The Garden House by Christos Pavlou Architecture is a physical representation of the potential for urban gardens to create micro-climates that improve the living conditions of cities rather than contribute to climate change. Inspired by the detrimental effect that cities have on CO2 emissions and global warming, the designers wanted to show that the practical integration of green spaces into home design is both possible and favorable.

two sections of the house are divided by a green space that cuts through the middle. to the left is the living room, and to the right are glass walls that reflect the image of the living room

Not only does the design of the home integrate it with a public green area, it also represents community unification. Where the majority of urban home design promotes separation of living space with the outside, through fencing and other barriers, the Garden House completely flips the concept of isolation upside down. According to the designers, the home “seeks to establish a unified relationship between the neighborhood, the private (the house) and the public green area. In this way urban elements such as building, street and public space are not treated as absolute activities in isolation but as one single homogeneous configuration.”

to the left the interior of a kitchen with white counter-tops, to the right is green space that separates another part of the building

The house becomes part of the park through interrelation with shared spaces such as the public pedestrian pathway, neighborhood garden and the veranda. Gardens make up 60% of the plot on the ground floor, and there is a green terrace on the first floor as well. Most of that ground floor green space is made up of bee-lawn, which creates a friendly environment for bees and helps maintain biodiversity. Since many of the world’s crops rely on bees, this will come as a welcomed addition to the area’s ecosystem.

an evening shot of the building from the outside. greenery surrounds the building. a long hallway with wood floors lead into the house.

The main building is designed into two cube shapes with a green courtyard at the center. This was incorporated so that the inner garden could seamlessly blend into the interior of the house, making it difficult to see where the green space stops and the inside begins. The garden helps to fill unusable space under staircases and flows naturally from the east to the west from each side of the house. If occupants do require privacy, there are 24 m long run glazed doors on the ground floor to separate the interior from the outer landscape.

+ Christo Pavlou Architecture

Via ArchDaily

Photography by Charis Solomou via Christo Pavlou Architecture

Continue reading below
Our Featured Videos