and functions as a semi-outdoor space during the summer months.

A circular section bathes the living area with plenty of light, where depending on the position of the sun, a separate play of light and shadow is created. The scale, the simple geometries, the materiality, provides a visual weight to the building and contribute to a Doric character.

Casa Odyssia, like the rocks that emerge from the wild landscape, like an “anchorage”, is a station of rest, meditation, hospitality, a rescue “raft” from the urban life. It aspires to rest, and to inspire the user in the search for his own Ithaca … only then, the concrete blocks, are transformed into a home with spatial qualities, with reason and with a dream. Source by KRAK Architects.