Crete, Greece
Building Permit
TETRAKTYS
Studio Katrakis
Aurea Retreat
Aurea Retreat
Set on the rugged western coastline of Crete, just above the village of Ravdoucha, Aurea Retreat is a collection of unique, high-end cliffside villas envisioned as a serene enclave where architecture, landscape and sea come seamlessly together. Positioned along a natural rocky escarpment, each villa is carefully placed to maximize privacy and panoramic views, creating an intimate retreat suspended between earth and horizon.
Inspired by the Latin word aureus—meaning radiant like gold—Aurea Retreat embodies the warmth, purity and timelessness of the Mediterranean. This identity informs both the material palette and spatial atmosphere.
The architectural language is grounded in contextual minimalism. Rather than asserting itself over the landscape, the design emerges from it—respecting natural elevations, allowing the topography to guide form and movement. Low, linear volumes echo the geological strata of the hillside, while carefully framed openings capture sea views, shifting daylight and the ever-changing coastal sky.
Inspired by the Latin word aureus—meaning radiant like gold—Aurea Retreat embodies the warmth, purity and timelessness of the Mediterranean. This identity informs both the material palette and spatial atmosphere.
The architectural language is grounded in contextual minimalism. Rather than asserting itself over the landscape, the design emerges from it—respecting natural elevations, allowing the topography to guide form and movement. Low, linear volumes echo the geological strata of the hillside, while carefully framed openings capture sea views, shifting daylight and the ever-changing coastal sky.
