The beach is a constantly changing landscape, alive and dynamic which is influenced, adapted and eventually shaped by environmental factors, natural changes and the society that develops around and through it. A landscape defined by three basic elements, wind, sea and sand, among others; the beach becomes a place of organized and informal socialization and intense contradictions. This research paper adopts multiple perspectives to approach the definition of an "architecture" of the beach, focusing on the island of Mykonos as a case study. It adopts three distinct and complementary perspectives: Firstly, through an ecological perspective, it illuminates the elements that dynamically shape the beach beyond the human, and secondly, it highlights the diverse human interventions, ephemeral or permanent, that lead to the commodification of the beach as a natural resource. In a third phase, it examines the multiple embodied inhabitations of the beach, which as a contested site is historically claimed by the logics of consumerism/capitalism as well as by practices of emancipations from social structures and norms.

This research is conducted primarily through the study of the relevant literature, primary archival material as well as personal observation and fieldwork. Photographs and maps play an important role, in mapping the development of Mykonos beaches over time. The main aim of this study is to explore the beach as an ever-changing landscape, as well as architecture as a vehicle for the commodification of both the human experience and elements beyond the human.