Set on a tree-protected plot in Glyka Nera, Athens, Tetris Passive Duplex is conceived as two interlocking residences for one extended family. Certified by the Hellenic Passive House Institute, the building combines thermal-brick load-bearing walls, photovoltaics, a planted roof over a blue-roof water system and a rear greenhouse for edible cultivation and thermal storage.
As a passive house architecture project in Greece, Tetris Passive Duplex is certified by the Hellenic Passive House Institute. The certification process required rigorous coordination of envelope detailing, thermal-bridge analysis, airtightness testing and mechanical ventilation with heat recovery. The result is a residence that meets passive-house energy demand thresholds while remaining straightforward to live in. For ONUS Architecture Studio, the project demonstrates that passive house architecture in Greece can integrate with contemporary design rather than being framed as a technical compromise.
The two interlocking units share a single load-bearing structure of large thermal bricks, reducing the use of concrete and improving thermal mass. Wall and roof build-ups follow passive-house insulation depths. The plot itself, in suburban Glyka Nera, contained mature legally protected trees — these dictated the plan geometry, leading to the Tetris-like interlocking arrangement that gives the project its name. Where most passive house architecture in Greece treats site and performance as separate problems, this project resolves them in one form.
The building combines integrated photovoltaic generation with a planted roof over a blue-roof water-management system that buffers rainfall and supports irrigation. A rear greenhouse serves dual roles: it acts as a thermal store, absorbing winter sun to pre-heat ventilation air, and as a year-round edible garden for the two families sharing the duplex. The strategy is consistent with the International Passive House Association framework for high-performance residential buildings.
The project sits within ONUS Architecture Studio’s award-winning sustainable architecture portfolio and the studio’s record of passive residential architecture in Greece. As certified passive house architecture in Greece, Tetris Passive Duplex contributes to the growing record of contemporary Greek buildings meeting international performance benchmarks.
