Piraeus Tower competition proposal / Arhiidea Architects
Courtesy of Arhiidea Architects
Arhiidea Architects of Riga, Latvia shared with us their proposal for the Pireaus Tower 2010 Competition in Greece. Additional images and the architect’s conceptual description after the break.
Courtesy of Arhiidea Architects
MAIN CONCEPT
The core concept of the proposal for the reconstruction of Pyreaus Tower is the publicisation of private space, thus opening the building to the city and its inhabitants for multiple uses. The character of the tower is reconsidered both in its functionality and image, as well as in a wider urban context.
The qualities of public space are included in many aspects of the design to activate the private space. The ground floor of the building is adjusted to include more public circulation space as an extension of the public space of the Akti Poseidonos and Dimostheneus streets. Since the tower is placed on the edge of the active city centre, the opening up of the ground floor also allows to expand and smoothen this border.
Courtesy of Arhiidea Architects
The publicisation of the private space is also achieved by cutting into the tower, thus allowing for public viewing terraces combined with the more private uses for restaurants and cafes.
Courtesy of Arhiidea Architects
The design for the facade of the tower aims at creating a strong image both for the building and also for the city – when entered from the sea. The glass facade of the tower is made up of slightly slanted glass elements, so that seen at an angle the shadows and reflections on the surface would create a recognizable pattern.
Courtesy of Arhiidea Architects
The pattern chosen for the facade is a famous landmark of Pireaus since the first or second century AD – the stone lion that was looted in the year 1687 and brought to Venice. The design of the facade thus brings back the local historic and symbolic qualities of the Pireaus port area in an unexpected interpretation – by linking a modern building and an ancient icon.
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![Hans Hollein / Peter Weibel [HG. | ED]](http://ad009cdnb.archdaily.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/1329220171-img-3775-125x125.jpg)
Another bizarre shape with no relationship whatsoever to the environment, with no contextual sensitivity or sense of scale. Just look how this beautiful Greek church full of spirit looks in comparison to this soulless box. Architecture is not about computer-rendered weirdness only.
http://bit.ly/aYBTSF
NIce project, bringing contrast to the city.
@ “culture”: Albert, why don’t you get yourself a job, even if it’s hard with your low-profile references? being unemployed doesn’t mean to be a journalist, does it?
Agree, this proposal from 70-th…
Yep, too “brutalistic”
I don’t quite understand the criteria for being publish here.
This is a brutal and sad project that rejects the context and brings nothing of interest to the surrounding site.
The criteria is simple Jose, uglier it is – more attention it attracts. Guess it is commercial strategy… What’s the point of promoting beautiful unpretentious quiet projects. Plus, you can always find supporters for any atrocities, just see below…
Pyreaus could only gain from diversity. The design gives a statement in city bound in history and unaimed town-planning strategies.
2 Albert : Your portfolio doesn’t put you into the position to criticize other architects’ designs. You are far to weak – educational and professional. If you ever gain an appropriate intellect, you might be allowed to comment on blogs like this under your real profile again (if it gets unblocked ever)… dream on dreamer!
How strong you must hate Greece to say that Pyreaus would gain from this.
Congratulations! A strong statement in a “typical” greece urban context!
comment on Albert (so called “culture”): If you had achieved anything significant, you might to be called a “critic”… but did you really achieve anything? Your designs speak a different language – never anything build, never ever designed anything of value and now taking your mouth quite full for an under-achiever… Sad to see someone going down that far…
good work. some kind of an edge seems to be the right answer to Piraeus’ beuaty-sleep….
I wonder, why Albert fishes desperatly for attention for his blog here, while insulting archdaily the same time on twitter?
strong design – sets a landmark in a context of boredom…
to commentator “culture”/Albert: your application photo looks more like the introduction of an a rural clown – not convincing to any architectural practice… you should reconsider this :)
Dimitra says: “a strong statement”
magister says: “good work”
Leon Graham says: “strong design”
What kind of future we have for architecture? THIS kind of future? Those “dimitras”, “leons” are they going to be responsible for the design of our buildings and cities? Do they really like THIS or its just a bunch of pathetic clowns fooling around???
This is just too brutal on the city, doesn’t look like they ever had any concern whatsoever for the environment, doesn’t belong and it just destroys the landscape of the city.
Dimitra, i think everyone has its own right to criticize..
poor: i agree totally about what your saying, architecture is about fulfilling needs and not breaking down a city doing so, its a service and it should be done considering the environment its planned on.
I have to agree, this does seem over-scaled and ‘brutal’. The connection between symbolism and and a modern building is fine, if not refreshing, I just wish it could have been realised more architecturally. Those massive cutout balconies just ruin it for me, with a little bit of tweaking I think the design could be drastically improved. Can’t say I’m a fan of the heavy plinth either…
They get tired of being original.
is not it?
This project is confusing – it is radical and sensitive(not in terms of architecture) in the same time. Also, it is balancing between originality and banality – joint between giant building and city sound promising but the replication on the facade is too banal.
Brutality is not an issue as long as building is already there (as much I get it).
2 Albert – you have to find a job (and fast) or go to university once again and try to get an education. Your comments are getting to annoying.
1:54 AM Oct 24th
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Another ugly-looking brutalistic #building reminding of the 70s on Archdaily (can't they pick something more modern?) http://bit.ly/c6tW28
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