SIFNOS MINE

The architectural synthesis of Sifnos Mine hotel starts with its surrounding landscape. The different spatial qualities of the terrain and the visual collation of the design area, hallmarked with copper mines at the south and Kamares Bay on the west, are a true design challenge; not only for integrating island features but also for incorporating the same into the design and operation of the hotel itself. 4-star Sifnos Mine hotel is spread over 2,641 sq.m. and offers a unique combination of luxurious and effortless spaces for accommodation and retreat, featuring a 75 sq.m. reception area, a 159 sq.m. restaurant, a 98 sq.m. spa center, a 46 sq.m. gym and totally 25 rooms of different types. Rooms include 2 superior suites with two bedrooms, 12 suites, 8 spacious three-bed suites, 2 maisonettes and 1 suite suitable for disabled persons.

Hotel facilities are allocated into four levels, each one with specific operations. The underground level mostly hosts auxiliary spaces, locker rooms and 8 rooms for the staff. The second level hosts the gym, the spa center, auxiliary spaces and suites with shared or private pools. The third level accommodates the reception, the restaurant, a shared pool and suites with private pool or outdoor jacuzzi each. The restaurant is also housed on the fourth level, along with a cellar and a rooftop bar. The core intervention to the scenery is the creation of a uniform bench, oriented with the long axis running east-west, underlining the direction of the view towards Kamares Bay and the sunset. This design is materialized through elongated linear stone walls, which in parallel create the foundation basis of the entire construction, tightly placing it on the intense terrain. This is how the bold stone-made bases rise through the land while attached to the soil, leaving the smallest possible footprint on the landscape. Stone masses remain strongly hooked on the deep excavation, traversed by horizontal pathways connecting spaces and bringing together shared and private activities.

Shared spaces are oriented to the gazing offered by the opposite hills of the gorge westwards, directly connecting them to the sea horizon. The guests’ accommodation facilities offer unhindered view to the gorge and the remains of an abandoned mine, starting a dialogue with the past. Vertically to the axis, the rooms overlooking the gorge reveal a water oasis, creating a sense of isolation and connection to natural elements and the earth. The stone base of the hotel starts vanishing towards two directions; on the one part, to the separating walls of the rooms on the same level, “working” as shifts penetrating the gorge, and on the other part, to the height where stonework is replaced by surfaces of recycled compressed eucalyptus on the overground part of the composition, creating a visual continuity in terms of color with the material of copper and the mines. The transition from robustness to lightness, from materiality to immateriality reflects the gradual revelation of the scenery, guiding the view directly to the mine slit, a reminder of the small cracks well hidden into the earth.

This bioclimatic complex effectively manages waste and water through a triple recirculation system, utilized for irrigating the greenery of all levels. Energy is collected through encased P/ V collectors installed on the flat roofs and the sheds of the parking seats, with a total capacity of 22 vehicles, providing for 2 disabled parking spaces. As a member of the global network of sustainable constructions, this hotel has a minimal environmental footprint.

The indoor spaces of this 54-bed hotel cover a total surface of 982 sq.m., divided into seven types of rooms, each one featuring an independent entrance:

- Suites (21 sq.m.) with bathroom, private garden and shared pool
- Suites (21 sq.m.) with bathroom, shared garden and shared pool
- Suites (21 sq.m.) with bathroom, private garden and outdoor jacuzzi
- Superior 3-bed suites (29 sq.m.) with bathroom, private garden and private pool
- Superior 2-bedroom suites (72 sq.m.) with living-room, bathroom, private garden and private pool
- 2-bed rooms (26 sq.m.) with bathroom and outdoor jacuzzi at a shared pool
- Maisonettes (38 sq.m) with living-room, bathroom, private garden and private pool