1
2
3
4
Technical University of Crete
Faculty of Architecture Engineering Academic year 2019-2020 Diploma Thesis eΞodus: deconstructing death
Supervising Professor: Tzobanakis Alexios Editing: Rozani Georgia
5
6
Dedicated to my family Panagiotis, Eleni, Sophia
7
8
I warmly thank my supervising professor Mr. Alexios Tzompanakis for his fruitful advice and guidance throughout the elaboration of this diploma thesis.
9
10
11
The starting point for the present thesis was the now abandoned building of the Former Judicial Prison in Chania, Greece, as an empty and uncanny space. It is a ground floor stone building 1650 sqm, almost square in plan, with small deviations. The building remains hermetically closed throughout its whole height, thus maintaining its isolation and autonomy from the wider area in proximity.
12
13
The building of the Former Judicial Prison was built in 1932. It is, perhaps together with the prison in Trikala, the first judicial prison in Greece, while it operated for the first time in 1935, after the coup d’état of March 1st of the same year. At first it functioned as a prison of political dissidents, while later prisoners under the common criminal law were incarcerated.
The coup was the resultant of conspiratorial actions of various cities and organizations of the Venizelist faction, who aimed to the deterrence of the restoration of the crowned democracy. Energies, which failed and led to a large number of proVenizelist political prisoners. After the seizure of power with the coup d’état of the dictatorial government of Georgios Kondylis, on October 10th 1935, a Referendum was held, which went down in history as the Illegitimate Referendum. Kondylis later convened the Fifth National Assembly so as to abolish the state of the Republic and bring back the Reign. The Venizelos parties, by abstaining from the Referendum, contributed to the promotion of the regime change.
14
George the Second returned to Greece on 25th of November of the same year.
On April 6th 1941 the German troops invaded Greek territory. The political prisoners were handed over by the then Government to the Germans during World War II. The prison facilities were places of detention and torture of political prisoners during the German Nazi occupation as well as during the Regime of the Colonels that followed. In the later years of their function, women were also imprisoned.
Since 2013, due to the restricted areas inside the prison site, the dissidents have all been transferred to the new prison facilities outside the city center, in Agyia, while the old building remains closed and abandoned.
15
16
The square volume of the Former Prison Building on Giampoudaki
Street,
consists
of
four
different
functions: the office spaces, the visitors’ areas, the main building and the courtyard. The detainees in the visitors’ area as well as in the courtyard were supervised, by the guards, from the elevated “towers” and the areal “bridges” connecting them. The main buildings consisted of the restaurant, the administrator’s office, the toilets and of course the prison cells. Among them existed the “special” cell with the number 23. Cell number 23 was located twenty-three steps below ground level. It was considered the isolation cell for the “disobedient” prisoners. It is also rumored that during the German Occupation, this particular cell was connected underground with the Prefecture that was an important garrison headquarter for the Germans.
17
18
Analyzing the wider area, one encounters the most important landmarks. Those landmarks briefly mentioned are: The Judicial
and Administrative Palace (showing the former relationship with the Prison) , the Orthodox Church of
Saints Peter and Paul, the southeast part of the Mycenean Necropolis of ancient Cydonia and of course the under extinction pine forest.
Taking into account the potential attractors and the intense religious activity of the area, the new use proposed, is that of a Crematorium.
19
In Chania it is to be found a limited range of religions, with Christianity as the predominant one. Researching the historical palimpsest of the city though, one can understand
that
these
data
were
not
always
consolidated, taking into consideration the historical remains of former places of religious worship. Today Orthodox and Catholic Christians make up the majority of the city’s population, with their places of worship making up 2/3 of the whole. Other religions with places of worship are: Muslims, with two places near the central Bus Station, Jews with the old Synagogue, Evangelicals, Jehovah’s Witnesses and Protestants with one place of worship each. There are two cemeteries operating in total, the most important of which is that of Saint Loukas. Only one catholic cemetery of the French Soldiers fallen in the Battle of Crete, which cannot accept further burials. The largest Ottoman Cemetery extended in the area of Nea Chora, with its denser part near the Square of 1866, the so called mezarlik in Turkish. Prominent Muslim citizens of the time were buried either in the current courtyard of the Archeological Museum (former Mosque of Youssouf Pasha), or in the northern courtyard of the Orthodox Church of Saint
Nikolaos in the Square of Splantzia, along with important Venetians, during the Venetian period.
20
21
In antiquity the cemeteries were located outside the city center, as the world of the living was separated from the world of the dead. During the Minoan era, the chamber tomb is more common, which consisted of the burial chamber, the entrance and the “road� that led to the main entrance. The roof of most of the tombs was slightly vaulted and then embanked so that the entire burial structure became invisible and protected from gravediggers. the cemetery of prehistoric Cydonia (ancient name of the
city
of
Chania/Chanea)
extends
to
the
southeastern and eastern part of the city, with a total area of 1.000m. more than 150 tombs have been excavated to this day throughout the whole city and date to the Late Minoan period, from 1.450 to 1.250 BC.
In
addition
to
modern
cemeteries,
there
are
numerous tombs of the Minoan period, throughout the city. The largest and most important part of the Minoan Necropolis of ancient Cydonia, both in size and density of tombs and in wealth of findings, that came to be found in 1985 by N. Platon.
.
22
23
They belong to a total of 60 richly endowed “warrior tombs�, members of the Mycenean community. The Late Minoan Necropolis and the way in which the tombs have been carved, where the natural stone allowed it, show that they belong to three distinct architectural types, unknown to the previous found in Crete. Their length ranges from 70cm to 14.50m, while their width from 47cm to 2.00m. the chambers are mostly square in plan. The dead were placed on the floor of the tomb, in various positions, depending on the possibilities provided by the free space of each chamber. Quite a common phenomenon at the time was also the carving of swallow pits into the floor, so as to accommodate one or more deceased.
One of the most interesting findings of the excavations was that of a family tombs that can been seen where it was initially found, near the Temple of Apostles Peter and Paul. It chronologically belongs to the beginning of the Hellenistic period (late 4th to early 3rd century BC). This particular tomb came to the light during the restoration of southern façade of the church in 1990, along with two others of the many that are probably located underneath the foundation of the Church.
24
Despite the opponents of this practice, cremation as a practice is not something modern for Greece. As early as 3.000 BC the first samples of urns of the Stone Age appear. From 1.200 BC until the 1st century, the cremation of the dead is the most common funerary ceremony in ancient Greece.
25
The Orthodox Church of Greece, on the other hand, does not accept cremation for its members, as it is not in accordance with its practice and tradition, for theological and anthropological reasons. However, many orthodox Christians choose cremation over traditional burial, mainly for economic reasons. Until 2018, who had chosen cremation, as their preferable ritual, were transferred to one of the neighboring countries, with first in the ranking, Bulgaria.
Cremation in Greece was first allowed only after 2006 by the law 3448/06. With that particular law it was provided the right to cremation of local of foreigners, whose religions allow it. Until recently, Greece was the only country in the European Union without a Cremation Center. The first cremation in Greece took place on September 30 in 2019, at the first and only Crematorium of the country, in Ritsona.
26
27
28
29
sky earthly life earth 30
eΞodus:
The
present
diploma
thesis
explores
various
perceptions and approaches towards death. There is nothing consolidated and certain during life, than the inevitability of death. The building of the new Crematorium is a refuge for the relatives of the deceased, a “walled city” of the dead. A pause inside the sometimes chaotic urban fabric.
The title eΞodus of the project comes from:
•
ΟΜΑ with their project Exodus, or the Voluntary
Prisoners of Architecture (1972). With this project, OMA proposed a walled prison in the scale of a metropolis in central West Berlin, in which residents would voluntarily seek their imprisonment-exile. •
the theatrical play of Sartre, Νο-exit (1944). This play presents a version of hell, from which the three protagonists cannot be freed. According to Sartre, decisions made during a person’s life are recorded and stored, summarizing who we really are. Our true self and character are the
31
aggregation of our choices and actions, through our free will. •
the exit of earthly life to enter and join the world of the dead
•
the exit of the soul out of the human body according to the religious beliefs
•
the exit from the urban fabric for the gradual monumental entry into the building, through the threshold that separates the inside from the outside
•
the Exodus of the Jews in the Old Testament
32
.
Moving on to the main building its square shape is preserved in the proposal of the new use as well. The
cube as a dynamic geometrical solid, is considered unchangeable. The cube, as one of the platonic solids, represents the element of earth. The same symbolism of the cube was also supported by the alchemists.
Kaaba, which means cube in the Arabic language, is a cube-shaped structure made oud of granite and is located in Mecca. It is considered, by Muslims, as their holiest place of worship.
The basic cube of the prison, as the solid that symbolizes earth, is buried, returns inside it, in an attempt to return back where it came from and become part of it once again. So, one would talk about a volume sunk beneath the ground level. Symbolically the building is buried as a tomb of the antiquity or like the human body during Christian and Muslim funeral rituals. The predominant material used in the main building, exposed concrete, comes from earth likewise.
33
34
35
36
37
Exposed reinforced concrete exhibits a paradoxical feature. It is presented as a material that does not show rapid aging, so the building could have been recently constructed or could have always been there. It could be a structure that is aging and being destroyed over time or a building that has not yet been completed. The meteorism between life and death shows the deep connection of the two.
.
The solid volume is deconstructed though as so the human body is decomposed inside earth, acquires rectangular openings-pores. Those openings, that “look” at the Holy Church of Apostles
Peter
and
Paul,
mainly
follow
the
arrangement of the tombs of the Necropolis and the
“elastic” grid of the area that changes according to the current layouts of the surrounding area. The arrangement of the openings on the roof are strongly influenced by the symbol of Christian faith, the cross. But the cross “breaks”, is fragmented, is
deconstructed according to a phenomenological approach, as the building is called to “accommodate” the dead regardless of their religious beliefs.
38
The same logic of the openings I also being followed in the design of the Churches’ Square, that extends to the roof of the building, thus intensifying the sense of sinking one feels inside the building. It can be also found to an external staircase, which reinforces the relationship of the building with its past use. In the square there are also two abandoned buildings, that are reused according to the needs of the area. The first building, near the ancient cemetery, becomes an archeological museum, while the second as a conservatory of ecclesiastical music. Leaving behind us the square of the Temple, we immerse ourselves inside the square borders of the crematorium. Through a sloping monumental ramp, we arrive to the main entrance of the building. the roof openings, towards the sky, create a ritual descent into the dimmed natural light. The main patio, right before the main entrance, symbolizes ether. The word αἰθήρ is often translated as pure and clean air or breeze. According to the Greek Mythology, ether was considered as the substance the Gods breathed. Other times, Ether was personified as a god, sun o Erebus and Night. The word derives from the ancient Greek word αἴθω, that means ignite, set on fire or incinerate. The void, as a result becomes the center of the design.
39
In the atrium there are three Cupressus sempervirens trees. The number three symbolizes the Triune God of the
Orthodox
Christians
(connection
with
the
prevailing religion), as well as the three Fates of the Greek Mythology (connection with the ancient cemetery). Having now entered inside the crematorium, one can understand from the floor plan design, that the spaces have been divided into two categories based on their use, the functional and ritual ones. To the first belong: the administration office, offices, staff rooms, the foyer and secondary areas, while on the second ones belong: the room were the ceremonies are held, the atriums, the incinerators’ room and the area were the urns with the ashes are placed.
•
The offices are divided in the administrator office, where the relatives are able to arrange the cremation process and the staff room, where all the archival material is stored and saved.
40
•
The restaurant can accommodate up to 40 people at a time.
•
In case of a larger number of cremations during one day, there is also the cold room. the transfers from the storage room towards the cremators can be seen in the interior of the building through the foyer and the distance is intentionally long and monumental. These decisions intensify the new use of the crematorium and the visitor becomes familiar for a moment with the idea of death.
•
The ceremony room is the place of remembrance of the deceased. The body, before being transported to the incineration room, is placed on a pedestal, that symbolizes the isolation cell of the previous use, that of the prison.
•
Inside the cremation area there are two incinerators according to the current legislation and a machine that turns bones and cremation remains into dust, for whomever desires it. The cremation ceremonies are semipublic, as there is visual contact from the ceremonial hall, although the relatives cannot enter the cremation area. These two areas are divided by the water element on the floor.
•
The atriums in addition, contribute to lighting and ventilating the interior, as well as enhancing the ritual character of the building.
41
•
Besides the main entrance, one can enter inside the building through the secondary entrance or the
underground parking space, if they do not prefer entering from the Church.
The trace of the secondary cube, inside the building, is visible with the slopping beams, that also hold the side walls in case of horizontal movement. While on the roof it is symbolized by a copper strip that runs building throughout its entire height. Copper can be found in the bronze weapons of the ancient tombs, after the archeological excavations and that is the reason why it has been chosen as a metal element during the design process.
42
The internal layout of spaces, however, revolves around the main patio. The areas seem to be attached to the external walls, with the only exception, the area of the urns. That outdoor room is the copy of the main cubic volume of the existing building in scale and slightly rotated. This particular empty space indicates the pause and the absence of death.
43
44
45
Purified by fire, the permanent “residents� are transferred to the side retaining inhabited walls as
Aires Matteus or DOGMA would call them. The urns are also manifacured from copper, so that the whole place is in unity. Memory meets oblivion, through the water element in the middle of the outdoor room of the urns. In Greek Mythology, Lethe, was one of the springs of the five rivers that led to the Underworld. The dead drunk out of these springs, in order to forget their past earthly life. Ancient Greeks also believed that Lethe (oblivion) was the sister of Hypnos (sleep) and Thanatos (death).
46
Water is the main element that gives life in nature, as the main source of energy. It is considered purifying for the majority of religions and holds a special place in ceremonies. According the Greek Mythology, once more, water divides the world of the living from the world of the dead. Souls are often depicted as winged entities, such as birds or butterflies, whose wings when wet cannot function to fly away. It is not strange, after all that in antiquity people believed that Hermes handed over the souls to Charon, the boatman of river Acheron, that would lead them to Hades through the water.
47
The connection of the urns with antiquity, is intensified by a “river� leading to the Necropolis. A scar that tears the
ground
apart
as
a
canyon,
connects
metaphorically and literally those two areas. The retaining walls, house museum showcases as an outdoor linear exhibition. In the archeological garden one can visit the tombs, studying their exact place, that came to be found during the archeological excavations and their findings.
48
The archeological site is connected simultaneously, with the pine forest, which is reinforced by new pine trees. In order to reduce traffic on Giampoudaki and Pythagorou Street, the outdoor market is transferred inside the pine park.
Vegetation is strategically used as a filter/limit, both from the highway of Giampoudaki Street and for the houses nearby. Moreover, all the plants chosen are suitable for the existing climate as well as the theme of death, since they all symbolize loss, grief or remembrance. In general, they are associated with worship and religious ceremonies or beliefs for the dead.
Starting with higher vegetation:
Cypress: cypress is the most famous symbol of dead for both Europe, but also throughout the entire Muslim world. Even before that, in ancient Greece, cypress was considered as holy for the gods of the Greeks.
49
According to the Greek Mythology, the teen Cyparissus gained the favor of the god Apollo, who gifted him a domesticated sacred deer as his companion. On a hot summer day, Cyparissus went hunting, which the deer used to cross. While the deer was sleeping under the shade of the bushes and the trees nearby, the young man unaware that it was his beloved animal, believing it was some sort of a pray, picked up his spear, aimed at it and eventually killed it. As he approached the wounded animal, he realized its was his deer and burst into tears. Unconfronted and desperate begged the gods to die too, unable to bear the grief of his loss and the weight of his action. He asked for his tears to flow forever so as to always remember his companion. Apollo took pity on him and decided to help him out of his misery. So, he transformed the young man into a cypress tree and his tears would forever flow. This tree was later dedicated to Pluto, the god of the dead and became the main symbol of grief. Ancient Greeks, after the death of their beloved ones, hung cypress twigs outside their doors, decorated with them the bodies of the dead or burned the deceased with branches of the tree, as an air purificator.
50
It is also quite common, up to this day, to find cypresses near tombs and temples, but also in the sacred groves. The “tears” flow from the tree’s trunk, forming teardrop like drops.
Acacia: acacia is listed in the Book of Exodus of the Jews from Egypt, as the sacred tree from which the temple’s iconostasis was made.
Pine: pine preexisted the design of the urban park
low plantation:
Rosemary: ancient Egyptians anointed the dead with rosemary flavored oils and other herbs, while the Greeks burned it inside their temples as incense. In the Roman Empire, people purified their lining quarters, in addition to their temples of worship. During the Middle Ages, rosemary was used as perfume and was put under the pillows. It was rumored to help with sleep and ward off nightmares. However, its main and most important use was to decorate the coffins, as it was believed that rosemary ensured the transaction to afterlife.
Aloe: aloe symbolizes grief.
51
Asphodelus: asphodelus is one of the most known plants connected to death and the underworld, mainly due to its yellowish flowers and grey color, that resemblance the paleness of the dead. Homer mentions places full of asphodels as the places where the most important citizens lost their lives, while it is also connected to Persephone and her myth.
Strelizia: strelizia or otherwise the bird of paradise symbolizes faith and hope for paradise. In many Asian countries it is characterized as the plant of freedom.
Myosotis: myosotis or otherwise forget me not is connected to the loos of a beloved one. According to a German myth, a loving couple was walking near the banks of Danube. Suddenly the girl noticed a very beautiful small blue flower near the water. Her lover bend over to cut it and gift it to her, but loss his balance and fell into the rushing river. As the current swept him away, he managed to throw the flower at the girl shooting at her “Forget me not!”. Variations or alterations of this myth can also be found in the Persian, the Spanish, the Greek and the Russian tradition.Each and every one of them, though, revolves around the same name, that is translated in all those languages as: “forget me not”, do not forget about me.
52
Iris: iris in the Catholic Church symbolizes and is associated with Mater Dolorosa, since the leaves of the plant seem like swords. For Muslims it is one of the main grave decorating plants. In the Homeric hymns dedicated to goddess Demetra, Persephone gathers hyacinths, irises and lilies shortly before her abduction by Hades.
Poppy: poppies of all colors symbolize eternal sleep and oblivion, a symbolism justified by their opiated action. For Greeks and Romans, red poppies symbolized death on battle, due to their vibrant red, blood like color.
Water lilies: water lilies are the most commonly found Nile flower or plant. Nile is dominated by the white water lily. The white lily opens its flowers at night and closes them during the day. For that reason, ancient Egyptians had associated this plant with the deities of the underworld, while associating lilies with their beliefs about death and the afterlife.
53
54
As for the paving materials, they follow the layout of the ancient tombs of the Hellenistic period and the main “elastic” grid that runs the whole area. Materials chosen, based on the walking speed of the visitors, are divided into: Concrete slabs, rammed earth, natural soil and gravel.
That chessboard made of materials is deeply influence by Ingmar Bergman’s Swedish film, The Seventh Seal. In this particular movie, in which the director’s deep influence from the Book of Revelation is quite evident, the crusader Antonius Block tries to win a game of chess against Death and with it, his life. But Death steals the game and as he says in person:
55
«Nothing escapes me.»
56
57
58
59
60
ἐξ ὧν δὲ ἡ γένεσίς ἐστι τοῖς οὖσι, καὶ τὴν φθορὰν εἰς ταῦτα γίνεσθαι κατὰ τὸ χρεών· διδόναι γὰρ αὐτὰ δίκην καὶ τίσιν ἀλλήλοις τῆς ἀδικίας κατὰ τὴν τοῦ χρόνου τάξιν...
Anything been born must return to where it came from. The cosmic order imposes the eternal exchange between life and death, wrote Anaximander from Miletus. The infinite in neither the beginning nor the end, but their eternal alternation. For Hinduists: the world is constantly reaching an end but starts all over again. This unstoppable repetition can be seen through the last design.
Flâneur performs a flowing perpetual motion and according to Asian religions, the end comes to be identified with the beginning. This continuous intersection of movements, during the design process, reinforces the concept of infinity, with Atropos, the oldest of the Tree Fates, cutting the thread of life. 61
62
63
Πηγές: 1.
Ασημακόπουλος, Μ., Μετάφας, Π., Οι Ελληνικές
Φυλακές τον 19ο και στις αρχές του 20ου αιώνα. Τα κτίρια και οι μηχανικοί τους, Αθήνα, 2008 2.
Καλλιγάς, Κ., Π., Τα Φοβερά Ντοκουμέντα-1η Μαρτίου
1935, εκδόσεις: Φυτράκης, Αθήνα, 1974, σελ. 22 3.
Βερέμης, Θ., Η Ελλάδα του Μεσοπολέμου (1922-1940), Εκπαιδευτική Εγκυκλοπαίδεια, Ελληνική Ιστορία, Τόμος 22, Αθήνα, 1999, σελ. 392
4.
Website: Επαρχιακό Φως, Τα Χανιά από ψηλά, 2018
5.
Website: Σωματείο Εργαζομένων Δικαστικών Φυλακών Κορυδαλλού: Οδοιπορικό στο κτίριο της πρώην
δικαστικής φυλακής Χανίων, 2014 6.
Website: Ινστιτούτο Μεσογειακών Σπουδών, Ψηφιακή Κρήτη, Στα χρόνια των Οθωμανών, Οθωμανικά μνημεία, αναζήτηση για: νεκροταφείο (mezarlik)
7.
Website: Αρχαιολογικό Μουσείο Χανίων, Ο κύκλος της
ζωής στην αρχαία Κυδωνία 8.
Ανρεαδάκη-Βλαζάκη, Μ., The Chania Area, ca. 1200-700
BC, στο Latransizione dal Miceneo all’ alto Arcaismo, Dal Palazzo alla città, Roma: Consiglio nazionale delle ricerche, 1991 9.
Ανρεαδάκη-Βλαζάκη, Μ., Χανιά (Κυδωνία): Περιήγηση σε χώρους αρχαίας μνήμης, Χανιά, 2009
10. Πεπραγμένα Ι’ Διεθνούς Κρητολογικού Συνεδρίου, Τόμος Α’, Ανρεαδάκη-Βλαζάκη, Μ., Το «παλίμψηστον»
της αρχαίας Κυδωνίας,Χανιά, 2011
64
11.
Engraved showcase: ΥΠΠΟ-ΚΕ, Εφορεία Προϊστορικών και Κλασικών Αρχαιοτήτων
12. Kurtz, D., C., Boardman, J., Greek Burial Customs, εκδόσεις: Thames and Hudson, Λονδίνο, 1971 13. Κατάκης, Ε., Αρχαϊκός εγχυτισμός από τη νεκρόπολη
της αρχαίας Κυδωνίας, στο Ubi dubium ibi libertas, τιμητικός τόμος για τον καθηγητή Φαράκλα Νικόλα, εκδόσεις: Φιλοσοφική Σχολή Πανεπιστημίου Κρήτης, Ρέθυμνο, 2009 14. Morris, I., Death Ritual and Social Structure in Classical
Antiquity, εκδόσεις: Cambridge University Press, 1992 15. Πωλογιώργη, Μ., Από το κλασικό και ελληνιστικό
Νεκροταφείο της Κυδωνίας, 1985, σελ. 162-177 16. Law: 3448/2006 – ΦΕΚ 57/Α/15.3.2006 17. SOCKS, Lucarelli, Fosco, OMA: Exodus, or the voluntary
prisoners of architecture, 2011 18. Sartre, Jean, Paul, No-Exit, γαλλικός τίτλος: Huis Clos, μετάφραση: Γρηγορίου, Γ., εκδόσεις: ΑΙΓΟΚΕΡΩΣ, 1995 19. Website: Wolfram, Mathworld, Platonic Solids 20. Discourse: Aires Mateus, Voids and Houses: Settings for
Life 21. DOGMA: A Simple Heart 22. Σφήκας, Γεώργιος, Αγριολούλουδα της Κρήτης, εκδόσεις: Ευσταθιάδης, 1961 23. Βέϊκος, Θ., Φύση και Κοινωνία, από τον Θαλή ως τον
Σωκράτη, εκδόσεις: Σμίλη, Αθήνα, 1991 24. Movie: Wenders, Wim, Palermo Shooting, 2008 25. Movie: Bergman, Ingmar, The Seventh Seal, 1957
65
Illustration: All images are personally edited and have been taken from the internet, from personal archive or from the archives of Θ.Ο.Π.Κ.
Designs and Diagrams: They are all part of the overall presentation of the homonymous diploma thesis.
66
67
68
