Abstract:

COMMON GROUND proposes a transitional housing and co-living complex for homeless individuals and families in central Athens. Located between Patision Street and 3rd September Street, near Pedion tou Areos and Viktoria Square, the project reframes homelessness not as a marginal condition but as a collective urban responsibility. It positions care as permanent infrastructure embedded within everyday urban coexistence.

The proposal integrates emergency support, transitional housing, and long-term accommodation within a unified architectural system that supports continuity, stability, and social reintegration. The ground floor operates as an open civic platform, accommodating shared dining areas, medical and psychological support spaces, offices, and an amphitheater organized around a planted courtyard that functions as the social core of the building.

Above, residential floors are structured into short- and long-term living clusters, where dormitories and housing units are organized around double-height communal kitchens and laundries, fostering interaction and community formation. Constructed primarily from CLT, the building combines sustainable construction with social ambition, reimagining housing as a platform for dignity, care, and shared urban futures.