The Ring House is located on the southern coast of Crete only 165 nautical miles from the Sahara desert. Two concrete beams follow the topography of the hill to define the outline of the house. The ring is articulated by these concrete beams. It provides protected shaded areas, 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.

On the southern coast of Crete, Greek architectural firm decaARCHITECTURE has turned a commission for a modern residence into an opportunity for land preservation. Named the Ring House for its rounded shape, the house was created to follow the existing topography and looks like an extension of its hilltop location. The site had been scarred by environmentally insensitive infrastructural development but has now recovered its original morphology and has been replanted with native flora.

Greek firm decaACHITECTURE designed this stunning minimal “Ring House” in the rocky high country just south of Crete. The natural environment provides an incredible backdrop for this house and pool design. The use of local materials helps the structure fit comfortably into the landscape. The pool on the other hand provides a dramatic contrast with it’s surroundings giving off a glassy glow.

Wow, what an extraordinary dwelling Ring House is. Blink and you’ll miss it. If it wasn’t for the turquoise shimmering pool you may mistake it for a fortress in it’s elevated position overlooking the Mediterranean Sea.

“Dream villa on Crete: You could shoot rap video at The Ring House. Shoot Bachelor episodes. Or quite sensibly: simply live in dignity. For all non-owners, there are at least pictures to dream about.”

Ring House is built into a mountainside slope overlooking Messara Bay, with a C-shape that enables it to maintain a low topographic profile.

Built on a sloped terrain on the southern coast of Crete, just 165 nautical miles from the Sahara desert, the Ring House makes the dry and hilly landscape its home in a creative way.

The Athenian agency Deca Architecture unveils one of its latest realisations: the Ring House, a project nestling in the heart of the rogue nature of the island of Crete.

“Deca Architecture calls the villa in a spectacular location above the sea, which the architectural office has built in the southern part of the island of Crete, “Ring House”