Piraeus: “Hippodamus’ Harbour”
Piraeus: “Hippodamus’ Harbour” Piraeus is the city that is the port of Athens, Greece. The Athenian statesman Themistocles persuaded his colleagues about 493 BC to fortify and use Piraeus for the new Athenian fleet. Soon After 460 the Long Walls from the base of Munychia to Athens were built, thereby ensuring communications between Athens and its port in the event of a Siege. The street pattern of modern Piraeus still approximates the rectangular grid desinged for the new town by the architect Hippodamus of Miletus. In 86 BC the Roman commander Lucius Cornelius Sulla destroyed the city, and it was insignificant from that time until its revival after 1834, when Athens became the capital of newly indipendent Greece. Piraeus was bombed by the Germans in 1941 during World War II. The modern port has been rebuilt since the bombings of World War II. It is the largest in Greece and is the centre of all sea communication between Athens and the Greek slands. Piraeus is also the terminal station for all the main Greek railways and is linked to Athens by electric railway and superhighway. The city has grown considerably since World War II, with many new factories on its outskirts as well as shipyards. Redevelopment project: Cultural Coast. The Cultural Coast of Piraeus is the largest redevelopment project in Piraeus and western Athens, linked closely to culture, quality tourism and sustainability, paving the way for the 2,500-year anniversary of the Battle of Salamis in 2021. It involves the creation of an 180,000m2 open space to host four museums, leisure and theme parks. The assignment: The design of a unique landmark on the given location: Eetioneia. The design of an urban open public space with identity, in the center of the port, a core of education, art and recreation. A space connected with the urban fabric, the city and it citizens.
Amphitheatre Athens, Greece.
Harsh Harsh
Accessible
Accessible Concept: - The whole area will be public, but with allot of private places where people can study and relax. - The entrance will be big, but not inviting (Harsh). I belief that the people of Piraeus and Athens will be able to find the place and can use it, while tourist might be more distanced by the size and the “not inviting entrance” - The entrance hall will be big and empty, and it need to give you the feeling of being in a big train station or airport. This way I want to create the feeling of traveling and entering a new place. - The hill on the building will function as a big park (Accessible). The entire hill is covert with grass, tree’s and bushes. Once on the hill you will not be able to look over it. And the tree’s and bushes will prevent you to look away. This way I want to create a feeling of a private space. - The area doesn’t have road’s and path’s, people are free to go where they want.
Sightlines: In the area are three places with important sightlines. First (left): Entrance is enormous, harsh and uninviting. Tourist will be overwhelmed by the size. And maybe also curious whats behind. Second (right): The area is one big oase with a lot of nature. There are no buildings in sight except for the three enourmous buildings in the area. The main hall is not visible anymore because it turned into a big hill. Third (Middle): On the hill people can have some more private space. Between the tree’s and the hill there are some long sightlines but most of all it is bushes and tree’s.
The hill is mostly oriented to the south. (On the drawing on the right) This create a lot of shadow spots on the hill where people can relax, work and discuss.
Once inside you find a enormous empty hall. Not much to do here. Sometimes there is a event being held here. But most of the time there is not. There is only one object in the building. And that is the old dark warehouse, but in the back of the warehouse there is light.
A massive steep 25meter high wall has to discourage outsiders to come in. A lot of concrete and a big open square. The glass opening is relative small.
Once you walked through the warehouse, you enter a never ending park. There are a lot of tree’s and bushes. Behind you there is a big hill, you can climb it and zit on the hillside in the shade of a tree. There are many people enjoing the stillness, working on small projects and debate things. There are no pats, so you can go where ever you want.
In this project I want to create a functional area that has no direct connection with the surrounding. The reason for this is that I see that Greece is still in a crisis and in my opinion that creates a depressive atmosphere. By disconnecting the area with the surroundings I want to create a “safe harbor� where people can study and relax in a green and private environment. However the area is a public area, the focus is on students and young adults.
Vision: I want to make a public area, but it also had to give allot of private space to work and relax. To create this kind of area I wanted to make a hard wall between the project area and the city. Inspired by the SNFCC from Renzo Piano I created a heeling on a part of the project location. This create a place where people can sit (against the heeling) and with tree’s and bushes to block the view to be not disrupted. The area’s main visitors should be in my opinion the students and young adults of Athens and Piraeus. This because I think that this group will decide how these city’s will develop in the future. And for this reason I want to create an area where they can work, learn and develop. The buildings in the area will be used to create space for them. The building in the North (RED) will get functions focused on young people and students by having a cinema, gym, tram station and restaurant. The building south west (GREEN) will be focused on study. The building will have study rooms with as less possible distraction. The building south east (BLUE) will function as the main entrance to the inner area. This building will be for a big part in the heeling and will funciton for the research and development industry. Also artist can use the facilities. The hill itself will be an empty space with further direct functions.
Siteplan sketch
Section sketch
Section sketch
Ground floor plan Schaal 1:2000
Lorem ipsum dolor sit Details Schaal 1:1000
Schaal 1:500 Details
Details section Schaal 1:500
Site plan Schaal 1:500
Details Schaal 1:500
SECTION LINES
G
H
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I G
F
A
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E
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E C
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BUILDING RED
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SECTIONS AND VIEWS
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Piraeus: Hippodamus Harbour Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural
Blue: New tram line connecting Hippodamus Harbour with the rest of the city. Red: Excisting tram/metro lines.
Athens: Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Centre
Piraeus: Hippodamus Harbour
OSLO HARBOR PUBLIC SPACE ANALYSIS BY Bas Screever Ester Otten Giulia Beck Luiza Prazeres
Urban Research Oslo operahouse
Oslo
Hamburg
Marseille
Pireaus