STREET OF DREAMS
Deconstructing an Athenian Polykatoikia
Stefania Orfanidou, Gregory Petropoulos
Location: Agios Panteleimonas, Athens, Greece
Workshop: Cityhome
Supervisor: Ron Walkey
Year: October 2016
Postgraduate program: INSTEAD IV
University of Thessaly, Department of Architecture
The project investigates the current condition of the Athenian Polykatoikia, focused in the district of Agios Panteleimonas in the heart of the urban fabric. The area is characterized by the presence of immigrants and the lack of social interaction between the inhabitants. Furthermore, the limits between the public and private realm are very strict creating fixed boundaries. Our research attempts to deconstruct those boundaries by re-conceptualizing the meaning of inhabiting the space in an existing shell of a polykatoikia. The starting point centered around the design of various alternatives in the form of diagrams that represent possible plan versions. Our tools include some permanent, but also temporary elements, which aim to create negotiable boundaries between the apartment and the communal space in the level of each floor. The residents can intervene in the design of their personal space and according to their will, one can choose the flexibility of the collective space on the level of his residence. Hence, the physical and social limits between the occupants are deconstructed creating more collective spatial possibilities.
