Benessere Rock House

The main volumes are gradually developed from the rear of the site toward the view — the sea, the pool, and the surrounding landscape — following the natural morphology of the terrain and incorporating strategic openings and projections. The result is a residence that appears to emerge organically from the rock, giving the impression of floating above the slope without disrupting the continuity of the olive grove. Approaching the house from the road, the entire roof blends seamlessly with the landscape and the sea beyond.

The residence is organized across three levels, ensuring both functional cohesion and privacy. The upper level includes the parking area, the main entrance, the master bedroom, a private pool, and a terrace. The expansive terrace functions as a natural extension of the bedroom, with a seamless indoor-outdoor flow achieved through sliding glass panels that retract into double walls, creating an uninterrupted connection with the surrounding olive groves and offering unobstructed views of the sea.

A balcony to the sea, an observatory to the passage.

In a six-acre olive grove, with a steep slope and a view of the narrow passage of northern Corfu, a residence was designed with respect for the Corfiot land and the natural environment. A house that frames each morning the most breathtaking sunrises, with ships slowly passing in front of it, like a natural stage set.

The challenge was to integrate it discreetly into the landscape, to respect the olive grove, to listen to the earth and the sea without competing with them. The architectural composition follows the morphology of the terrain, with dry stone walls organizing the flow and the levels. The landscape dictated the rules: the dry stone walls traced the levels, the olive grove set the boundaries, and the sea gave the rhythm. Two white beams emerge from the rock, like orientation axes, silently conversing with the passing ships. The water in the pools, the wood, and the planted roofs create a gentle footprint on the landscape, allowing nature to take center stage, exactly as it deserves. A residence that remains present yet simultaneously unseen, with its main volume developing underground, a feature that minimizes visual intrusion, especially from the level of the road.

The materials selected aim to maintain aesthetic continuity with the landscape, while also ensuring long-term durability and minimizing maintenance needs. Local stone, exposed concrete, and gray-toned wall finishes integrate the residence into the rocky slope, while the extensive use of wooden decking in the outdoor areas adds warmth to the exterior design. The use of local natural stone for retaining walls and pathways harmonizes with the surroundings, creating the sense of a natural extension of the terrain. Additionally, the planted roofs further enhance the environmental integration of the residence within the olive grove setting.

The fact that most of the residence is built below ground level, combined with its optimal orientation and the use of green roofs, provides natural insulation, making the house a modern bioclimatic dwelling. Furthermore, the construction of a bioclimatic pergola at the parking level — with a total surface area of 65 square meters and equipped with photovoltaic panels — ensures full energy autonomy, rendering the residence self-sufficient throughout the year.

The project was successfully accomplished, both in terms of design as well as construction supervision, in close collaboration with our friend and colleague Michael Karagiannakis.

Photography by Kim Powell Photography.

On the middle level are the main living spaces, including the living room, kitchen, two bedrooms, a guest room, and the large cantilevered pool, which visually appears to merge with the horizon. The choice of an open-plan layout, combined with large sliding glass panels, eliminates the boundaries between indoor and outdoor spaces, maximizing both visual and functional connection to the surrounding landscape.

The lower level hosts recreational spaces, such as a gym with locker rooms, a screening room, and a billiards area. Natural, cross-ventilated light fills this level. This is achieved through the large glass wall of the pool, allowing light to penetrate from the ground floor pool above, as well as through additional glazing that reveals the exposed rock face at the back of the semi-underground residence, naturally lit via skylights. An internal atrium at the rear of the house, positioned between the staircase and the illuminated rock, further enhances natural lighting, visually linking all levels of the residence.

The central pool is one of the design’s most distinctive features, as it is cantilevered outward, giving the impression of floating above the natural slope. Its extension beyond the main shell of the residence creates the effect of a suspended water surface. This theme of suspension, expressed through the white cantilevered volumes, is a defining element of the overall architectural composition.