Designed by architects Costandis Kizis, Platon Issaias, Theodosis Issaias, and Alexandra Vougia, the second prize winning proposal for the Innovative Bioclimatic European School Complex in Crete develops around two fundamental elements of space: light and soil. In response to the intense landscape of the area of Voutes, the architectural gesture, derived from the cliffs and valleys of the region, takes advantage of the microclimatic conditions while at the same time underlining the presence of an educational institution, not by standing out, but by letting the natural landscape play the leading role. More images and architects’ description after the break.
Instead of romanticizing these two categories of light and soil, we propose a man-made landscape which mediates and projects our view on the brief’s concerns and demands. Similarly to the olive groves of the surrounding area, our project leaves traces, marks and organizes the earth upon which it is built. Our proposal tries to redefine the existing landscape: it is a ‘bridge’ that connects, a ‘clay wall’ that defines and protects, and a ‘cave’ that shelters knowledge.
