Oreno Mountain Retreat Hōkele by Giannis Efthymiadis - G2Lab

Oreno Mountain Retreat Hōkele by Giannis Efthymiadis - G2Lab is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2026 A' Design Award Keleawe in Hoʻolālā Hoʻokipa, Leʻaleʻa, Huakaʻi a me Mākaʻikaʻi Competition Category.

KeleaweHoʻokipa· 2026

Oreno Mountain Retreat Hōkele

by Giannis Efthymiadis - G2Lab

Client: Oreno Retreat

A' Design Award Keleawe Winner in Hoʻokipa Category

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Verified Award Winner

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Visit Site View at A' Design Award Press Release Award Badge

Colors

The Design

About Oreno Mountain Retreat Hōkele

He hōkele ʻo Oreno Mountain Retreat e kū nei ma Tsepelovo, Zagori. Hoʻomau ka hale i ka ʻāina e hoʻopuni ana ma o ka wehewehe hou ʻana i nā loina kūloko o ka lākiō, nā mea hana, a me ka papa kūlana o nā wahi. Hoʻohana ʻia nā paia pōhaku e kaʻikaʻi ana i ke kaumaha a me nā ʻōnaehana kaupoku lāʻau i nā ʻenehana kuʻuna e like me nā kūlana o kēia au. Hoʻomaikaʻi ka nui o ka hoʻopaʻa wela i ka hoʻohana pono ʻana i ka ikehu, a alakaʻi nā puka i hoʻomalu ʻia i ka mālamalama o ke ao a me ka hoʻoheheʻe ea. Hōʻemi ka hoʻokomo ʻana i loko o ka pali i ka ʻeli ʻana. Hana ka hoʻolālā i kahi ʻano mālie a maʻemaʻe i hoʻokumu ʻia i ka hoʻomanaʻo a me ka hana noʻeau kūloko.

The Recognition

About the A' Design Award Keleawe

Ua lanakila ka hoʻolālā Oreno Mountain Retreat Hōkele i ka A' Design Award Keleawe, he ʻike hoʻohanohano nui loa i hāʻawi ʻia i nā hoʻolālā kūʻokoʻa i ʻike ʻia ma o ka hana noʻeau, ka akamai a me ka makakoho. He mau hana mākaukau a hana noʻeau kupaianaha nā lanakila Keleawe e hōʻoia ana i ka ʻike nui, ka noʻonoʻo a me ka maʻalea o kā lākou poʻe hoʻolālā. Manaʻo ʻia ʻo ka hoʻolālā Oreno Mountain Retreat Hōkele he mea i mahalo nui ʻia, hoʻohiwahiwa ʻia a aloha ʻia, he ʻoihana a hou loa. ʻO kēia hoʻolālā i lanakila i ka A' Design Award Keleawe e hoʻohui ana i nā hana maikaʻi loa o ka hana noʻeau, ka ʻepekema, ka hoʻolālā a me ka ʻenehana, a maikaʻi no kona nānā ʻana i nā kikoʻī. Hoʻokō maikaʻi ka hoʻolālā Oreno Mountain Retreat Hōkele i nā pono, hoʻopā i ka makemake, hoʻohiwahiwa i nā manaʻo a huki i ka makemake e ʻike.

Behind the Design

Press Kit

Credits, team members and technical details provided by the designer.

Unique Properties: This design explores architecture as an extension of place rather than an imposed object. Oreno continues the Zagori landscape by reinterpreting local principles of proportion, material, and spatial hierarchy. Its strength lies in balancing memory with contemporary living, solidity with openness. Through restraint, material continuity, and controlled light, it creates a quiet, refined atmosphere rooted in authenticity.
Dimensions & Packaging: Constructed with load bearing stone walls and timber roof systems, the building employs traditional techniques adapted to contemporary standards. High thermal mass improves energy efficiency, while controlled openings optimize daylight and ventilation. The integration into the slope minimizes excavation and enhances environmental performance, supported by passive design strategies.
Tags: stone, wood, heritage, environment, local, fireplace, wellness, interior
Production Technology: The design was developed through analysis of Zagori architectural principles proportion, material logic, and spatial hierarchy, rather than formal imitation. Local stone and timber systems informed both structure and envelope. Iterative modeling and section studies ensured integration with the terrain, while light and material continuity were refined to create a cohesive, atmospheric spatial experience.
Design Challenge: The main challenge was integrating Zagori historical and social context with modern hospitality standards. Internally, respecting local architectural memory and community traditions guided design decisions. Externally, strict heritage regulations, limited construction technologies, and site constraints demanded careful material selection, precise geometry, and iterative modeling to achieve a balance between authenticity, comfort, and environmental integration.
Inspiration: The inspiration for Oreno emerges from the quiet continuity of life in Zagori. It draws from the memory of people and their rhythms. Gatherings in village squares, the echo of music across the mountains, the slow passage of seasons. Tradition is not treated as a fixed image, but as a living presence, embedded in craft, in material, in proportion. Stone and earth become both structure and story, grounding the hotel in its place, while the spirit of local life shapes spaces that feel familiar, warm, and enduring.
Project Duration: The project started in September 2023 in Tsepelovo, Zagori and finished in Janaury 2026
Team Members: Giannis Efthymiadis
Konstadina Papagianni
Giwrgos Efthymiadis
Maria Kamenou
Dimitra Gakou
Image Credits: Photographer Dimitris Spyrou