New Office Building Vasilissis Sophias 23 in central Athens 1989-1992 (Housing from early on, the Embassy of Norway)
An office building in a most prime location in central Athens where commercial activity was not permissible, but prestigious office space was highly sought after. The project was already on-going in desperate schematic design cycles, when the architect advised the clients which insisted on asymmetrical proposals with unified ground-floor space and lateral entrance, that this was not a wise restriction to be imposed on the specific project and a central entrance should be explored instead. Gaining permission for this, the current elevation design was proposed and was accepted by all.
The volumetric contour of the building already strictly imposed by existing building regulations, with no means for any reduction of the buildable volume in this prime real-estate location, dictated the aesthetic elimination of the 5th, 6th and also 7th floors in recess, i.e. floors that were clumsily protruding in height from the neighbouring building volume, by introducing a reflective curtain wall to merge this volume into the mostly blue Attica sky, coupled with appropriate merging of the curtain walls with similar repetition of materials in the lower part of the building.
A very specific complex square window was devised that was first used in this particular building, enabling innovative and unconventional subdivision of the marble veneer cladding of the building, in conjunction with quite prototypical finishing of the marble facades with specially prescribed marble pieces containing smooth curves not only around the sculpted elevation openings but also in every plane intersection. Essentially this was a jewel box finishing approach in a complete 120 cm deep zone from the front level of the façade.
The side of the building overlooking a different property that was to be built later but which still happens to remain partly exposed due to the position of the later-built neighbouring building was consistently treated to clearly accentuate the volumetric structure of the building. The interiors were treated consistently to the extent that the conditions permitted, but this happily includes the most critical entrance area. Three basement car-parking levels are accessible in this narrow plot by a lift, placed laterally. The garden was designed by the architect with glauca-purple and variegate foliage, matching the colours of the building, while remaining elements from the pre-existing and long ago demolished neo-classical Syriotis mansion at this location were augmented by replicas and railings of the architect’s innovative design, to conform to increased security requirements in this location.
New Office Building on Spetson street in Keratsini (Piraeus), within Industrial Complex of ‘Miloi Ag. Georgiou’ 1994-1995
This office building was designed to meet specific programmatic requirements for the offices of a major Greek company, that owned a large industrial complex in the particular industrial area next to the port of Keratsini. The building was to be located in the specific location next to the entrance of the large industrial complex that contained several industrial buildings of considerable proportions.
As the building was to be also located close to the ‘old millers house’ a historical residence of importance for the very old prestigious company, at the time the largest mill supplying flower and similar products to Greece, with a large share of exports, the architect’s goal was also to best provide access to this historic building. The axis of the historic building was respected and continued through the design of the new building.
The initial scheme involved a two storey building with basement utilization (i.e. parking level & basement, ground floor, 1st floor) with open covered space in the ground floor leading directly from the entrance of the complex to the back garden, and through there, the same axis lead to the entrance to the ‘old millers house’. After the complicated process for the acquisition of the building permit had been completed, the programmatic requirements changed and the owners requested that an additional floor (2nd floor) be also constructed, with parallel closing of the ground-floor open central corridor towards the millers house. Thus the present design was completed, and a new permit was subsequently issued.
Abstracted detailing, modern finishes inside-out, classical well-balanced proportions combined with simplicity of expression through the economy of materials, and the well-established with external parameters symmetry and order of the elevations characterise the complex. Entrance to the closed parking space from the lower side, centrally in the elevation. Solid brick, and curtain wall, with mass evident offer a feeling of calm serene stability, while appropriate for a building within an industrial complex.
An office building in Zallongou 4, Agia Paraskevi, a suburb of Athens 1997-1999.
An office building owned by a single company who purchased the plot in order to house its headquarters, after the preliminary study had been executed convincingly, as the plot was narrow and of a rather unusual shape. The goal was a strong corporate identity and a design to fit within the narrow plot. The existing surrounding buildings permitted the placement of the building so as to obscure the existing blind wall of the neighbouring property, while at the same time a very innovative volumetric scheme was applied, consistent with the oblique main elevation but also guaranteeing functional spaces for the specific prescribed used. Ample parking spaces were supplied at basement levels. The concept was a cubical granite block with ‘square’ windows interlocked between glass oblique rectilinear volumes at the lower level (protruding from the cube) and at the top level with long distance view over the surrounding construction. The free long side of the elongated plot, containing the stairway, was curved, and originally designed to be finished with curved ‘alucobond’ panels which were not implemented by the owner during construction. Also several discrepancies in both volume and finishing materials took place during construction, at the expense of the consistency and purity of the quite precise design concept, due to urgent change in priorities late during construction and need for additional space is specific locations, to house specific expanding needs of the firm. Change of ownership resulted in additional interventions on the elevations and further deterioration as witnessed by recent photographs of the existing state of the building. The 3-D images of the project made during the design phase before construction, most clearly express the original design concept and originally prescribed finishing materials.
An office – commercial building complex on Vournazou & Tsoha streets, Athens, eventually housing the Court of Audit of the Hellenic Republic. 1993-1996
A closed architectural competition won by the most advantageous proposal for both garage and office space layout, offering a proposal which maximized spaces to be offered for sale, while compatible with the multiple legal restrictions. The office-commercial use initially prescribed, was later altered when the whole set of three interconnected buildings through a safe private court was utilized by the same organization, the Court of Audit.
The main concept was a set of volumetrically meaningful buildings arranged around an orthogonal court and presenting three symmetrical elevations towards it. Each building could function independently, with double egress facilities meeting specifications as required. The total was approximately 10.000m2 of office-commercial space and 10.000m2 of parking space, a large parking facility according to Greek regulations with matching rigorous specifications, all neatly arranged within the large and quite irregular loosely pentagonal plot of c.2800m2.
Once the designer’s proposal was presented at the competition stage and selected for implementation, the owner increased the specifications for luxury, thus requesting a redesign of the elevations. This was performed twice until the finally implemented scheme for curtain-wall/solid construction had been completed.
It is however unfortunate that once the contractor had been selected by the owner’s, the specifications for the elevations changed again, this time to a cheaper substitute and thus plaster replaced the marble/granite veneer that had been specifically requested by the owners after the competition stage had been completed and the volumetric proposal had been accepted. The final stages of communications between developer and the designers and implementation of changes mandated in the later stages of elevation design, took place in close cooperation with the seasoned architect A.S. Calligas.
Both the early winning competition stage and the final implementation of the elevations are presented. Note that the ‘inconvenient’ shape of the plot and the requirement for meaningful volumes and orderly symmetrical elevations along the central court determined the innovative winning volumetric solution. Hellenic legislation determines permissible height and volume of buildings in accordance with width of each street and various other factors, while maximization of buildable areas for use and sale was a paramount criterion for selection of any proposal by the owners.
