The client has multiple plots in the village of Mandria, Limassol. The brief was to design two, one bedroom, cabins within the most appropriate of these plots. An analysis of the plots was done to quantify and qualify which of these plots would best suit the project. The plot selected is situated towards the edge of the village, has a running stream on its West boundary and forested area beyond the steam. There is a road on the east boundary of the plot allowing for easy access and the plot is within a building zone that allows for continues bound construction. This allows for the cabins to be places as close to the site boundaries as necessary.
The client specified that he wanted something different from the standard cabins-houses in Cyprus as these cabins will be rented as short-term vacation homes.
Mandia village is situated over 800m from sea level, due to this the temperature in this area of Cyprus fluctuates dramatically. In the summer the temperatures range from 30°C – 41°C in the day to 19°C – 26°C in the night. While in the winter the temperature ranges from 10°C – 21°C in the day to -1°C – 14°C in the night. With these 20°C temperature changes from day to night and the almost 40°C span of temperature difference from summer to winter taken into consideration a design strategy for heating and cooling the buildings needed to be taken into consideration.
A-Frames were chosen as a structure that is best suited for lower temperature climates as they do not provide large horizontal surfaces. The inclined pitches of the cabins will be clad in natural wood and the steel frame structure of the building will be highly insulated with 20cm of rockwool. In contract the west façade of the cabins will be glazed with solar control glazing, allowing for natural light to penetrate into the cabins in the afternoons when the temperature starts to decline.
The lower level will consist an open plan Living – Dining – Kitchen which opens up to the cabins patio area with a hot tub towards the west.
Using an A Frame structure provides an upper level for the bedroom. This creates a clear differentiation between private and public space without the use of physical boundaries. The lavatory will be under the stairs while the shower will be imbedded within the bedroom.
This project is still under study and therefor changes are constantly being implemented until it is submitted for its Urban Planning License.
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