CONSERVATION AND REUSE OF A BUILDING AT THE HISTORICAL CENTER OF ATHENS. DESIGN OF A RESIDENCE-MUSEUM FOR ARTWORK COLLECTORS.
The design of a new work of architecture not only comes physically close to the existing one [...] but also produces a genuine interpretation of the historical material with which it has to contend, so that this material is the object of a true interpretation which explicitly or implicitly accompanies the new intervention in its overall significance.
Ignasi de Sola Morales Rubio, "From contrast to Analogy. Developments in the Concept of Architectural Intervention"
The proposal deals with the restoration and reuse of a historic building located in Plaka, Athens. Due to the fact that the intervention takes place in an urban environment of a special architectural character, factors such as the identity of the built environment, the social, cultural and historical identity of the area, as well as the collective memory are taken into account.
The under study building was built in the late 19th century. It is a two storey stone-built building with semi-basement, a typical sample of the Athenian architecture of that period, which combines features of a "traditional" building with neoclassical morphological features. According to the historical and social conditions of the period, the basements hosted auxiliary uses, the ground floor the bedrooms and the floor the guest areas.
The aim is to preserve and highlight the typological and morphological features of the existing building as well as its constructional structure, but at the same time to implement additions that respect the old and separate their existence from it as new constructions.
Elements such as wooden frames and floors, as well as plaster decorative elements, are retained and restored or even translated into equivalents such us in the master bedroom area. Typical ceramic tiles are also used in the bathroom and WC areas. Finally, the use of cement screed is extensive mainly on floors.
An integration of a new building into the inner courtyard of the complex is attempted through the management of empty space and the boundaries of the intervention area. This new structure is intended to host the collection of photographic artwork of the residents.
The work of Norwegian photographer Rune Guneriussen, part of which will be hosted in the exhibition area of the residence, was a major influence on the overall aesthetic direction.
Thank you!
