4.2 Bellonio Foundation, Santorini
The Bellonio Institution is intergrated into the traditional environment of Santorini. The aim of its synthesis was not to reproduce the forms of folk cycladic architecture, but to preserve the framework and the cultural landscape that has given rise to them.
Modern architecture should respect the general structure of the settlement as a system, as an entity encompassing an experience and a message.
The principles which governed the design of the modern building in the traditional architectural environment were: a. avoidance of the mimesis of the typological and architectural forms of the native architecture at Santorini, b. preservation of the scale and the coherence within the traditional settlement, c. design of a modern structure which develops the morphological and typological elements of traditional architecture in a modern way.
The Bellonio Institute, consisting of an auditorium, a library and a hostel, has been intergrated into a complex of traditional buildings. The angular arrangement and the articulation of spaces in unequal height reduce the dimension of the modern structure and incorporate it within the cultural environment of Santorini.