Situated in Voula, along the Athenian Riviera, Arais Building explores the idea of the stacked villa, redefining collective housing through the spatial qualities and privacy of two independent residences conceived as singular homes. The project challenges the conventional apartment typology, proposing instead a sculptural vertical composition where each dwelling embodies the experience of a private villa suspended within a unified architectural form.
The building accommodates two residences arranged one above the other. The lower home unfolds across the basement, ground and first floors, conceived as a garden residence immersed in landscape. Defined by a seamless relationship between interior and exterior, it extends into a private planted courtyard with a swimming pool, where architecture and nature become continuous. Above, the upper residence occupies the second, third and fourth levels, envisioned as an elevated retreat in dialogue with horizon and light.
The architectural language is shaped by monolithic white volumes, softened through rounded edges and carved openings that generate depth, shadow and fluidity. Deep horizontal frames wrap the structure as inhabitable thresholds, while vertical timber screens filter light, mediate privacy and introduce warmth and tactility. The interplay of solid and void, mass and transparency, gives the building a dynamic yet serene presence.
Rather than expressing two apartments stacked within a building, Arais is conceived as two autonomous houses interlocked in section—an exploration of how density can coexist with individuality, openness and domestic intimacy. Through its sculptural form and integrated landscapes, the project proposes a contemporary interpretation of Mediterranean living, where architecture becomes both shelter and topography.
Arais Building reflects KKMK’s ongoing investigation into fluid geometries, spatial softness and the redefinition of urban residential typologies, transforming collective living into an experience of vertical private inhabitation. Above, the upper residence occupies the second, third and fourth levels, envisioned as an elevated retreat in dialogue with horizon and light.
Architecural Design: KKMK Architects
Design team: Karagianni Katerina, Karamali Marina, Dimitris Chiotakis