Homes built into island rock proliferate

The number of homes built into rocks in the Cyclades islands has proliferated over the past few years. Once very rare, now they dot several steep mountainscapes.

The cause? A provision in the 10-year-old building code allowing such buildings to exceed local size limits by 50%.

“Everyone is looking for a plot on a slope with a minimum gradient of 30%,” laments the local architects’ association, which notes that some features, such as big glass fronts, are incompatible with the local style the state aims to preserve.

Some of these homes have won design prizes. Many were just built to take advantage of the loophole.