National competition "designing the upcoming public water-transport stations / Thessaloniki"
the project was listed among the 20 finalists in the competition and was chosen among the 10 best designs in the greek architectural awards 'DOMES 2012' by Bernard Tschumi described as 'extravagant minimal'
The competition brief asked the participants to design 4 stops in thecity of Thessaloniki in Greece, in order to be used by waterbuses to improvethe circulation and traffic jam in the city.
Thessaloniki is a city situated at the seaside and the design of aproject placed between the city and the sea is a big challenge. The stops willbe visible at 4 strategic parts of the city and will eventually become landmarks.
Our goal is to design in order to allow the user to move as comfortableas possible in the stop. We want the boat passengers to be able to move fastthrough the stop when needed but at the same time to be in a pleasantenvironment where they can relax while waiting the next boat to come. Thechallenge for each stop was evaluated equal and we decided that all of themshould be treated as one piece and have the same design.
1. Water cube
Given the fact that the stops areplaced at the edge of the city front our decision is to extend from the waterside to the city. Our intension is not to disturb the natural but to highlightit!
A water curtain around the given perimeterof the stop is the sea extension that hugs the stop and makes it part of thenatural environment. The water cube created is there to remind the passengersthat they are leaving the city and the man made to move in a naturalenvironment for a while.
Inside the water cube extends a systembased on a 2x2 meter grid that helps the movement of the passengers, and theeasiest boarding of them. Bigger volumes that host the needs of the stop aredivided to smaller ones and are placed in such a way to create routes glimpsesand relaxation areas.
A main 3,50m wide route spreads alongthe stop in order to move the passengers and allow them to meet the mainprovisions of it. (Tickets, waiting area) At the same time two lateral routes arethere for the passengers arriving by the boats to move to the city promptly.The once coming from the city side to take the boat move through the maincorridor and in their way find the ticket office, a place to leave their bikesand a small shop where they can buy coffee or a magazine from. At the end ofthe corridor they can find a protected waiting area to seat until the boatcomes. Next to it an open waiting area serves the shop and tables are placedthere for people, passengers and not to enjoy their coffee.
2. mechanical · Photovoltaic panels
Photovoltaic panels (thin film) placedin the roof are there to provide enough energy for the needs of the stop. Thephotovoltaic panels cover the energy needed for the water pump that circulatesthe water and of course the lighting of the installation.
The water pump brings the water tothe base of the platforms and then through horizontal tubes it spreads it atthe edges of the platform. Filters are placed at the water entrance to avoidthe junk to come up and in order to clean it from parasites.
