Mirage House | Tinos, Greece | Kois Associated Architects

An infinity pool will form the roof of this cavernous house designed by Athens studio Kois Associated Architects for the Greek island of Tinos. 

The team decided to bury part of the building in the landscape and then create a large open-air living room in front. These will all be sheltered beneath the rooftop pool, which will act as a huge mirror to help the building camouflage with its surroundings.

"Some of our clients' major concerns were visibility and privacy," project architect Nikos Patsiaouras said. "At first we were concerned with the concept of invisibility. We asked ourselves 'How can you make a building disappear?'. Our response was to mimic elements of the landscape."

"The visual effect of the mirroring of the pool in combination with the concept of invisibility brought to mind the visual phenomenon of the mirage, from which the project was named," he said.

Dry stone walls will surround sections of the interior and also frame the building's entrance. These are designed to reference the traditional walls that can be spotted all over the scenic island landscape.

Patsiaouras explained: "The elements that stirred our imagination most were the linear drywall constructions that articulate the landscape and the scattered shallow concrete water-reservoirs used for agricultural purposes."

The team also plans to add rammed-earth walls around the rear of the building, with layers of vegetation that will help to create a cool internal environment.

The house will be located on a natural plateau, allowing for a simple single-storey layout. This will include three bedrooms and a separate kitchen, as well as the outdoor living room.