NV Residencies
Status : Completed 2019
Area : 500sqm
In the historic neighborhood of Halepa in Chania, perched above the city with commanding views toward the Old Port and the Cretan Sea, VASTUDIO has conceived NV Residences — a contemporary residential complex that embodies elegance, adaptability, and luxury.
Designed as a pair of expansive 500 sqm villas, the project redefines Mediterranean domestic life through verticality, fluid thresholds, and the striking presence of hanging pools on every level. More than dwellings, the residences are an architectural landscape of reflection, movement, and immersion.
Halepa is one of Chania’s most distinctive neighborhoods, a place where the city’s layered history meets the openness of the sea. Here, NV Residences asserts a contemporary identity, rooted in context yet deliberately forward-looking.
The project does not replicate tradition but reframes it, combining stone, timber, plaster, glass, and water into a spatial composition that is tactile, luminous, and refined. Every line, opening, and volume is calibrated to frame views — the winding streets of Chania below, the glimmer of the Old Port, and the vast horizon stretching into the Mediterranean. These perspectives anchor the project, ensuring that luxury is inseparable from presence and place.
This vertical choreography of pools defines the identity of NV Residences.
At the heart of the design is a vertical sequence of hanging pools that cascade across the villas’ multiple levels.
Unlike conventional pools, which typically occupy gardens or rooftops, these suspended bodies of water hover within the architecture, turning voids into living thresholds.
They act as reflective planes that capture sunlight and sky, extending domestic life outward while dissolving the distinction between interior and exterior.
Encountering the pools is not limited to moments of swimming or leisure — they are integrated into circulation, so every ascent, descent, or passage is punctuated by light refracted through water. In this way, the pools become the complex’s defining signature, transforming functional movement into a continuous sensory experience.
The suspended pools elevate the architecture beyond function into an atmosphere of elegance and serenity.
Each is choreographed for a specific kind of encounter: a secluded basin for contemplative retreat, a panoramic platform for social gathering, or a tranquil mirror that reflects the sunsets over Chania.
Suspended between stone walls and open skies, the pools embody a sense of weightlessness and refinement, bringing luxury not through excess but through the cultivation of atmosphere. They are architectural events, staged to heighten awareness of light, water, and horizon
The hanging pools serve as anchors for this choreography. Their reflective surfaces and hovering presence transform circulation into a sequence of encounters, where moving between levels becomes more than transition—it becomes experience.
Ascending or descending through the villas is punctuated by pauses at water, by glimpses of sky refracted on a liquid surface, by the soft resonance of water meeting stone. The pools act as thresholds themselves: spaces of reflection, both literal and metaphorical, where the inhabitant is reminded of time, rhythm, and continuity.
The villas themselves are organized with clarity and adaptability.
Each is divided into two primary domains: one for communal life and one for rest and retreat. The communal areas — kitchens, dining rooms, living spaces, and terraces — open generously to the exterior, oriented toward the sea and city.
These spaces are luminous, expansive, and connected, encouraging conviviality and shared experience.
The private areas, by contrast, are carefully secluded, offering bedrooms and intimate nooks that prioritize calm and repose. The transitions between the two domains are soft, articulated through shifts in ceiling height, filtered light, and changes in surface texture. These nuanced thresholds create an effortless flow, allowing residents to move gracefully between connection and solitude.
Luxury here is expressed in precision and restraint. The architecture avoids ostentation, focusing instead on the refinement of proportion, surface, and detail. Locally sourced stone forms the base of the villas, grounding them in the material culture of Crete.
Timber introduces warmth and tactility, softening the robust presence of stone. Lime-plastered surfaces interact with Mediterranean light, producing a soft glow that animates interiors across the day. Glass is deployed to dissolve boundaries, opening interiors to the pools, terraces, and the expansive horizon. Each material has been chosen not only for durability but for its ability to age gracefully, deepening the sense of timelessness that defines true elegance.
The hanging pools amplify this atmosphere, drawing light into interiors and projecting reflections across walls and ceilings. During the day, ripples of sunlight animate rooms with shifting patterns; at night, the pools glow softly, becoming floating lanterns suspended within the architecture. In both moments, they establish a mood of refinement, intimacy, and calm, reinforcing the project’s identity as a sanctuary of luxury living.
Flexibility is another central quality of NV Residences. Each villa can operate independently as a self-contained dwelling, or they can merge seamlessly into a larger whole. This adaptability makes the complex suitable for a range of life cycles — from private retreats for a single household to expansive homes for extended families or for entertaining guests. This duality reflects contemporary values of flexibility and change, where luxury is measured not only by scale or finish, but by the ability of architecture to respond to evolving patterns of life.
The project’s relationship to context is integral. Halepa’s elevated position grants panoramic views of Chania and the sea, and the villas are oriented to capture them at every opportunity. Morning light floods east-facing terraces, while evenings are marked by views of the Old Port glowing against the horizon. By framing these vistas, NV Residences turns daily routines into moments of connection with the larger landscape — cooking, dining, or resting become acts enriched by the constant presence of sea and sky.
Inside, the architecture maintains its composure. Living areas are open and connected, with a seamless flow between kitchen, dining, and lounge spaces. These communal zones are anchored by their openness, both spatially and visually. Full-height glazing opens onto outdoor patios, expanding the sense of space and establishing a continuous relationship with the environment.
Bedrooms and more private functions are subtly tucked away or divided through non-invasive spatial strategies — changes in floor height, slight shifts in orientation, or concealed partitions. The result is a home that feels open but never exposed.
Daylight animates the interiors throughout the day. Morning light filters through east-facing openings, while long shadows cast by afternoon sun activate surfaces and soften edges. The homes are not static — they change character with the light.
Sustainability and longevity are embedded within the design. By using local stone and timber, the project reduces environmental impact while reinforcing its ties to place. Passive design strategies — such as cross-ventilation, natural shading, and careful orientation — minimize energy use. Modern systems for climate control and infrastructure are integrated discreetly, ensuring comfort without compromising visual clarity. This approach aligns with a broader vision of contemporary luxury, where elegance coexists with environmental responsibility and resilience.
Ultimately, NV Residences is more than a pair of villas — it is a contemporary residential complex that reimagines Mediterranean domesticity through elegance, adaptability, and immersion in context.
The hanging pools on every level are its defining gesture, transforming architecture into a vertical sequence of reflective thresholds and suspended experiences. Through refined materials, precise detailing, and constant orientation toward the sea and the Old Port of Chania, NV Residences cultivates a domestic environment of luxury, serenity, and timeless beauty.