Santorini is a small circular archipielago, formed by volcanic islands, located in south Aegean sea, about 200 Km to the south-east of the Greece’s mainland. It is also known as Thira, forming the southernmost member of the Cyclades group of islands, with an approximate area of 73 Km² and a census population of 13.402.

Santorini is essentially what remains of an enormous volcanic explosion, destroying the earliest settlements on what was formerly a single island, and leading to the creation of the current geological caldera. Santorini has become one of Europe’s leadig touristic destinations because of its spectacular natural beauty.  Santorini has a singular architecture of white and blue houses as you can find in Morocco’s or Tunisia’s coast. On the other hand, it has been criticized for its disorganized and excessive recent urban development.

Nea Kameni is a small uninhabited Greek island of volcanic origin of 3,4 Km² located  in front of Santorini’s shore line. Along with it’s nearby island Palea Kameni, it becomes a touristic attraction for boats and cruise ships during the summer season. 

The objective of the current contest is to contribute with new ideas for a Tourist Accommodation Prototype (TAP), taking as example of its location the singular setting of the Santorini’s coast line and the Nea Kameni and Palea Kameni islands.

A new model for tourist accommodation in which it resolves the problems within its location, in accordance to contemporary bioclimatic criteria and sustainability able to be adapted to other contexts with similar landscapes around the world.

The proposed location is placed on the giant central lagoon, more or less rectangular, and measuring about 12 by 7 km (7.5 by 4.3 mi), is surrounded by 300 m (980 ft) high steep cliffs on three sides.  The island slopes downward from the cliffs to the surrounding Aegean Sea. On the fourth side, the lagoon is separated from the sea by another much smaller island called Therasia; the lagoon merges with the sea in two places, in the northwest and southwest. The water in the centre of the lagoon is nearly 400 m (1,300 ft) deep, thus making it a safe harbor for all kinds of shipping. The island's harbors all lie in the lagoon and there are no ports on the outer perimeter of the island; the capital, Fira, clings to the top of the cliff looking down on the lagoon. 

It is the most active volcanic centre in the South Aegean Volcanic Arc, though what remains today is chiefly a water-filled caldera. The island is the site of one of the largest volcanic eruptions in recorded history which occurred some 3,500 years ago. A popular theory holds that the Thera eruption is the source of the legend of Atlantis.