Αrchitectural Competition in Athens, Greece

Introduction

Magazine greekarchitects.gr has proclaimed an open tender titled “D. Areopagitou 2008: reformation of the rear views of historic buildings at 17 and 19, D. Areopagitou Street”. The tender will be completed in a single phase and it is exclusively organized by greekarchitects.gr. Greekarchitects.gr is faced with the challenge to carry out the tender efficiently and to ensure complete and due evaluation of the proposals. Therefore, architects and artists highly esteemed for their work and academic careers have been selected by the Awarding Committee to that effect.
We suggest that the tender results be broadly published, through postings on our website, in the daily Press and specialized magazines. Moreover, we expect that all proposals will be presented in an exhibition to be hosted at carefully selected facilities in Athens. The rewarded and distinguished proposals will see broader publicity whereas the CV’s of their creators will be posted on our website.
Greekarchitects.gr will forward the 1st prize to the Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Public Works, Town Planning and Environment to consider its applicability in view of the official opening of the New Acropolis Museum (NAM), which is scheduled for 2009.

Objective

The objective pursued through this tender is to adopt a design plan that ensures the best possible of combining the New Museum with the historic buildings and configuring the Museum’s surrounding area.

The proposals will mainly relate to the type and extent of interventions that will be made near or even on the historic buildings (excluding any building facades on Areopagitou and Mitseon Streets). Such interventions may comprise overlaying or façade renovation works, constructions of any kind or height, or plantations of any kind or even a combination of the above.

The particularity and novelty of this tender is that the designers are not dealing with more or less civil constructions, but rather, they are called to deal with front and rear views at the same time, in a harmonized yet discreet, powerful but still gentle manner.
Each proposal shall have to be a final, cohesive and clear suggestion as to the manner in which a new “constructed” façade can be smoothly integrated to the New Museum building, as well the manner in which such new “appearance” will form part of and to some extent determine the relationship between the Museum and the Sacred Rock.
In designing this façade, Candidates will be subjected to no limitation whatsoever– designs may vary from suggestions totally incongruous and incompatible to the broader environment to others totally harmonized with it; from aggressive interventions to very light and gentle ones. However, all proposals must be convincing that configuring the rear views of the buildings is not only a dynamic answer but a particularly important choice and that the idea of breaking down the buildings at 17 and 19 D. Areopagitou Street is a thoughtless and unreasonable solution.

The proposals

Proposals may relate to façade renovations, constructions at some distance from them or combined solutions. The suggested interventions may expand regardless of the borders of the plots. It should be considered that the surrounding area of the Museum is a promenade and that the new “facades” will be visible not only from the Museum’s upper floors but also by the visitors of the surrounding areas.
The proposals may further expand to the side views of the historic building at 17, Areopagitou Street, as well as above the buildings, with no height limitation whatsoever.
Furthermore, the functionality of the historic buildings must be also protected.

The location

The historic buildings located next to the entrance of the New Acropolis Museum, with façades over D. Areopagitou Street.  They extent down to Mitseon Street and occupy the north-western corner of Makriyianni street block. The historic buildings and the “Viller” building are directly visible from the Acropolis and cover part of the ground floor of NAM. However, they do not cover the upper storeys of the museum, nor the platform which is intended for use as an outdoor restaurant.

The rear views of the historic buildings, (which, for the building at 19, Areopagitou Street is partially blind and partially rear view, whereas for the building at 17, Areopagitou Street it is designed as rear view), are essentially the main views towards the Museum’s surrounding area, which is currently being configured. Inside the Museum, these views are now the first and direct civil front that visitors are faced with.

More Information:
www.greekarchitects.gr