Placebo Pharmacy / KLab

KLab Architecture shared their latest project, a Placebo pharmacy in Athens, with us.   By wrapping the existing orthagonal footprint in a dynamic circular skin, KLab has created a sophisticated spiraling form which seeks to create a relationship with the rapid motion of Vouliagmenis Avenue, the urban artery on which the building stands.  The 600 sqm structure houses a pharmacy on the ground floor and ancillary office space on the upper mezzanine.  Clad in metal panels that are perforated using Braille – a move that both alludes to the system’s use on pharmaceutical packaging and boosts visibility by allowing the light to find its way into the interior – the compositional quality of the material selection creates a polished exterior that attracts passers-by.

More images and more about the project after the break.

Inside, the perforated metal speckles natural light across the pharmacy and a continuous ramp that connects the two floors compliments the outer form.

The pharmacy is arranged in plan in a radial pattern with the main cashiers desk acting as the focal point. The product displays fan out from this focal point giving the cashier the ability to view the whole pharmacy from this central area. The drug dispensary, preparation areas and toilets are also arranged off this radial pattern. This pattern gives a natural flow to the space and allows light deep into the center of the plan at all times throughout the day.

Principal architect: Konstantinos Labrinopoulos

Façade artistic implementation: Xara Marantidou

Design team: Enrique Ramirez, Mark Chapman, Kostis Anagnostakis

Images credit: P. Kokkinias