MOLD Architects completed 'M Residence' in Lia on Serifos by revisiting a 2011 concept, transforming it into a terracotta square house pierced by seven courtyards that provide residents with light, shade, and outdoor rooms within a tight footprint. After remaining unbuilt for more than a decade, the scheme returned with warmer finishes and rooms opening more fully toward the courts.
Its mostly solid exterior draws on Cycladic monastic forms, while curved interior walls connect planted voids and shaded passages beneath a flat roof. A raised plinth and perforated brick screens separate the pink-toned volume from the rocky ground, and sliding glass panels draw Aegean views into the rooms without sacrificing enclosure.
Seven courtyards within a single square plan make inward-looking coastal housing more usable on exposed sites, giving homeowners privacy and daylight without a sprawling layout. The revived 2011 scheme also underscores the value of archived residential work, showing how older concepts can return with a sharper fit for current clients.
Image Credit: Giorgos Sfakianakis, designboom, gsfak
Why This Trend Is Growing
- Courtyard-centered Living
- Compact homes with multiple planted voids present new possibilities for privacy, daylight, and outdoor rooms on constrained or exposed residential sites.
- Archived Design Revival
- Dormant architectural concepts are becoming valuable creative assets as older schemes can be reinterpreted with updated materials, client needs, and climate-conscious layouts.
- Monastic Coastal Minimalism
- Solid exterior forms paired with warm interiors and selective openings suggest a rising appetite for secluded, landscape-responsive luxury housing.
Industries Being Reshaped
- Residential Architecture
- Architectural studios can differentiate through inward-facing layouts that balance enclosure, natural light, and flexible semi-outdoor living spaces.
- Luxury Real Estate
- High-end property markets may benefit from homes that combine privacy, sculptural identity, and climate-adapted outdoor experiences in compact footprints.
- Building Materials
- Terracotta finishes, perforated brick screens, and warm mineral surfaces indicate opportunities for material suppliers serving regional, low-glare, and texture-rich design preferences.
