M Residence was first conceived in 2011, as one of the earliest projects by MOLD Architects, and returned to the studio more than a decade later when new owners decided to build it. Its revision became an unusual exercise in self-critique: an opportunity for the same practice to revisit an early idea through the experience, priorities and technical precision acquired over the intervening years, without losing the clarity of its original concept.
Set on a flat plateau at the crest of a hill, exposed simultaneously to panoramic views and strong Cycladic winds, the residence is conceived as a compact, monolithic volume whose introverted organisation recalls that of a monastery. Instead of arranging the rooms of the house around a single central courtyard, they are dispersed within the square footprint and subtly rotated towards different orientations and views, giving rise to seven protected courtyards within the whole.
The composition brings together three distinct spatial typologies found across the Cyclades. The first is the monastery: an introverted, almost self-contained structure, defined by a monolithic outer boundary and a world of protected courtyards within. The second is the simple cubic room of the Chora and Cycladic settlements: the main interior spaces of the house are therefore orthogonal, compact and clearly defined. The third comes from the more fluid geometries of rural cells, dry-stone walls and agricultural structures found across the island landscape.
Within the house, these three typologies take on different roles. The rectangular geometry defines the main rooms, while the more fluid geometry shapes the courtyards and forms a continuous connective fabric around and between them. This softer layer incorporates the walls, circulation and ancillary spaces of the residence, binding the individual rooms into a single whole. The result is a clear dialogue between the orthogonal and the organic, enclosed within the strict square perimeter of the monolith.
The later revision sought to simplify and soften the original scheme while reinforcing its central idea. The interior spaces were opened further towards the courtyards, while the external perimeter became more protected and filtered. The material expression was also reconsidered, replacing the pristine abstraction of the early proposal with a warmer, pigmented render whose tones remain distinct from, yet complementary to, the surrounding landscape.
The building’s relationship to the ground was similarly reworked. The entire volume is raised on a recessed perimeter plinth, creating a continuous shadow line that makes the monolith appear to hover slightly above the terrain. When a swimming pool was subsequently introduced to the brief, it was treated as an autonomous geometric figure rather than an extension of the house: a square rotated in relation to the main volume. Where the two meet, the same detail continues over the water, allowing the building to hover above the pool as it does above the ground.
From a distance, the residence retains the clarity of a singular object on the hilltop; within, its apparent solidity gives way to a porous sequence of rooms, passages, courtyards and sheltered open spaces. More than a decade separates the original design from its construction, allowing the completed house to register not only the evolution of an architectural idea, but also that of the studio that conceived it.
Gross area: 270m2
Site area: 5.600m2
Architectural Design: 2011
Completion: 2026
Architectural Design: Mold Architects – Iliana Kerestetzi
Leading architect Iliana Kerestetzi
Design Team: Stefanos Maniatis
Maria Vrettou
Andreas Noussas
Manousos Kakouris
Katerina Daskalaki
Fotis Zapantiotis
Structural Engineer: Technodynamics
Mechanical Engineer: TEAM M-H
Lighting Design: Site Specific
Construction: Aris Sfikas & Mold architects
Photographer : Giorgos Sfakianakis
