The Koulas Project
by Alexis Papadopolous

The Koulas Project is a residential intervention in Kolossi, Cyprus, conducted by Alexis Papadopulos Architectural Practice.

The main volume of the proposal, is inspired by the compact form and small openings of the typology of a koulas, consisting of two levels of indoor space and a third level without a roof, operating as a roof garden - a room open to the sky.

Medieval watchtowers / turrets.

A secondary linear volume, which expands the functional spaces of the ground floor, is different in form and materiality, emphasizing the height of the main volume and its dynamic presence.

To the north, the living room submerges into the surrounding garden, while to the south the bedroom hovers above it.

The position of the building volumes, the arrangement of openings and the outdoor spaces were designed based on the pre-existing olive trees, which were important elements of the synthesis.

The intention for monolithic facades in the internal and external walls of the main volume, which would highlight its solid form, has led to research methodologies of construction.

The chosen technique was explored with the method of prefabricated double walls in reinforced concrete, without any columns or beams.

The concrete walls were casted with robotic control in metal molds, that give a perfectly smooth surface, and assembled on site with a crane within three days.

The structural materials of the building volumes of the residence are reflected in the interior spaces as well.

The walls of the main volume remain in concrete and the walls of the secondary volume are cladded in wood, a material that has also been used for its structure.

The natural textures and the special technical construction characteristics, both of concrete and wood, as well as of the other materials that have been chosen for the fixed furniture, form a distinct interior environment.

These, along with the red color of the fixed furniture in the main volume, enhance the material contrasts of the spaces, while creating an intense and lively atmosphere.

Author Alexis Papadopoulos Architectural Practice
Team Alexis Papadopoulos, Despo Anagiotou, Maria Protou, Laoura Tziourrou
Surface 170 sqm
Location Kolossi, Cyprus
Year 2021
Collaborators Costas Constantinou (Civil Engineer), Costas Moyses (Mechanical Engineer), Innovative Construction Solutions (Contractor), Prohellas (Subcontractor, Concrete structure), Antonis Eliades (Woodworks), Ioannides Lighting (Lighting fixtures provider), Lovenlight (Wooden furniture and wooden lighting)
Photography Mariana Bisti
Photoshoot set design Elena Kotasvili

Interior RA Double Brick House Mo-tel House

a project powered by Itinerant Office

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