Residential complex at Metaxourgio
2006, Athens
Type: European Architectural Competition
Prize: 3rd prize & domes best built project for 2007-09
Size: 4510 m²
Status: Built
Architects: Georgia Daskalaki, Giannis Papadopoulos
Architect consultant: Tasos Biris
Architects collaborators: Anthi Verikiou, Anna Moraitou,Alexandra Yialouri, Panayiota Dalaggeli, Eleni Kamodou, , Irini Ikonomopoulou, Giorgos Anagnostakes (std),Chrisa Koumantou(std).
Developer’s Architect Consultant: Kyriakos Kyriakides
Structural design: Polichronopoulos K., Kinatos K.
Electromechanical engineering: Tsagkanos N., Theodosiou M.
Third prize in European architectural competition announced by GEK TERNA construction company in collaboration with Domes Architectural Magazine. The project was chosen to be constructed by the company GEK TERNA, which since the stage of the announcement of the competition maintained the right to realize one of the first three prizes.
The main compositional element of the proposal is a strong ascending spiral around a central courtyard, which is emphasized on the buildings’ skyline by the inclined roof. The roof juxtaposes the horizontality of neighboring buildings and adds to the image of the city strong ascending line. The constructional and functional clarity of the roof turns the new building’s skyline into a clear distinct mark within the urban fabric.
The project develops onto the spiral axis maintaining a dense dialectical relationship (in terms of function, morphology, scale) with the existing “situation” throughout its surrounding environment: it rises or lowers, presents itself as simpler or more complex, more transparent or opaque, following the transformations of the city. This way, it is either dynamically set against the scale of the surrounding buildings, sometimes creating a clear boundary between them which“softens” at times, rifts or connects with the old Athenian residences.
There is not a single zone which makes up the main body of the building, but a bundle of zones. By adding and removing elements from these zones we create areas of open, semi-open or covered spaces, varied arrangements of residences and circulation zones.
As for the concept and design of each residential unit, our principal concern was to provide each one with a big courtyard. Hence, the proposed residences include various typologies of open-air spaces that can be found at all levels of the building.
