NCaved is a vacation residence of 360m2, located on Serifos Island, on a small secluded rocky cove seemingly hovering just above sea level. The need to create a protected shelter, at a location of disarming view, but openly exposed to strong north winds, led us to the decision to drill the slope, instead of arranging a set of spaces in line at ground level.

By combining passive and active techniques we managed to minimize the energy consumption and maintenance cost of the house. Another key concept of our approach was the use of local materials, such as stone, excavated from the plot, band also metal which we used as a reference to the Island’s rich mining history.

The use of raw materials (stone, exposed concrete, wood and steel) intensifies the feeling of living inside a natural cavity. The roughness of the materials is combined with an elegance in the handling of the details, creating a simple, yet warm and gentle environment totally connected to nature.

The thorough research of the geomorphological elements, as well as the cultural heritage of Serifos - a site where architecture has always been inextricably linked to the natural landscape and the improvement of the inhabitants’ living conditions –led to the design of Ncaved . Our vast respect for the land did not lead us to a timid design, which would reproduce and be submitted to stereotypes; rather, we aimed at an architecture that declares its presence yet manages to “belong” to its surroundings.