Excerpt: Yìlofos by AYK Architects is conceived as an organic extension of the landscape in Pissouri, Cyprus, shaped by pronounced elevation differences and contour lines. Rather than dominating its elevated position, the residence gradually embeds into the slope, balancing the natural and built environment. Separated volumes and movable louvers generate a constantly transforming architectural identity connected to horizon, light, and terrain.
Project Description
[Text as submitted by architect] The project is situated in a landscape with pronounced elevation differences in the area of Pissouri, Cyprus, 265 meters above sea level. The residence is positioned on the northeastern hill of two adjoining plots, where the ground floor naturally finds its place. From this elevated level, the Mediterranean Sea, the landscape, and the sky form a continuous presence on the horizon, accompanying the daily experience.
Although located at the highest point, the building does not dominate the landscape but emerges organically, following the slope and the contour lines. The geometry, separation, and gradual embedding of the volumes into the ground create a balance between the natural and the built environment.
The composition is organized around a main three-level volume and a secondary semi-embedded one.
The ground floor serves as the daily core of the house. A unified layout of kitchen, dining, and living areas extends onto an elongated terrace. Movable shading louvers on the western façade transform the shell’s appearance, shaping different architectural perspectives as well as varying qualities of light and shade within the interior of the ground and first floors.
The first floor includes two ensuite bedrooms with walk-in wardrobes, a family room, and a small laundry area. Two opposite terraces open viewing axes to the north and south, while the elevation of this level turns it into a private retreat.
The basement integrates into the natural slope, providing natural cooling and a more immediate connection between the user and the site, while accommodating secondary functions.
The semi-embedded southern volume develops a more autonomous typology, continuing the materiality of the basement and including a bedroom, a kitchenette, and a wellness area with a sauna, in direct connection with the pool and garden. Its roof connects directly to the western terrace of the main ground floor via a bridge, while its top surface becomes a walkable roof garden that takes on the character of an observatory, reconnecting the user with the landscape and its vistas.
The materiality of the façades grounds the building within its context, while composing a framework of continuous variation. Movable louvers and pergolas on the façades are not merely technical shading elements but generate a constantly transforming identity for the building itself.
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