Photos by Athanasia Psaraki & Theo Vranas, courtesy of Archdaily.net

Tired of long, dateless nights sitting on your couch watching Gossip Girl on your DVR?  Then maybe it’s time you do what this Greek girl (as in Athens, not Alpha Phi) did and create a skateable house–throw in a couple cases of beer and you’ll have a steady flow of guys for life, as well as a place to shred the night away (if you’re into that sort of thing).  More details and full gallery after the jump.

The house, created by Archivirus of Greece, is a beautiful integration of skating and daily life, seamlessly combining real-world skateboarding elements with a functional house interior.  The fireplace is surrounded by concrete quarter pipes that flow down to a lacquered wooden ramp peaking just short of the kitchen sink, creating a full mini ramp in the living room that contrasts interior warmth with traditional skatepark function.  The result is stunning.

Outside on the patio sits another quarterpipe of varying steepness in the same wood as the rest of the deck and louvers surrounding the exterior.  It’s actually a third-floor addition to an existing unit (which makes you wonder how they packed on all that concrete without collapsing the existing structure) with a stunning view and spiral staircase leading to the promise land.

As cool as it is to nose blunt your kitchen counter and fastplant your fireplace, the most striking feature of the house has to be the integration between skateboarding and daily life.   With storage at the foot of the mini ramp and an appropriately sparse, modern design throughout the rest of the interior, the owner ends up sacrificing little to have the most-fun rompus room on the block.  The design manages to maintain a serene feel despite being a catalyst for chaos.

If the owner is any kind of a skater, then she’s well aware of the potential pratfalls of having a skateable living room.  Looking at the bathroom’s glass surround, it’s no stretch to imagine a botched five-0 to complete loss of privacy (it ain’t easy being pretty).  Hopefully, she’s not the modest type.

[Courtesy of Archdaily and The Architectural Review]

Architect: Archivirus
Location: Athens, Greece
Design Team: Athanasia Psaraki
Project Year: 2006
Construction Year: 2007
Constructed Area: 80 sqm
Photographs: Athanasia Psaraki-Theo Vranas

via David Mongan, 28 April 2009 1:00pm | 1 |