Apartment Building in Glyfada I
Apartment Building in Glyfada III
Apartment Building in Glyfada II
Apartment Building in Exarcheia
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Nafplio, Greece
4000m2
permit granted
2024
John Karahalios
Elisavet Plaini
Manos Papatzanakis
Haralambos Dimidis
Nikos Labrou
Thekla Construction









The complex is located in Nafplio and comprises two basement levels, a ground floor, four upper levels, and the inclined roof. Due to the development of the complex along the elongated configuration of the plot, it is organized into three sections, each served by a central entrance and a corresponding staircase core. All ground-floor units feature independent entrances, aligned to the three main circulation cores.
The building is freely positioned within the site and conceived as a unified volume that follows, on each side, the parallel lines defined by the geometry of its setting. The two uppermost floors act as the crowning element of the composition; their continuous lines outline and define the building without interruption. In contrast, the ground floor and the first two floors are articulated by recesses at the three entrance points, introducing a secondary, human-scaled rhythm that engages more naturally with the urban environment.
An open-air configuration was chosen for the central staircases, resulting in a reduction of the overall building mass. This approach allows the linear structure of the complex—composed of three distinct yet interconnected parts—to be clearly expressed within the larger architectural envelope. It also establishes visual connections between the observer, the city, and the sea, while enhancing conditions for natural cross ventilation.
The primary façades, oriented northeast and southwest, are part of a unified horizontal system but differ in their internal articulation, reflecting the programmatic functions they accommodate. On the northeast façade, where the living areas are located, large openings and continuous balconies engage in dialogue with the sea and the historic city of Nafplio, emphasizing the public and extroverted nature of these spaces. On the southwest façade, which addresses the urban fabric, the architectural scale is fragmented and reduced, reinforcing the sense of privacy and the complexity of the interior.
A gradual transition in scale is achieved—from the independent ground-floor units, to the partial unification of the building volumes and the interruptions at the stairwells on the first floor, culminating in the complete compositional unity of the complex on the two uppermost levels.
Overall, within the framework of designing a large residential complex composed of multiple individual units, a key design intention was to establish a balance between the inherent large scale of the development and the human scale, as expressed through each distinct dwelling.

Second Underground Level
First Underground Level
Ground Level

First Floor
Second Floor
Third Floor
Fourth Floor
Terrace

Elevations

Sections
