Apollonio Summer Resort

Aghios Spyridon, Porto Rafti, 1970-81

Architects-town planners
Constantinos Doxiadis (1913-1975)
Arthouros Scheepers (1912-2000)



The Apollonio is an exception to the rule of the unplanned development of the second residence in the Attica basin. The aim of the design was to create a summer resort addressed to the high-income brackets while retaining the humane scale of the Greek village. The design of the Apollonio is governed by the main principles of the ekistic theory developed by the brilliant town-planner and architect Constantinos Doxiadis: the dwellings are grouped into "neighbourhoods", low-rise development, flexibility and adaptation to the environment, a balanced alternation of closed, semi outdoor and outdoor spaces, the imaginative combination of standardised features in order to ensure the unity and variety of the total, etc.
The village covers an area of 8.47 hectares. The houses are gathered into small groups laid out amphitheatrically. Each dwelling has a private garden and is linked to a network of sidewalks.
The public facilities include a church, restaurant, three swimming pools, sports tracks, an open-air cinema and administration buildings. There is just one main road for cars and roofed parking places.
The main material used to treat the façades of the buildings is the local stone. This material, in conjunction with the appropriate plants, contributes to integrating the village into the natural environment.

TRANSPORTATION