Greece-based architecture firm decaACHITECTURE has built this "disappearing" house on a deserted landscape of Crete in Greece, the house perfectly sits on the natural topography and pretends like as part of the hilly landscape.

Named Ring House, the one-storey house is located on the southern coast of Crete, only 165 nautical miles from the Sahara desert. The house is extended as part of the natural landscape and embedded in the topography with a ring shape to include basic functions. 

Image © decaACHITECTURE

The sand-colored house is supported by two concrete beams following the topography of the hill to define the outline of the house. The ring is articulated by these concrete beams. 

Image © decaACHITECTURE

Due to its perfect arrangement on site, it provides protected shaded areas through its concrete roof. The house includes well ventilated interiors, surfaces for solar collection panels and protects an inner garden planted with varieties of citrus trees and edible plants. 

"Altogether the house and its garden are designed to form a temperate microclimate, an oasis within an intensely beautiful but physically demanding environment," said decaACHITECTURE.

Image © George Messaritakis

Referring to a broader scale, the Ring House is built through a landscape preservation efforts. In the past, the topography had been severely scarred by the random and informal carving of roads. 

Image © decaACHITECTURE

Therefore, the architects used the same excavation material extracted during the house’s construction, to recover the original morphology of the land. 

Image © George Messaritakis

"Furthermore, a thorough survey of the native flora was done in order to understand the predominant biotopes in the different slopes in the plot," the architects added.

"During the spring, prior to construction, seeds were collected on site and cultivated in a green house to grow more seeds. These were then sowed over the road scars for the regeneration of the flora."

Image © George Messaritakis

Image © George Messaritakis

Image © George Messaritakis

Image © George Messaritakis

Image © George Messaritakis

Image © decaACHITECTURE

Image © George Messaritakis

Top image © decaACHITECTURE

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