Achilleas Barouxis, architecture portfolio 2023

Selected Projects

Villa Benthuizen / Arjen Reas architecten, NL

House Akerdijk / Arjen Reas architecten, NL

Apartment Building / Arjen Reas architecten, NL

Seevillen / Arjen Reas architecten, AT

Butcherstore Reas II / Arjen Reas architecten, NL

Sancta Terra - between Gods and Nature / Competition & Diploma Project, PT

Reinterpretations of the Ruined / Diploma Project, GR

Architectural Measure-Drawing of a House / Academic work, GR

Villa Benthuizen

Arjen Reas architecten

Location: Benthuizen, The Netherlands

Client: Private

Phase: finished (2019)

Photographer: Luc Buthker (except *)

personal work: concept, 3D modeling (digital in SketchUp & physical in scale 1:50), 2D drawings, design of the staircase, construction drawings & details, lighting plan

The location of the plot is unique, with an introvert character as an oasis surrounded by existing buildings and hidden from the public road. We wanted to develop a home that both focuses on the connection between daily life and the green garden around the villa, with respect to the surrounding residents. The simplicity of the main shape of the house is strengthened with an extended volume, in which the entrance and the dining area are placed, while the roof continues and embraces the house as a veranda.

The material used for the main shape is thatch, which runs vertically down from the rooftop and looks like a warm blanket over the house. The second chosen material is black wood with an open ventilated structure. Both materials together provide a natural contrast and a perfect integration of the house in its context.

On the ground floor we create different spaces which make contact by open connections. Besides the main living area we add a separated TV/playroom to create space for the whole family without bothering each other. On the first floor the bedrooms and bathrooms are placed, which are connected in the corridor with the living area downstairs via a staircase and a custom slide.

the kitchen island remains simple and white to give emphasis on the oak staircase in the background

the minimalistic interior allows to focus on the views and leaves space for the architecture to stand out

big openings are used in the ground level to enhance natural light and the visible connection with the garden

a jungle themed wallpaper has been added in the toilet of the ground floor to act as a surprise and contrast the minimal aesthetic of the rest of the house

the two kids’ bedrooms are connected through an attic spaceplay room, which is reachable by climbing walls

the first floor has a quite clean and minimal approach in colors and textures

House Akerdijk

nominated for “Building of the Year 2021” on Archdaily (category: Houses)

Arjen Reas architecten

Location: Lijnden, The Netherlands

Client: Private

Phase: finished (2019)

Photographer: Luc Buthker

personal work: concept, 3D modeling (digital in SketchUp & physical in scale 1:50), 2D drawings, construction drawings & details, lighting plan

On the Akerdijk in Lijnden we had the opportunity to develop a dyke house for a single family in a place where there is a lot of dynamism due to special views, a deep back garden and the level difference that is present because of the dyke.

The black house, with its design, is integrated and at the same time stands out in its surrounding area. By embracing the current building typology and the conditions of the location, a form has emerged that radiates simplicity and with two large extended glass windows on the front, the view focuses on the water with the city of Amsterdam on the other side. The black wooden ventilated façade in combination with a black metal roof ensures that the shape remains a whole and the large projecting windows with their reflection fit the house in an appropriate way. At the rear, the horizontality of the broad ground floor is emphasized by the large glass façade, which enhances natural light and makes the interior space feel even larger than it actually is. The ground floor is designed as a split level, with an office and TV room on the dyke level, while the sitting and kitchen area is lower on the terrace level, where you have view of the deep back garden. The two levels are connected with a wide concrete staircase. On the first floor, there are two kids’ rooms, two bathrooms and a large master bedroom with a view over the dyke.

the typology is referenced in the shape of the existing building

two big extended windows are added in the front facade

the materialization gives the impression of one texture

the ground floor is designed as a split level

from the TV room there is access to an office space through a hidden pivoting door

the height difference of the plot gives the opportunity to create a split level floor plan and spaces with different character due to the ceiling height

in the master bedroom, the bed is placed across the big window, where you have view over the dyke, while the en suite bathroom looks at the back garden

Apartment Building

Arjen Reas architecten in cooperation with: Bureau ANS architectuur

Location: Horst, The Netherlands

Client: Developer

Phase: in progress

personal work: concept, 3D modeling in SketchUp, 2D drawings, construction drawings & details

In the southeast of the Netherlands, a new appartment building with 12 appartments will rise in a quite advantageous corner plot, where a car garage used to be.

The characteristics of the location form the basis of the design. The boundary lines provided the opportunity to build the volume in a more dynamic way and the staggered balconies give the building a clear layer structure. This shadow effect gives the building a good depth experience and integration among the surrounding buildings. A minimal material palette has been chosen in order to form a pure and clear unity. The red brick, which relates with the surrounding typical dutch houses, combines well with the wooden panels and the black aluminium frames and railings. The appartments are between 90-165m², where on the two lower floors there are the smaller ones and on the second floor there are two large penthouses with a 180° view. Every apartment is different from each other in their floor plan and have been designed with spacious principles, such as extensive balconies, wide corridors and doorways to provide a comfortable home for people of any age and physical condition. In the basement there are parking spaces and extra storage rooms.

Creating a sustainable building was at the top of the priority list. In addition to a high-quality insulation package, the complex is also equipped with the latest energy-efficient heat pump system. The life-cycle-friendly design of the appartments was also very important, in order to achieve the most sustainable possible result.

Seevillen

Arjen Reas architecten

Location: Neusiedl am See, Austria

Client: Developer

Phase: under construction

personal work: 3D modeling in SketchUp, 2D drawings, interior & lighting design, rendering in V-Ray

The Seevillen project began as a project where the developer aimed at creating high quality living spaces on a unique location alongside the Neusiedler See, but eventually grew into much more than that. The challenge was to optimize the type of row housing and connect the project with its immediate surroundings.

This site in Neusiedl am See is rather special by itself. Beyond that it seldom occurs that a new project is realized so close to the lake, it is also a location with a powerful dynamic context. Water recreation, contemporary architecture and a beautiful landscape with natural reed beds and views to the Austrian mountains in the background. These dynamical aspects have been further incorporated into the design for the project ‘Seevillen’, where multiple serried houses follow, like a ribbon, the contour of the site. Taking into account the privacy of future residents and the view to the environment, the second levels are detached in order to give the houses their own shape and let air and daylight go through.

to reed

view to lake view

beds The houses are unfolded in the perimeter of the plot around the entry/driveway, which has a backyard character.

Because of the rural character of the location which focuses primarily on the nearby reed beds, it was an excellent opportunity to combine contemporary architecture with local rustic products. The design of project ‘Seevillen’ is an example of the use of reed in a contemporary way and shows how the dynamics of the different volumes can be strengthened through the use of 3D thatching. Like the sails of a boat, the designed lines run through every thatched facade, so that even on the waterside a dynamic image arises with the normally flat reed surfaces.

There are eight row houses in the plot plus one detached and larger on the northwest side. By entering the site, the residents can park their cars on their own parking spaces. On the driveway grass grows through the stone pavement, in order to feel like a backyard and not as a street. The main entrance of the houses is bright and spacious and someone has a direct view into the garden with its own boat dock for a sailboat or motorboat. Here one can find the wardrobe and the toilet, walk through to the living room and open kitchen, or go directly to the first floor via the stairs. On the first floor the two bedrooms are oriented towards the two magnificent views, the water on the lake side and the reed fields on the other side, while in between them the bathroom and the laundry room are positioned. Above the staircase, skylights are used, to light up the otherwise blind corridor.

Butcherstore Reas II

Arjen Reas architecten

Location: Boskoop, The Netherlands

Client: Reas Keurslagerijen

Phase: finished (2019)

Photographer: Luc Buthker

personal work: concept, 3D modeling in SketchUp, 2D drawings & details

In the village center of Boskoop stands a traditional butcher’s shop, which has been in use by the Reas family since 1964. The store has received a major renovation and update, whereby the way of working and presenting was properly examined. In terms of appearance, attention was also given to strengthen the recognition and identity of the store by means of new materials. Wood, stone and solid surface products proved to be the right combination. White and black tones dominate, while the warmth of the wood gives it an extra layer. The decoration of the shop clearly shows the signature of the Reas butcherstore in Zoetermeer, but it has nevertheless been given its own identity, fitting the village of Boskoop.

the black casing around the display gives it a solid appearance and ensures that the meat comes out even better in colour

the cow’s head is the distinctive logo of the Reas butcherstores

Sancta Terra - between Gods and Nature

Prize in National Architectural Competition for Diploma Projects by Grad Review

Honorable Mention in International Architectural Competition “Site Dwelling” 1st part of Diploma Project (Aristotle University of Thessaloniki)

Collaborator: Eleni Chousen

Supervisor: Konstantinos Ioannidis

Location: Salir do Porto, Portugal

Year: 2017

Between land and sea, on a strip of ground in permanent flux in the course of time, a series of natural and human interventions have created a place with remarkable features, natural wealth, cultural and historical heritage. It is a place where the hinterland of Salir do Porto meets the water, creating a unique marginal space. It is recognized as a transitional space or a space in-between. A lot of juxtapositions happen here: different water conditions (ocean, gulf, river), open-enclosed, manmade-natural, peaceful-noisy, past-present, all together compose this land of alterity.

The tension between old and new becomes the main value. The naturally eroded stonewalls have a personality of their own, strengthened by time, and the intervention has to find a way to converse with. The new structure is carefully placed into the walled enclosure, defining itself as a modular volume with extremely precise, independent rules. Yet its boundaries are delicate in order to ensure a transitional inner atmosphere of light, air, sun, shade and rain. There is no floor, just vertical elements in a linear layout, parallel to the existing partitions to maintain the memory of the chapel’s typology, where all the functions are installed.

It is a place where you can shelter awhile and get in touch with natural elements. Architecture in this context becomes the investigation of new possibilities and man reactivates its capacity to discover the inherent elements of nature. The spaces are almost empty and the manmade is limited to the minimum. The void becomes the real space. Use it as you like, for any sort of experience and then leave the place intact, as you found it...

wood-joint in scale 1:1

Reinterpretations of the Ruined

Prize in National Architectural Competition for Diploma Projects by Grad Review 2nd part of Diploma Project (Aristotle University of Thessaloniki)

Collaborator: Eleni Chousen

Supervisor: Konstantinos Ioannidis

Location: Peristera, Thessaloniki, Greece

Year: 2017

With our participation in the previous competition we continued our Diploma Project with the concept of minimum dwelling, which is incorporated in a ruined, worn shell. In this way we give a new meaning to the ruined and at the same time we search for a balance between two completely different elements. Our main concern is to see how architecture can interact with decay, without reversing or refuting it. We want to find a way of symbiosis and mainly to reconcile the user with the ruined using the method of keep us found. The new structure is fully independent and follows its own compositional rules, which comes after the new spatial relationship the remains create.

The subject is located in the small mountainous village of Peristera, near Thessaloniki, within the stonewalls of a ruined residence. In this case we deal with permanent stay. It is about a versatile design, on a split-level concept with unified spaces at different levels and large openings, that educates the user and does not predetermine a specified way of living. In the ground floor the more private uses are placed (such as sleeping and bathing) and as the habitants go up they can find the main living areas.

Old and new are recomposed together through a process of formation and give meaning to each other. Finally, the ruin is treated as a new project and re-acquires a connection with its environment, while at the same time allows different levels for interpretation depending on the personality of the user.

Architectural measure-drawing of a house

Academic work (Aristotle University of Thessaloniki)

Individual work

Location: Sochos, Thessaloniki, Greece

Year: 2013

The object of the course was the architectural measure-drawing of a small scale vernacular building with a full set of drawing plans (scale 1:50) and plans of construction elements (in appropriate scales), all of them drawn by hand, plus a documentation report on its construction and pathology with neccessary historic information. The purpose of this course was to come in contact with a traditional constructed building, by investigating and measuring it in situ, and to understand and learn this type of construction methods.

South facade