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EXARCHEIA, ATHENS – GREECE
REPAIR AND RESTORATION OF A LISTED FAÇADE WITH AN ADDITIONAL EXTENSION OF A THREE-STORY RESIDENCE
3-DIMENSIONAL VIEWS OF BUILDING’S MAIN AND REAR ELEVATIONS
The plot is located within the Exarcheia district of Athens, on a steeply inclined pedestrian street, between two listed buildings of the neoclassical era. It is very narrow, with a listed façade of only 6.50m. The body of the old building that existed there has been demolished, while its two-story façade is preserved and restored.
The new residence is being developed on three levels. The building is positioned as an extension of its listed façade on the ground floor and the first floor. It is built in contact with the neoclassical building on the north side, while on the south side, an open corridor is formed through the front door leading to the residence’ s entrance, thus preserving the memory of the demolished building and its distance from the neighboring neoclassical one. The height of the floors is defined by the openings of the preserved façade. This results in a degraded – in relation to the street – ground floor where the living room, the dining room and the kitchen are arranged in an open floor plan.
The first floor, where the two en-suite bedrooms are located, is developed on two levels to ensure satisfactory interior heights, depending on the function of the spaces. An additional en-suite bedroom is situated on the second floor. The openings of the addition are designed for the optimal lighting and ventilation of the house, given the difficulties caused by the preserved façade, the degradation and the orientation of the plot. The volume of the ground floor maintains an appropriate distance from the rear limit, so that the open areas of the building block are unified as much as possible. The upper floors are built in a recess in order not to burden the neighboring residences in terms of natural light. The second floor is constructed in retreat in relation to the preserved façade. Furthermore, the permitted height is not reached and therefore the addition is not visible from the narrow pedestrian sidewalk.
Strict volumes and simple lines are chosen in order to make a clear distinction between the modern building and the preserved façade. The roughness of the uncoated concrete and the oak frames converse with the roughness of the forms of the traditional Athenian architecture, uniting the past with the present.
PLANS – SECTIONS