Pyrgos, a word that literally means “tower” in Greek, stands proudly at a highpoint of the Santorinian mainland; at the foothill of the imposing Mt. Profitis Ilias. Back in the times of crusaders and pirates, it used to be Santorini’s capital, sheltering the locals from pirate attacks with its unique fortress-like architecture. This architecture, the famed “Kastelia” of Santorini, is characterized by the village’s homes, which are built close to one another, forming an impenetrable wall, and the narrow, winding alleys that would hinder any enemy raid, and is nowadays considered iconic of Santorini’s traditional way of living. The evocative Pyrgos is the best preserved of the island’s Kastelia, redolent of the weathered past of Santorini and a mystifying location that enchants all visitors reaching its – now welcoming – enclave.
The residences converse with Fira just across, doused in sunlight during the day, stunning at night. Rich greenery separates each residence from its neighbouring ones, opening the view toward the Caldera. The windows attentively focus in selected points of the horizon, maximizing the tenants’ visual pleasure.
The attunement of our architecture with the given landscape (the actual material environment and its climate) is bioclimatic, as it limits any arbitrariness of choice and reduces environmental damage and energy burden. The production act of the architecture, as we have proposed it, leads concurrently to the reinforcement of diversity and not of conformity.
