Situated 80 metres from the shore, the five-storey apartment hotel contains 15 luxury units, each with the widest possible sea view, including a penthouse with large roof terrace and swimming pool. The building required an attractive, modern form while appearing non-invasive in the landscape. The cliff’s topography and the vicinity of significant architectural and historical monuments were crucial in conceiving its typology: instead of repeating vernacular house architecture, it mimics characteristic olive-grove walls. Designed as two zones with shared vertical communications, the reinforced-concrete structure is finished in stone and concrete towards the street, while the sea-facing facade features folding aluminium louvres, providing passive protection from the sun’s heat and enabling natural ventilation. From the road, the structure is mostly dug in; from the sea, the glazing reflects the views, and the volumes disappear in the excavated double articulation of the walls. Elevators are panoramic on all floors except the lowest. 

Source: Aga Khan Trust for Culture