Greek studio Mold Architects has completed a house on the island of Serifos that is partially submerged into a rocky hillside and features glazed openings that look straight out to sea.
Architect Iliana Kerestetzi's Athens-based practice designed the NCaved house for a site in a secluded cove just metres from the sea cliffs.
Above: aerial view of the home by Mold Architects. Top: the home is submerged within the hillside and orientated towards the ocean
The brief called for a building that makes the most of the spectacular views but was sheltered from strong northerly winds. These conditions informed the decision to bury the house into the landscape rather than exposing it above ground.
The building's wedge-shaped plan has bedrooms positioned at the narrow end further up the slope, with living areas and a guest apartment situated on the lower levels. Spaces are cut into the face of the terrain to create ocean views. Photo is by Panagiotism Voumbakis
A sloping green roof is punctured by a series of sheltered courtyards and open terraces. These outdoor spaces allow light and air to reach the subterranean rooms, as well as providing views from the living spaces.

"We applied a rectangular grid to the slope to produce a three-dimensional 'chessboard' of solids and voids that accommodate and, at the same time, isolate the residence quarters," the architects explained.
"This strict geometry is discontinued with the rotation of the last axis of the grid, which prov...