Invest Gr farm stories – SyrosSustainable and comfort living agritourism complex in Syros 2018
The Concept
The core idea is the construction and sale of agritourism homes/businesses—to private individuals or companies—generating income for buyers from day one through tourism services, the sale of agricultural products, energy production via alternative methods, and even by taking advantage of subsidy programs.
Theoretical Background
The concept combines two primary studies/services of Human Point: “house income” and “investment opportunities.”
“House income” is the title of a long-term, ongoing research project by Human Point focused on designing residential and commercial building typologies that generate income. Income comes from selling energy
through photovoltaic systems, selling agricultural products, providing processing and product assembly services, waste management, and utilizing various subsidized programs, among others. This concept is most applicable to buildings intended for residential use, particularly in rural areas.
In essence, we aim to address the challenging economic environment around us by designing a home or any other building that transforms into a revenue-generating machine. It’s a modern “domestic economy,” where a house or building becomes a personal or household business.
“Investment opportunities” is the most profitable service for our clients and is part of Human Point’s broader “project development” service category. We create all the conditions necessary for the development of a successful construction project
, ensuring the investment yields immediate profitability. This profitability arises not only from the value of the completed project,
The Proposal
The central idea is the purchase of a plot of land in Syros, the construction and installation—along with the necessary infrastructure—of an agritourism farm, and its sale to an individual or company from Central or Northern Europe. This concept is common for these markets, as many people buy small vacation farms in the South of France and Italy.
The plot is located in the Komito area, near the Agathopes beach, part of the most beautiful and tourist-friendly region of the island, Posidonia. It is about 350–400 meters from the sea and the small, relatively organized beach of Komito. The plot spans 4,750 m², with a slope of approximately 25%, and its orientation is west-southwest, offering stunning views of the sea and the sunset. Access is via an asphalted rural road and approximately 500 meters of dirt track. It is about 15–20 minutes by car from Ermoupolis.
The plan involves the construction of 250 m² of ground-floor homes (with 140 m² of underground space), a 60 m² agricultural warehouse, and a 20 m² living space for a caretaker/worker/gardener. The ground-floor homes will consist of four units: one 95 m² unit with a 45 m² semi-basement, which will serve as the main residence for the owner, and three units of 55 m² with 30 m² raised basements each, to be used as tourist rental properties, capable of accommodating a family or group of four. The agricultural warehouse, located away from the residences, will be used for storage, processing, and packaging of agricultural products. All buildings will be eco-friendly, energy class A, and fully energy-autonomous through renewable energy sources.
Renewable Energy: The energy required for the full operation of the business will come from photovoltaic and wind power systems. Special installations will also be made for collecting rainwater to cover as much of the water needs as possible for the homes and irrigation of the crops.
Cultivation: The farm will grow goji berry seedlings, a fruit with excellent nutritional value and high demand, particularly in Central and Northern Europe, but also in the Greek market. The processing will involve drying and packaging in branded packaging.
The three smaller homes are intended exclusively for tourism exploitation. The architectural design ensures each can comfortably accommodate four people and will have its own outdoor covered space of about 50 m². The larger main home could also be used for tourism, especially if the buyer of the “farm” only visits for a few days each year, thus increasing the annual income from tourism services.
Project Overview
- client and location: Human Point, Poseidonia Syros Gr
- project: development, construction and installation of a agritourism business(5.700 sq.m exterior area & farm of goji berries, 450 sq.m. buildings)
- what we did: new business development & management – real estate development – project & construction management – concept development – architectural design – 3d renderings – presentation development
- status: concept development – architectural design
Credits
- Architectural team: Jannis Athanassopoulos , Irini Giotopoulou, Alexandra Syriou
- Engineers – collaborators: Eleni Panagiotou τεχ. γεωπόνος, Ilias Koutsogiannopoulos financial consultor
