Interview about The Boomerang House, winner of the A' Architecture, Building and Structure Design Award 2025
The Boomerang Athens represents the comprehensive reconstruction of a residence originally built in 2010, now progressing toward Leed Gold certification. This project's goal is to redefine luxury by prioritizing sustainability, energy efficiency, and cutting-edge technology. Its biophilic design incorporates elements such as passive cooling, advanced insulation, and renewable energy systems, aiming to achieve minimal environmental impact. The residence integrates innovation with elegance, establishing an exemplary standard for sustainable urban living in Athens.
View detailed images, specifications, and award details on A' Design Award & Competition website.
View Design DetailsFirstly I would like to first announce to you that the residence is certified as LEED Platinum. One pf the few in whole Europe. We treated “luxury” and “low-impact” as the same brief: precision, comfort, and longevity. The design pairs tactile, high-end finishes with invisible performance—airtightness, thermal-bridge control, and smart shading—so clients feel effortless comfort rather than “eco-compromise.” We modeled every envelope change to cut loads first, then right-sized systems for silence and stability. The result is quiet, clean air, steady temperatures, and beautifully lit spaces, luxury experienced as health and calm, while the documentation, metering, and commissioning deliver the LEED rigor.
We chose an open, interoperable backbone (e.g., KNX/BACnet at the core with Matter-ready endpoints) to avoid lock-in and let sustainability “drive itself.” CO₂, VOC, and occupancy sensors modulate ventilation and setpoints, sub-metering exposes real use so residents see cause-and-effect. The inspiration was hotel-grade comfort with lab-grade data: automation that anticipates rather than nags, trims peaks, and preserves serenity.
Athens’ light and scent palette guided us: Mediterranean species (olive, rosemary, lavender) for seasonal cues; a small green wall and deep planters irrigated by treated greywater; mineral plasters and warm woods inside. Daylight targets (sDA/ASE) informed apertures and finishes, while operable windows, views, and micro-gardens create micro-rituals—open a leaf-screen, catch the meltemi, breathe the herbs. The payoff is measurable (air quality, circadian lighting) and felt (lower stress, stronger place attachment).
The structure was compact and urban, so we used a “fabric-first” ETICS wrap, aerogel where clearances were tight, warm-edge triple glazing on solar-loaded façades, and meticulous air-sealing around penetrations. Passive cooling comes from stack-effect geometry (stair/void alignment), night purges, and external shading tuned to solar azimuth. We solved conflicts via hygrothermal and thermal-bridge simulations, re-routed services in a new insulated “spine,” and sequenced works to control moisture and noise. The advanced bit wasn’t one product—it was coordination.
Expecting a cooler, greener microclimate and new sightlines, we framed long views with selective high-performance glazing while protecting from summer gain through overhangs and operable louvers. Planting and materials on terraces were chosen to connect visually with the park’s palette, and the façade’s thermal strategy anticipates lower reflected heat but higher evening activity—so we emphasized acoustic control alongside thermal comfort. The house is tuned to breathe with its neighborhood as it evolves.
We wanted third-party rigor that aligns the entire supply chain—design, contractors, commissioning—around measurable outcomes. LEED Platinum now, signals to the Athens luxury market that comfort, craft, and responsibility are now a single expectation. It seeds a replicable playbook: verified envelopes, right-sized electrified systems, honest metering, and low-toxicity interiors. For future projects, it moves the conversation from finishes first to performance first—without sacrificing beauty.
An inverter heat pump (with a desuperheater) maintains water temperature with a fraction of the energy of resistance heating. We paired it with a well-insulated basin, automatic cover, and PV-assisted operation to shave peaks. Waste heat recovery pre-heats domestic hot water shoulder-season; smart scheduling runs the compressor during PV-rich hours and favorable tariffs. In practice, the pool becomes a controllable thermal asset, not a penalty.
Criteria were durability, low toxicity, embodied-carbon awareness, and repairability. We specified low-/ultra-low VOC finishes (adhesives, paints, sealants), FSC-certified timbers, mineral plasters, porcelains with recycled content, and long-life metals. Outdoors, PV-integrated pergolas use glass-glass BIPV for shade + generation—elegant, diffuse light below; clean kilowatt-hours above. Indoors, the palette stays tactile and quiet, so the “tech” disappears and the craft remains.
Ceiling heights step and compress to guide air movement: higher volumes where we want buoyancy and storage of cool night air; lower, intimate ceilings where we want enclosure. Window head heights, clerestories, and light-shelves bounce daylight deep without glare; opposing, operable openings align with prevailing summer winds to enable cross-ventilation paths. Sensors keep blinds and operability in sync so the building behaves like a seasoned resident, not a gadget.
Boomerang shows that Athens’ upscale retrofits can be electrified, quiet, and materially honest—delivering 35–50% lower energy use versus typical baselines while feeling more refined. I see three ripple effects: (1) performance specs (airtightness, commissioning, low-VOC) becoming standard in high-end briefs; (2) rooftops shifting to energy-positive amenities (BIPV, heat-pump pools, habitat planting); and (3) data-literate homes where comfort, cost, and carbon are visible and manageable. Environmental responsibility stops being an add-on and becomes the essence of luxury.
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