TOWER HOUSE, MARATHON, GREECE
Until the 20th century, the plain of Marathon retained its original look unspoiled. It was a neglected, marshy rural area with sporadic stone buildings, scattered throughout the landscape. Their remains are visible even today after the drastic changes due to the transformation of large tracts of arable land into haphazardly built settlements.
One of these remains is the Tower of Oinoe, a reference point for the present Tower House in Marathon. The Tower of Oinoe was built around 1250 with massive stone walls and its primary purpose was to oversee the Marathon plain.
One of these remains is the Tower of Oinoe, a reference point for the present Tower House in Marathon. The Tower of Oinoe was built around 1250 with massive stone walls and its primary purpose was to oversee the Marathon plain.
The plain of Marathon from Brauron / Champ de Bataille de Marathon vu de Brauron, 1834, STACKELBERG, Otto Magnus von
La Grèce. Vues pittoresques et topographiques |
Tower of Oinoe, plan & views
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Similarly, the design of the Tower House aims at framing views of the landscape, though minimizing visual contact with the recently erected buildings of the neighborhood.
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The Tower House should accommodate two generations of a family. Thus, the design envisages two high volumes, connected to each other through a one-story common dining area, which constitutes a meeting point, a "bridge" between the two generations.
The envelope consists of 50 cm thick masonry, which contributes to the drastic reduction of cooling and heating demand of the interior spaces. The reasonably dimensioned extent of glass over the envelope along with its strategic positioning with regard to its orientation provides access to daylight without compromising views to the surrounding or putting thermal comfort and energy efficiency at stake.
The two higher volumes are clad in bricks as a gentrified analogy for traditional natural stone. The handmade, slightly embossed, irregular facing bricks of the facade represent a cogent natural antiquity, which integrates the building into both, the present and the past of the surrounding landscape.
The landscape approach to the architectural composition, aided by restraint in scale, alienates the building from the chaotic settlement structures of the last decades. It serves the well-balanced assimilation of the morphologically uncontrived earthly construction from the natural environment.