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Oreno Mountain Retreat Hotel by Giannis Efthymiadis - G2Lab

Oreno Mountain Retreat Hotel by Giannis Efthymiadis - G2Lab is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2026 A' Design Award de Bronz in Ospitalitate Competition Category.


BronzOspitalitate· 2026

Oreno Mountain Retreat Hotel

by Giannis Efthymiadis - G2Lab

Client: Oreno Retreat

A' Design Award de Bronz Winner in Ospitalitate Category

Colors

The Design

About Oreno Mountain Retreat Hotel

Oreno Mountain Retreat este un hotel situat în Tsepelovo, Zagori. Clădirea continuă peisajul înconjurător prin reinterpretarea principiilor locale de proporție, material și ierarhie spațială. Zidurile portante din piatră și sistemele de acoperiș din lemn aplică tehnici tradiționale la standarde contemporane. Masa termică ridicată îmbunătățește eficiența energetică, în timp ce deschiderile controlate ghidează lumina naturală și ventilația. Integrarea în pantă reduce excavațiile. Designul creează o atmosferă liniștită și rafinată, înrădăcinată în memoria și meșteșugul local.

The Recognition

About the A' Design Award de Bronz

Oreno Mountain Retreat Hotel a câștigat A' Design Award de Bronz, o recunoaștere extrem de prestigioasă acordată designurilor remarcabile care se disting prin creativitate, ingeniozitate și istețime. Câștigătorii Bronzului sunt artefacte din plin pricepute și izbitor de creative, care atestă experiența vastă, imaginația și resursele designerilor lor. Se așteaptă ca Oreno Mountain Retreat Hotel să fie un obiect foarte apreciat, admirat și prețuit, remarcabil de profesionist și inovator. Acest design câștigător al A' Design Award de Bronz încorporează cele mai bune practici din artă, știință, design și tehnologie și este excelent prin atenția la detalii. Oreno Mountain Retreat Hotel satisface splendid nevoile, atinge dorințele, vrăjește sentimentele și stârnește curiozitatea.

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

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