In a fast paced ever changing world, what matters most is spending more time with the people that we care about. The main scope of the brief was to create a new typology for a double residency to shelter two sibling families, that want to spend more time together, while in the same time maintain their own private spaces. As a result, House Symbiosis, was born. The house is located at the rear of a corner plot, forming an L shape in plan, leaving the front part as open space.The project showcases innovation in design and sustainability, as well as from a socio-anthropological perspective. In the same time the project has an existential character, while it can be interpreted from a philosophical point of view. It is looking at matters such us co-existence and preserving familial bonds and values in an ever more alienating world, where people tend to isolate themselves easier. In terms of design the project is introducing an innovative formal language, while gaining inspiration from the yacht, aerospace and automotive industries. The resulting curvilinear geometries impart a sense of dynamism and motion to the living spaces. The main challenge of the project was to create a balance between privacy and socialization for the two families. The volumetric displacement of the facades generates balconies and cantilevers, strategically limiting visual contact between interiors and creating secluded outdoor spaces. A sculptural ribbon-like geometry on the front inner facade creates an impression of a moving structure. A pool on the ground level located close the house, also adds up to this experience. The project designed based on the internal horizontal and vertical circulation and the sequential layout of the spaces according to their functional dependence. The internal circulation is externalized in the morphology of the facades through directional architectural gestures, with the lower residency to unfold as its spaces are successively accessible, from the northwest to the southwest, while the upper one in the opposite direction. House Symbiosis distinguishes itself by introducing an architectural interplay between motion and static elements. It caters to the cultural context of Greek families desiring close proximity for their children, while addressing the shifting paradigms of post-pandemic residential preferences. Its innovative design redefines the conventional understanding of a double residency, offering an architecture that harmonizes private and shared spaces, thereby fostering enduring connections.House Symbiosis has a profound social character through its distinctive architectural composition. Its unconventional spatial organization bringing together two families in close proximity and its design approach while positioning social outdoor spaces on the heart of the project, addresses a series of questions in terms of architecture and human relationships. While the project works as a case study on bringing people closer in a residential context in the same time could teach us greater lessons in the subject of symbiosis in society and on the topic of building stronger communities through well thought architectural compositions. The overall flexibility and adaptability that House Symbiosis offers aligns with basic principles of inclusive design in a residential context. House Symbiosis embodies a strong cultural ethos, catering to the timeless desire of Greek families for close-knit living arrangements. In a post-pandemic world where the importance of community and connection has never been more apparent, this design approach aims to redefine the very essence of family living. The building has an A+ classification in energy efficiency, which means that is an almost zero energy building. To achieve this, all the latest cutting-edge technologies have been implemented in combination with a well thought eco-friendly design approach, while incorporating several green elements into the design. The project prioritizes also sustainability by optimizing building orientation to maximize sunlight exposure. An important part of the design was the green roof in combination with the garden to create a green footprint in plan of the order of 75% of the overall coverage. The building uses renewable energy sources with the use of geothermal energy for heating and cooling needs, as well as photovoltaics to balance the electricity consumption. The combination of these systems leaves an almost zero-ernergy footprint.
