• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Project Name: The Lake Hotel

Location: Ionnina Greece

Date Completed: 2019

Interior Designer: Helen Brasinika

Architect: Landscape, Interior Architecture and Lighting Design Helen Brasinika & Associates

Construction: Exarchou _ Tsiouris Construction

Photographer: PYGMALION KARATZAS 

The Lake Hotel is a new five-star hospitality infrastructure at the lakeside location Limnopoula. Bllend were invited to create a contemporary hotel identity based on a newly built three-level building shell with several classical elements of vernacular architecture such as the ‘sahnisi’ and the ‘arches’. Tradition is introduced allegorically at the parking zones where antique concrete paving in red clay and ochre were used to portray the herringbone patterns typically found in Gianniotika handicrafts. The same pattern continues to all the driveways, the reception alley, the surrounding multipurpose space, and the conference hallways at the basement.

The total surrounding area of 10 acres is divided into various functional areas with local materiality associations and the colours of vernacular architecture. The landscape reminiscent of the local riverbeds gently slopes toward the pool which is treated like a villagers’ central square paved with sidewalk concrete tiles. To the left side the curved playground areas for events and entertainment for the little guests, while a purposeful selection of vegetation and plants emit the free forms of a natural setting. The pool bar can be accessed via a wooden crossing over a shallow pool with river pebbles, while right next to it a Mediterranean herb garden was created to provide the purest ingredients for salads and traditional dishes.

Respectively, the whole planting study moved in a single direction to integrate organically the flora of the wider area highlighting an unpretentious naturalness with minor human interventions. The same motivation dictated the uncoated structural elements such as the concrete sidewalks that delimit the areas of planting, traffic and public areas. The combination of earth tones, ochre and red earth highlights the geometric building volumes, while at night LED 3000K lighting fixtures highlight the building elements, incorporating the game of light and shading with different versions of materiality.

It is contemporary and traditional, luxury and cosy, local and international, managing to meet its target within the first year of its launching among a great and well established competition in the surrounding area.