The nine-hectare site is an isolated cove on this arid, treeless, hot (in the summer) island. The owners, husband and wife are both university professors. The setting and the island suggested a combination of the cerebral with the vernacular (Plato/Zorba). The adoption of a regular geometry (that of the small rhombicumboctahedron) that is deliberately violated in response to the topography and the program seemed appropriate. The massing addresses the human scale and high level of complexity that are integral aspects of the Cycladic vernacular. A ferrocement/styrofoam construction technique was adopted for its economy, limited thermomass, earthquake resistance and visual plasticity. De Chirico's early treatment of form and light guided some of the formal decisions. The immediate grounds are walled-in, separating the paved and planted sacred space from th profane space beyond. The topography dictates the irregular shape and variable elevation of several outdoor spaces, at least one of which is in shade at any given time of the day.