|
New addtion to grand Athens resort
Astir Palace is a luxury resort 25 km away from the centre of Athens.
During its recent phase of renovation, we were asked to design an entrance Gate, and to upgrade the entrance of the Nafsika Hotel (the Canopy).
In both cases the architects designed an interface.
The Gate is a border designed to allow space to pass through and dissolve.
An existing huge ficus tree on site defined a point of reference.
Two inlets in mild curves, one transparent, the other opaque, fluid space, vertical metal grids, a continous curve that unfolds in order to enclose, to create the in-between, to accept the natural. Steel structure painted white, transparent and semi-transparent glass, white matte marble on the floor.
A series of undulating white metal vertical grids placed around the air-conditioning ducts on the roof offered an interesting interplay with semi-transparency and light.
The curved form of the canopy extends on the two sides to create a sense of enclosure. The white collumns introduce strong verticality. The shops: white matte marble ‘boxes’ inserted into the slope. Round skylights penetrate the canopy. An artificial landscape of white marble and olive trees.
The two projects are hybrids. They were born on the common ground of what exists with that that is emerging. They were born through an osmosis between the interiority, that gives each one its individuality, and the exteriority, be it landscape, architecture, programme, image, or nature, that connects it with everything else.
Design: 2006-2007
Construction: 2008
Architects: Rena Sakellaridou, Morpho Papanikolaou
Collaborators:I.Kloni, N.Katsikis, G.Anagnostelis, G.Adhlenidou
|
