Lyrical brutality. Maximum minimalism.This futuristic residence with a rooftop pool may never become reality. But it won’t remain a simple set of beautiful 3D images either. A digital manifesto from a new generation of architects – how do they see our future?
Have you ever thought about living in harmony withnature? About a secluded house on a rocky shore, away from prying eyes and human vanity? Or maybe you are a fan of glass and concrete? Environmentalists, misanthropes and lovers of extreme laconism, you have like-minded people. They are originally from Greece and work at the OPA Works studio (Open Platform for Architecture). Pantelis Kamparopoulos and Laertis Antonios Vassilou, Open Platform for Architecture Open Platform for Architecture (OPA) are two Greek architects in their early 30s, Laertis Antonios Vassilou and Pantelis Kamparopoulos. Both are graduates of respected Greek universities, the Higher Technological Institute of Patras and the Technical University of Athens, and scholars of equally respectable European academies. At an age that is not serious for Greek specialists, they are participants in quite serious projects both in Greece and abroad, and winners of awards and competitions. Both grew up on the coast of Rhodes, and therefore perceive the Aegean waters, furrowed by the cunning Odysseus, in an epic way. “To combine functional architecture with respect for nature, which has protected humanity for centuries, with the help of new fresh ideas” — this is how the architects formulate the main goal of OPA, which they created in 2014. opaworks.com
Literally grown into the rock CasaBrutale — "Brutal House" not only aesthetically, but also quite materially. It is to be built from three slabs of so-called raw concrete — beton brut in French. Hence the name. But the idea underlying the project is rather romantic, albeit with a rebellious bent.
OPA Works Studio:— It is a translation of the landscape into the language of geometry, a direct statement about the simplicity and harmony of modern innovative architecture, about its unused possibilities. We conceived a chameleon space that should be created both for the faithful service of its owner and for life in respect for the environment. And it is also an inverted reference to another beloved house of ours — Casa Malaparte. opaworks.com
Villa Malaparte, designed in the late 30sthe famous rationalist Adalberto Libera, and to this day looks out from a 32-meter cliff on the island of Capri onto the Gulf of Salerno. Conceived as a manifesto like its brutal "younger brother", the villa never became one - the journalist and writer Malaparte had a falling out with his designer and built the residence with other people. All that was left from Libera was a structure unusual for the Mediterranean with a high, wide staircase leading to a sunbathing area. In the late 60s, Godard filmed Brigitte Bardot there in the film "Contempt".
Unlike the Villa Malaparte, the Casa staircaseBrutale — 50 concrete steps — leads not up, but down. The building is entirely sunken into the cliff so as not to interfere with the view of the endless landscape. The cliff, the sea and the endless blue of the southern sky.
Instead of a roof, there is a transparent pool made ofreinforced glass, it softens the rigidity of the base material and lets in quite a lot of light. Refracted by water, this light creates fantastic patterns on the walls and ceiling - a continuation of the poetics of the Aegean Sea. Casa Brutale amazes with its primitive elegance.
OPA Works studio:— We aimed to use the simplest materials: wood, glass and concrete. This place is the convergence point of land and water. On the one hand, these elements dominate the structure aesthetically. On the other, our house benefits from them through the thermoregulation mechanism of the surrounding land and the cooling effect of the rooftop pool. opaworks.com
Through the high revolving door fromThe visitor enters immediately into an open, free space with a fantastic panorama of the Aegean Sea from the aged wood. With such a wealth of natural scenery, any tricks with finishing are superfluous. Inside, the minimalism is uncompromising and exclusive. The dining table cast from concrete is combined with concrete benches covered in warm brown-red wood.
Next to the benches is the soft curve of the fireplace.Behind the table is a modest guest room with a glass corner. Between it and the stove is a small passage to utility rooms: a bathroom, toilet and dressing room. The internal staircase consists of thin steel steps that create a visual bridge from the kitchen to the glass facade and further, to the horizon line.
This staircase leads to the master bedroom.The concrete bed is covered with wood, and one of the walls is covered with mirror panels to enhance the impression of the play of sun glare. The composition is completed by rare details of steel and wood. The only decor that OPA allowed itself is a sparse drawing on a concrete slab, pressed out with a board.
A tribute to the simplicity and splendor of nature— this is what the young architects call their project. Technically, it is quite feasible: OPA has all the calculations and drawings. Will there be a new Malaparte who would like to breathe life into them? It is unknown. One way or another, the concept itself has become a source of inspiration for the colleagues of these young Greeks from all over the world, who are actively commenting on it online and are interested in the details.
