villa san mateo redefines human-nature relationship on a silent rocky mountain

leaning on the rock of the mountain, adapted to the landscape and built with natural materials, villa san mateo nestled upon an elongated shape, protected from the north and views onto the sea on the south. the building built a successful human-nature relationship as it adapts in the environment, utilizing local materials, exploitation of the view, and maintain protection from the weather conditions.

“we believe that the key to a healthier psychological condition is nature. maybe in our daily stressed urban lives, we forget about it and what it brings to our lives, but we have to maintain and look for contact with nature.” explained paly architects to the design story.

villa san mateo is a vacation residence in crete, on livadia, 1-hour road from chania. the plot is near a ridge (cape koutoulas) on rocky ground and wild landscape. big natural rocks project to the west and the mainland with olive trees, small hills, and sloppy grounds on the east. two clean volumes, one with the living room, kitchen, dining room, and one with the bedrooms, connected via a protected cross-bright semi-outdoor living space on the…