In essential simplicity, Casa Brutale is defined by three thick concrete slabs with all the installations preformed. The crystalline pool, made by reinforced glass, is set between the walls to smoothen the hard materials and let the abundant natural light through, illuminating the residence. The enormous glass façade frames and extracts the beauty of the Aegean. And small details of black-coated steel and brown/red aged wood complete the composition. 

In literal groundbreaking integration, Casa Brutale penetrates the landscape. The underground building benefits from a perfect homeostatic mechanism with thermal insulation from the surrounding ground, and the cooling properties of the swimming pool. The optical impact of the building on the landscape is minimal, with only one façade on the cliff side and no volume extruding from the ground level.

Light penetrates the transparent or semi-transparent surfaces of Casa Brutale, bringing it to life. The dynamic light patterns caress the bare concrete with refractions and shadows. Bare concrete, or beton brut, is the finishing technique that gave the name to both brutalism and Casa Brutale. Raw, unpretentious, monolithic, marked by the wooden planks used to mold the casting.

After descending 50 stairs to the Aegean, under the shadows of epic concrete beams, you reach the entrance (also accessible by elevator). The tall, rotating door of aged wood (with the axis at ¾ lengths) opens to a breathtaking sea view, through the glass façade. The remaining space is bare, pure and simple; minimalism at its best. A concrete cast dining table is combined with concrete benches, clad with warm wood. Smooth curves sculpture the fireplace on the wall next to the bench. Behind the dining table, the guest room is formed under an old-fashioned Zoellner slab with a glass corner. Next to the guest room, there is a small passage to the utility rooms (storage room, bathroom and WC). 

Pantelis Kampouropoulos
(Director OPA South)

Pantelis was born in 1983 and raised in Rhodes. From 2001 to 2007 he studied renovation and restoration of buildings at the Higher Technological Institute of Patras. Subsequently, he continued his architectural studies at the Technical University of Patras until 2011, when he received his MArch diploma.
He has worked for several architectural and engineering offices in Greece (2010 – 2011), while in 2012 he established his own architectural office Studio A (2012).
Since then he has participated in architectural and design competitions and earned a distinction for “Re-think Athens” (2012). He has also curated the first architectural exhibition for Dodecanesian architects (2013) and is the general secretary of the delegation of the Dodecanesian Technical Chamber and an active member of the board of the Architectural Club of Dodecanese (2014).
In December 2014, together with Laertis-Antonios Ando Vassiliou, he officially established Open Platform for Architecture (OPA).

Laertis Antonios Ando Vassiliou
(Director OPA North)

Laertis was born in 1983 to Greek & Japanese parents. He grew up in Rhodes until 2001 when he started studying architecture at the Athens Technical University (NTUA).
In 2005 he earned his first distinction at an architectural competition, which allowed him to study for six months at ISA Victor Horta in Bruxelles (2006). Since then, he has built his first commissioned design in Rhodes (2006-2008), received his MArch diploma (2008) and in 2010, completed his second project in Rhodes. The same year he left Greece to explore architecture in the Netherlands where he completed his MSc in Bouwkunde at TU Delft (2010-2013), supported by a full scholarship from the Greek Scholarship Foundation (IKY).
During his study he worked for Mecanoo Architecten (2012) and entered his first competitions with Pantelis Kampouropoulos. In 2014 he worked for UNStudio Amsterdam and by the end of the year, together with Pantelis Kampouropoulos officially established Open Platform for Architecture (OPA).
He is a registered member of the Greek (2009) and Dutch (2013) architectural registries.