Prefabricated house with printed modules. A flexible and sustainable metal enclosure

Olive Tree House is a small summer house located in Halkidiki, Greece. The client wanted a house that needed little maintenance, situated on a pristine hill in the middle of an olive grove with a view of the sea, and beyond the famous monasteries of Mount Athos

The project is highly experimental and uses state-of-the-art digital CAD/CAM technologies in an innovative way. All the components of the building have been prefabricated, however, the project itself has carefully considered the position of the sun to provide shading and to complete the views. The 3m by 7m rectangular layout is aligned with the cardinal points and is divided into smaller rooms

A corridor connects the spaces but also aligns with the adjacent olive trees, which thus become an integral part of the layout of the house. The outer shell is a light metal surface that envelops and is mobile, to provide maximum flexibility. The perforated fabric pattern is inspired by the shade of the olive trees. As the sun moves during the day, the interior spaces are full of ever-changing shadows

This building is part of an investigation into sustainability and the provision of human comfort in architecture, questioning the definition of interior and exterior living space