White Pebble Suites is a new luxury suites complex on the beachfront of Pollonia village at Milos Island, Greece.

The design concept behind the White Pebble Suites originates from the Cycladic topographical contours. The natural environment of the Aegean Sea dominated by sun, sea and wind, has created the distinctive forms of the island scenery, with the smoothly curved rocks over the sea. We envisaged the building’s shell like a rock smoothened by water and wind.

The project is located at a seafront plot overlooking the sea and the neighbouring island of Kimolos. Sea view was a crucial parameter to the design. All 12 rooms needed to have a main opening with a view to the sea. A ‘V’ shape layout was chosen for the narrow plot. At its inner central part, the main swimming pool is placed, adding a watery surface to the interior of the premises.

Adhering to the local building regulations, that prescribe script morphological rules conforming to traditional styles, all buildings are covered in white plaster, a typical technique in vernacular island architecture.

As the intense sunlight falls on the white continuous curvy walls, it constantly alters the perception of the exterior volumes of the building, and an interplay of shadows and light takes place throughout the day. Protection from the sunlight is provided by metallic-framed pergolas covered by rows of thick rope, that create distinctive patterns of shade.

The linear arrangement of spaces and uses has been extended into the interior space of the rooms. There, curvy walls along with built-in furniture organize the different uses of the rooms and provide an organic character to the design.

Although materials and construction techniques are consistent with traditional building methods, computational design has been applied to the architectural synthesis, providing the whole project with an elegant mixture of intimate and contemporary aesthetics.