Selected Works of Thanasis Ikonomou

sample works of thanasis ikonomou 2011-2021

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OWTER

RODGE S CREK

PUBLIC SCULPT RE + TUCRLE +

RESIDENTIAL

persona

l proje

cts

chapter V After nearly 5 years at Olson Kundig, this chapter began as a sabbatical and generated projects at a personal level . I explored sculpture, social frame work of small villages as well as undertook collaborations with artists to broaden my perspective of design

U R B NA DESIGN

CMOPET ITIONS

2018

chapter IV Olson Kundig expanded my knowledge on the possibilities of natural materials, and detailing while exploring the industrial context of Seattle.

M ASTERPL ANS

oma

A XEL SPRINGER

NIKE

o ls n un dk i g

chapter III OMA was a counterpoint to my architectural education. The use of high-tech materials, large scale programmatic explorations and context of the practice filled an urban design gap in my architectural training.

aB che Archit lors in ectur e

INTER

aro cy/n

AFRICA

INTER

chapter II architecture school was a full of new experiences and travels. It took me around the world and at already 25 years old at the start of the program, i was eager to learn, mature enough to listen and wanting to make up for lost time.

aM ster s in Arch itectu

ishiag mi/aks

T EH S I S

re

2014

209

lors in Scie

nce (Biolgy)

chapter I my curiosity for the natural world and how systems worked drove me to study human anatomy, horticulture, and geology for my bachelors. Here, I learned about the scientific method, how to apply it and how to explore thoughts through questions

Bache

about

2016

208

201

Thanasis (Athanasios) Ikonomou B.Sc., B.E.D.S., M.Arch.

Thanasis is a Greek-Canadian Architect, Artist and Photographer with projects across scales and cultures. Inspired by his rural upbringing in Epirus (Greece) and British Columbia (Canada), landscape plays a critical role in his approach to design as is his deep interest in context. His multi-disciplinary training intersects knowledge and celebrates local identities within the realm of architecture, sculpture and urbanism.

Born as a third culture child in Vancouver Canada, Thanasis’ career as a designer was preceded by training as a chef and a degree in the Biological Sciences from The University of British Columbia (UBC). After biology, Thanasis went on to study under the architect Brian MacKay Lyons at Dalhousie University in Nova Scotia where his education leaned heavily on atmosphere and human psychology. While studying, he was selected for traveling studios to Botswana, Scotland and Montreal while also awarded internships in New York and The Netherlands. His thesis on the future of Athens’ collaborative spaces was awarded an international thesis prize by Re-imagine the Future and was the recipient of multiple scholarships such as the Colin Gash and the George W. Rogers Award .

Upon graduation, Thanasis was directed under the leadership of Rem Koolhaas at OMA (Rotterdam) for the design of Axel Springer’s New Media Headquarters in Berlin. An investigation on relationships between work-space and communication, balancing conceptual clarity and chaos.

With the completion of Axel Springer's design, Thanasis joined Olson Kundig (Seattle) in 2015 to develop Nike’s new Innovation Center - exploring the American Landscape and challenges of designing in cities structured around global corporations. Beyond Nike, Thanasis was a designer on nine conceptual projects and competitions. Most recently, leading the design for a metabolist inspired housing complex before designing and researching independently in 2019. He was also appointed to multiple committees for the development of competitions, graphic identity and crit culture.

Since taking on solo project, Thanasis has been designing within his ancestry Greek village and has been selected to exhibit his work at the 2021 Venice Biennale. He maintains a relationship with the rest of Europe through collaborations in Portugal, London and Switzerland.

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installations artefact 126: the stor ytellers fire-pit 2021 venice biennale sculpture collaboration w/serhan ahmet tekbaş built, on display in venice 2021 2021

misplaced measure viseu, portugal sculpture collaboration w/ signe ferguson built; competition, 1st place 2020

contents village center

6

alto master-plan resburg

14 16

AOM

axel springer

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olson kundig

rodgers creek nike

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small is beautiful thesis misplaced measure artefact 124 waterwall house courtyard house

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current

contents

studio maks

personal projects

are you speaking or are you listening ? seattle, washington - usa installation olson kundig w/holly simon, serhan ahmet, justin dennis competition, 2nd place 2017 pinagare vault mochudi - botswana installation dalhousie universit y richard kroeker built; design-build 2011

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58 64 68

tourist: ideal cathedral villars-sur-ollon - switzerland installation easa built, participant 2019

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70 behind the curtain valga - estonia easa w/ Henrique Pereira & Berenike Gregoor conference/installation tutor 2020

legend red - presented in the portfolio concept - pre-schematic design phases sd - schematic design dd- design development phase cd - construction documents ca - construction administration

architecture project location area institution partner-in-charge phase involved year

project location area institution partner-in-charge phase involved year

project location area institution partner-in-charge phase involved year

project location area institution partner-in-charge phase involved year project location area institution partner-in-charge phase involved year project location area institution partner-in-charge phase involved year project location area institution partner-in-charge phase involved year project location area institution partner-in-charge phase involved year

lakeside home minneapolis, minnesota - usa 930m 2 (10 000 sf ) architecture research office (ARO) stephen cassell concept, sd 2010

galini restaurant langley, british columbia - canada 575m 2 (6 200 sf ) freelance (interior designer: SSDG) project manager concept, sd, dd, cd, ca 2005

brooklyn botanical pavilion brooklyn, nyc - usa 93m 2 (1 000 sf ) architecture research office (ARO) stephen cassell concept 2010

arnhem house arnhem - netherlands 4 000m 2 (43 000 sf ) studio maks marieke kums concept 2012

brown university math center providence, rhode island - usa 465m 2 (5 000 sf ) architecture research office (ARO) stephen cassell sd 2010

brooklyn bridge park brooklyn, nyc - usa landscape architecture research office (ARO) stephen cassell feasabilit y study 2010

deventer house deventer - netherlands 120m 2 (1 292 sf ) studio maks marieke kums concept 2012

axel springer media campus berlin - germany 82 140m 2 (884 125 sf, inc 200 000 sf parking) OMA rem koolhaas concept, sd, dd 2014-2015

forest bridge st saviour, quebec - canada 31m (100 ft) dalhousie universit y morgan carter design-build 2011

rodgers creek housing tower west vancouver - british columbia 16 258m 2 (175 000 sf ) olson kundig tom kundig concept, sd, dd 2017-2019

nike headquarters: innovation center portland, oregon - usa 64 475m 2 (694 000sf, inc 300 000 sf parking) olson kundig tom kundig concept, sd, dd, cd, ca 2015-2019

firesburg visitor center t ytjerk - netherlands 1 000 m 2 (93 sf ) studio maks & juyna ishigami marieke kums schematic 2012

courtyard house athens, greece 800m 2 (8 600 sf ) self-directed thanasis concept, sd, dd...

2021

tampa tower (mixed-use) tampa, florida - usa 15 393m 2 (165 684 sf ) olson kundig tom kundig concept, sd 2017

rodgers creek visitor center west vancouver - british columbia 47m 2 (500 sf ) olson kundig tom kundig concept 2018

waterfall house athens, greece 350m 2 (3 800 sf ) self-directed thanasis concept, sd, dd, cd, ca 2021

georgia power (mixed-use) atlanta, georgia - usa 177 528m 2 (1 910 890 sf, inc 500 000 sf parking) olson kundig tom kundig concept 2018

martin’s lane winer y okanagan, canada 3 230m 2 (34 800 sf ) olson kundig tom kundig award submission 2017

groundscape: cultural center seoul - korea 8 450m 2 (27 720 sf ) olson kundig tom kundig competition 2018

idaho stadium kitchum idaho - usa 8 450m 2 (27 720 sf ) olson kundig tom kundig competition 2017

m.arch thesis

z33 museum for contemporar y art hasselt - belgium 4 664 m 2 (50 200 sf ) studio maks & juyna ishigami juyna ishigami phase II competition 2012

uncertain futures villars-sur-ollon - switzerland self-directed thanasis competition 2019

project

design, inventiveness and collaboraion in a time of crisis accolade

location area institution partner-in-charge phase involved year

alto university master-plan otonemi - finland 52 000m 2 (560 000 sf ) studio maks marieke kums competition 2012

Re-Thinking the Future, International Architectural Thesis Award (Honorable Mention)

location institution super visor advisors

project

desmos

project year

athens, greece dalhousie universit y diogo burnay catherine venart, leon katsepontes m.arch thesis 2013

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village center

village centre 2019/2020 location: Nikolitsi, Greece project role: personal project phase : design development 100m2 (pavilion) 1 300m2 (plaza)

This project aims to create a new city center for the village of Nikolitsi by designing a new plaza (platea) and cafe pavilion. The new design is inspired by the area’s modesty and provides nothing more than an amphitheater for summer music folk festivals. With only 50 permanent residents, paradoxically, although vernacular by use of chiseled stone and hand forged railing, most visitors will be Nikolitsi’ diaspora whom reside in places such as Athens, Switzerland, Canada and the US. This Platea therefore balances the local demands of the community and the site while appeasing the demands of the globalized world that we live in.

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nikolitsi plaza 2020 drawing/design by thanasis

village center

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nikolitsi 2019, drone image by thanasis

village center

terrace views to valley rendering by thanasis

11 elevation studies

floor-plan studies

studies by thanasis

village center

village centre

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community center from north plaza rendering by thanasis

between islands

between islands 2012 location: otaniemi, finland Master-plan Competition Entry office: Studio MAKS partner in charge: Marieke Kums project role: design lead phase involved: competition 52 000 m2

Open spaces and buildings are designed not as individual objects, but as a composition in relationship to the existing Otonami Campus. The newly designed buildings introduce a new type of landscape, an urban move aiming to clarify central area of the Aalto Campus.

The new building(s) do not aim to compete with their natural and built surroundings, but try to merge, to blend in. The facades appear to merely consist of screens, separating in and exterior environments. These interior environments will be designed by different architects, creating different atmospheres and identities’, visible on the outside.

The gardens will be designed by different landscape architects; their character may vary between natural parks to urban plazas. A network of paths converge to the existing networks, creating a continuous flow between people on their way to classes, to their workplaces or on their way home.

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birds eye rendering by other sections by thanasis + others

visitor center

firesburg visitor center 2012 location: tytjerk, netherlands office: Studio MAKS/Juyna Ishigami partner in charge: Juyna Ishigami /Marieke Kums project role: designer phase involved: schematic status: built 1000 m2

The visitors center is part of a series of landscape and art interventions aimed at transforming the classical Vijversburg Park from an 1800s classical estate to a contemporary public space. Working under the Japanese architect Juyna Ishigami and the Dutch Architect Marieke Kums, the building was designed as three reaching arms towards different moments of the park.

The building’s path like form converges into a central events space two meters below the ground’s surface. The central events space adds a layer of spatial complexity to the park - a new vantage point where you as a guest are placed at eye level with the adjacent lake, a humbling moment designed to bring you closer with nature.

image by iwan baan

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South Elevation

Aanzichten Villa en bez

Bestemmingsplan wijzig

Aanzichten Villa en bez A0

Bestemmingsplan wijzig 1:100 A0 1:100

West Elevation

elevations by thanasis

SPRINGER COMMONS

B PUBLIC GF

Generic Springer (Administration, Digital Journalism)

BAR

BOARDLEVEL

N24 / Welt

N24 / Welt

Executive Springer

12 186 m2 (34.6%)

5 960 m2 (16.3%) Newsroom

Exchange (External Coworking, Start Ups )

D

PUBLIC GF

Exchange

Generic Springer

6 210 m2 (15.8%)

LOBBY / GASTRONOMIE / EVENT

11 796 m2 (33.3%)

(TV Studios, Journalsim, Authors, Verlag, Management)

Generic Springer (Digital Daughter Companies)

STUDIO / WORKINGLOUNGE

DIGITAL JOURNALISM

TV STUDIOS News Room DIGITAL DAUGHTER COMPANIES

EXTERNAL COWORKING

media campus

(Administration, Digital Journalism)

(External Coworking, Start Ups )

Generic Springer

N24 / Welt

newsroom

Exchange

2014-2015 location: Berlin, Germany office: OMA

media campus

(TV Studios, Journalsim, Authors, Verlag, Management)

Generic Springer

(Digital Daughter Companies)

partner in charge: Rem Koolhaas role: core design team (designed strategies, interiors, amenities) phase involved: concept, schematic, design development status: under construction 82 000m2

The original master-plan asked for a tower with an adjacent park which did little to provide a new experience to the Axel Springer Headquarters. Our winning competition entry, re-interpreted the brief and designed the building with a grande atrium and a public landscape occupying the roof of the building. With the spaces in red illustrating the publicly accessible portions of the building. The threshold between public and private no longer stops at the door, but rather sandwiches the private office spaces by encroaching from below and above with spaces accessible by all.

Designed to encourage collaboration and cross-pollination of disciplines, this “void” is the heart of the building. Imagined as an inversion of the Berlin Wall that once stood here, it symbolizes Berlin’s new age direction of openness, inclusion and diversity. My role included sculpting the space, defining the circulation system and helping the team select materials through research, explorations and visualization.

Roof Roof Top Bar,

Roof Garden

Bridge News Studio Meeting Lounge & Cafe / Sushi Bar Berlin Wall 1961-1991

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Publicly Accessible Space (conditioned)

Ground Floor - Plaza Restaurants Multi Purpose Hall Public Studio

redefining public space 2014 concept by Rem Koolhaas illustration by Thanasis

Publicly Accessible Space (unconditioned)

media campus

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digital valley 2014 rendering by Robota post production by thanasis + others

S

3

L

5

4

2

1

1

6 8

Service

Service

7

M

XL

2

1

3

1 4

media campus

Service

Unit Divisions Preparing for an unstable future, what is a large company today can be a small company tomorrow. The vision for the new headquarters not only allows it to absorb internal companies of Axel Springer, but also external tenants of unknown magnitude. As such, flexibility and adaptability was fundamental to the design.

The building is based on a 1.35m grid - walls can move, tenants can take over an entire segment of the building or a just one corner. As such, rather than design one set of plans, we designed scenarios - from maximum division to minimum tenants.

2

media campus

section the relationship between the existing slab building and the new digital campus

Goldenes Lenkrad (300 Sitzplatze)

Party / Concert 78

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Vermarktungs-kickoff

Hackaton

Gala Dinner

Weltwirtschaftsgipfel

Show

Messe

Objektplanung

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AXEL SPRINGER CAMPUS_ LPH2 - 50%

Objektplanung

AXEL SPRINGER CAMPUS_ LPH2 - 50%

flexibility in addition to the open plan of the atrium terraces, the ground floor was designed for larger more public evenrs

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1:10 Office Facade Model A unitized system with double skin complete with ventilation hatch was modeled for both a working model and client presentation. Magnets were used to allow for interchangeable outer glass panels model team led by Thanasis

1:500 terrace studies photos + models by Thanasis

level 04 terraces

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Nutzungsverteilung Für den Neubau ist eine Mischung aus Arbeitsbereichen und öffentlichen Angeboten vorgesehen.

Flächenanforderungen

Arbeitsbereiche: Die spezifische Form des Gebäudes mit den unterschiedlich geformten, ab- bzw zunehmenden Geschossen und den zum Atrium offenen oder aber überdeckten Flächen bietet eine Vielzahl unterschiedlicher Bereichen mit verschiedenem räumlichen Charakter.

Zum jetzigen Zeitpunkt sind die zukünftigen Nutzer noch weitgehend unbekannt.

28.9%

N24 & Welt 11 189 m2

53.9%

Springer 20 808 m2

28.9%

Specific 11 189 m2

45.5 %

Generic 17 533 m2

15.4%

Exchange 5 945 m2

10.2 %

Öffentlich 3 924 m2

N24 & WELT 11 189 m2 Kernflächen 1 482 m2

WELT & N24 Fest steht, dass DIE WELT und N24 einziehen werden.

Dieses neue Medienunternehmen wird im oberen nördlichen Gebäudesegment untergebracht. Der gemeinsame Newsroom ist im Zentrum des Gebäudes auf der Brücke angeordnet.

Generic & Exchange Ein Grossteil des Gebäudes soll Platz für die wachsenden digitalen Bereiche des Axel Springer Konzerns bieten. Wir schlagen vor diese in den unterren Gebäudesegmente mit der Kommunikationslandschaft der Terrassen und den zurückgezogenen Bereichen in den überdeckten Flächen anzusiedeln.

Executive Darüber hinaus gibt es Überlegungen administrative Abteilungen des Konzerns oder auch einen Bereich, der sich dem digitalen Journalismus widmet, unterzubringen.

Diese könnten im südlichen oberen Segment untergebracht werden.

Als Erweiterung der Vorstandsetage im Hochhaus soll es außerdem auch im obersten Geschoss des Neubaus Räumlichkeiten für Boardrooms und dazugehörige Arbeitsmöglichkeiten geben.

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Objektplanung

Büroflächen 18 051 m2 Start Up Areas Intern 525 m2 Service Units 750 m2

Co-Working Area 2 145 m2 Start Up Extern 525 m2

Gastronomie 2 604 m2 Event 1 040 m2 Eingang und Empfang 280 m2

Facilities 2 700 m2 N24 Parken 500 m2

Parken 7 500 m2

7%

10.2%

Extern 2 670 m2

Öffentlich 3 924 m2

Facilities Parken 10 700 m2

NF

ohne Parken/ Facilities

38 591 m2

Facilities Parken 10 700 m2

NF Gesamt 49 291 m2

media campus

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3D Diagram (1:500) model + photography by Thanasis

media campus

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diagonal atrium stair designed by thanasis. construction phase by others

media campus

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atrium under construction construction phase by others

forest building 2017-2019 location: undisclosed office: Olson Kundig partner in charge: Tom Kundig project role: design lead phase involved: concept, schematic, design development status: under construction

forest building

16 000m2

Designed as “theatre seating”, the forest building critically investigates the way we consider large scale architecture in natural settings and the future of residential design. The area for the new tower currently suffers from over population of single family homes. With an extreme level of customization, large terraces and exterior walls around 3.5 sides of each unit - the tower seeks to provide un-compromised living in hope of abandoning the single family typology for one of higher density and better management of resources.

In an effort to blend the building with its environment, the building height has been set by the height of its adjacent trees clad with a natural copper exterior skin which is to age naturally and absorb its surrounding environment. An exterior public courtyard occupies the center of the building and the pixelated nature is the direct outcome of functional program requirements which to have larger units scattered through out the building, rather than the classical approach of clustering larger units at the top.

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forest building, 2018 image by M.I.R., directed by Thanasis

forest building

metabolism 2018 image by M.I.R. directed by Thanasis

Liberated by the restrictions of expansive views, the back of the building has adopted a more organic form with a greater degree of opacity. The

composition represents complexity not for complexity sake, but rather the complexity comes from allowing each room to express itself from the form

to gain privileged views, gain a second bedroom, create terraces etc. Resulting a building that celebrates the diversity of life.

Initial Concept Sketch the original idea was intended for the building to be a series of pedestals which lift the building up in the air, allowing the forest to flow through the architecture. The elevated moments were to be a panoramic spirit, re-enforcing the panoramic nature of the views

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Firefly what if one moment could break off and land somewhere in the forest? this pop-up pavilion was conceived as a series of lanterns which would deploy when occupied

Level 02 diagrams hand drawn in plan were used to convey points of interest, circulation and programmatic relationships

forest building

rendering by MIR, art direction by thanasis

Lev el 1

Lev el 1

Lev el 9

Lev el 8

Housing Modules 2 Bedroom Units (16 units)

The core form of the trunk is established by (14) of the standard Two Bedroom Unit typologies, shown in light yellow. At the third floors, two exceptional units on the East and West sides extend further East and West to reach out to the hillside, capture daylight, and extend views. The Three Bedroom Units cantilever their living spaces off of the trunk to accommodate the extra bedroom and provide larger deck spaces above. Once at the canopy bridge level, the unit mix favors Three-Bedroom Units, placing the largest units higher, grouping them into a bridge with the penthouses above.

Overall, the unit diversity is fairly evenly split between (16) Two Bedrooms and (19) 3 Bedrooms.

Lev el 7

Unit Type A (15 units) Unit Type B (1 unit)

Lev el 6

3 Bedroom Units (16 units) Unit Type C (4 units)

Lev el 5

Unit Type D (5 units)

Lev el 1

Unit Type E (5 units)

1

Unit Type F (1 unit) Unit Type G (1 unit)

Lev el 1

Lev el 4

Lev el 9

Lev el 3

0

3 Bedroom Penthouse Units (3 units) Penthouse Type A (1 unit) Penthouse Type B (1 unit)

Lev el 8

MIRROR

MIRROR

Penthouse Type C (1 unit)

2 Bedroom Units (16 units) Lev el 7

Unit Type A (15 units)

Service Bank Unit Type B (1 unit)

E

Lev el 6

bedroom (16 units) 3 2Bedroom Unitsunits (16 units) Unit Type C (4 units)

A Lev el 5

Unit Type D (5 units)

CORE

CORE

A

Unit Type E (5 units)

Unit Type A (15 units) 2 Bedroom 1,807 SF

Unit Type F (1 unit) Unit Type G (1 unit)

Lev el 4

D

3 BedroomEPenthouse Units (3 units) Lev el 3

Penthouse Type A (1 unit) Penthouse Type B (1 unit) Penthouse Type C (1 unit)

Development Permit Application | Rodgers Creek - Area 6, Lot 1

Program

February 26, 2018

Unit Type B (1 unit) 2 Bedroom 1,911 SF

37 :: 35

3 bedroom units (16 units) 8

2 bedroom units (16 units)

Unit Type D (5 units) 3 Bedroom 2,431 SF

Unit Type E (5 units) 3 Bedroom 2,464 SF

6

7

Unit Type A (15 units) 2 Bedroom 1,807 SF

8

3 bedroom units (16 units)

Unit Type G (1 unit) 3 Bedroom 2,301 SF

Unit Type F (1 unit) 3 Bedroom 2,367 SF

Unit Type B (1 unit) 2 Bedroom 1,911 SF

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3 bedroom penthouse units (3 units)

Unit Type E (5 units) 3 Bedroom 2,464 SF 6

Unit Type D (5 units) 3 Bedroom 2,431 SF

Unit Type C (4 units) 3 Bedroom 2,590 SF

Penthouse Type A (1 unit) 3 Bedroom 2,624 SF

3 bedroom 3 bedroom penthouse penthouse units units (3 units) (3 units)

Penthouse Penthouse Type A (1 unit) A (1 unit) Unit Type FType (1 unit) Bedroom 3 Bedroom 33 Bedroom 2,6242,624 SF SF 2,367 SF

|

|

Unit Type GType (1 unit) Penthouse B (1 unit) Penthouse Type B (1 unit) 33 Bedroom Bedroom 3 Bedroom 2,301 SF 2,6242,624 SF SF

Program

Penthouse TypeType C (1 unit) Penthouse C (1 unit) Unit C (4 units) 3 Bedroom 3Type Bedroom 32,911 Bedroom SF SF 2,911 2,590 SF

Penthouse Type C (1 unit) 3 Bedroom 2,911 SF

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10

D

C

forest building

B

A

two bedroom unit The two bedroom unit are the smallest apartment in the tower and as the most plentiful unit, it serving as the primary building block for the composition. Designed for maximum flexibility, the location of the secondary en-suite in the center of the unit allows for the option to convert the dining room into a third bedroom for the units. With services places along the perimeter of the unit, all living spaces can be interchanged with one another according to the preferences of the owner.

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12

13

D

11

C

B

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A

three bedroom unit The larger three bedroom units cantilever beyond the two bedroom units forming the exceptions to the base tower. Designed as a sequence of linear spaces, the largest of the sky homes cantilevers towards the views and also cantilevers towards the forest. The cantilever of the unit below is used by this unit as a large terrace. The bedrooms occupy the most private areas of the floor-plan while the living spaces are more outwards looking engaging with the natural settings and creating a relationship with their neighbours.

|

|

forest building

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Architectural Response

1:500 model model team directed by Thanasis

nike innovation center 2015-2019 location: Portland, Oregon office: Olson Kundig partner in charge: Tom Kundig role: designer (designed cafe, atrium, stairs, gymnasium, structural system) phase involved: concept, schematic, design development, construction docs, site supervision (CA) status: construction complete

nike

64 475m2

Designed to house Nike’s creative class, this building will become home to over three-hundred interdisciplinary designers whom will be using this new building to invent and prototype Nike’s entire product line of shoes and apparel.

The large linear atrium extends across the entire building, providing a linkage between all the departments. At either ends are the most experimental components of the building - cantilevered to the South is the Nike research lab, a gymnasium used to test prototypes while at the north terminus of the atrium is the concept creation lab, a prototyping lab to be used by shoe designers and clothing designers alike.

Studio Space

Breakroom

Prototyping Sports Research Lab Atrium

Training Incline Parking Cafe

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north campus

south campus

Program Axon 2015 diagram by thanasis

extra large

large

34 meters

nike

medium tampa tower

56 meters

nike

nike innovation center



small

10 meters

45 meters

sol duc cabin

extra small modulor man

1,7 meters

10 meters

206 meters 45

scale comparison many believe a design process can be applied across architectural scales and typologies. But as the object shifts scales, so does the process in which you challenge the form. A cabin approaches the scale of furniture which can be designed at a more personal level. At the other spectrum, buildings like Nike stop behaving like buildings and take on the form of a landscape. drawings by thanasis

nike

North West Perspective 2019 (above) image by Mortenson Construction South East Perspective 2015 (below) rendering by Shena Garcia post production by thanasis + shena modeling/design by thanasis + others

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Interior Atrium 2015 rendering by thanasis

scale and complexity, 2018 drawing by thanasis With scale comes complexity and with complexity comes compromises. This illustration is a coordination drawing showing the paradoxical complexities which come out of creating large flexible spaces

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floor plan drawing by thanasis

nike

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under construction, 2019 photo by thanasis while on a site visit

nike

approach nike sports research lab, fourth floor photo courtesy of nike

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entry approach from main campus photo courtesy of nike

village

Small is eB autiful

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athenian village 2013 | M.Arch Thesis: DESMOS - Design, Inventiveness and Collaboration in a Time of Crisis Athens, Greece | Dalhousie University supervisor, Diogo Burnay | advisors, Catherine Venart, Leon Katsepontes Re-Thinking the Future, International Architectural Thesis Award (Honorable Mention)

When an economic crisis arises, excessiveness is

a design that provides service spaces such as workshops,

questioned. Do we need more public spaces? What

print labs, meeting spaces and social spaces, woven

happens when we revert to a purely functionalist

together with a circulation network in excess of minimal

state of mind, does it yield stagnation in the road

requirements. n I jection of collaborative-based workplaces

to economic recofiery? If so, the question becomes,

into the already vibrant informal center’s city blocks a(

what do we create in excess?

place with a myriad of expertise) makes the architecture worth investing in. tI positions architecture within under-

village

rG eece is now entering its fih year of recession utiliz anded voids, allowing tA hens to make better use of its external sources continue to impose foreign models spaces and therefore become a much smarter urban center. of larger more ecient operations onto tA hens. is thesis aims to signify the importance of informal Architecturally, the exible domino house inspired tA hens’ micro-economies. tI looks at urbanism from modernist building of the 1970s k ( nown as the polykatikia the human scale upwards and considers how injinecting tA hens) serves as structural framework to the new interventions at the scale of the city block can inuence architecture. tI proves that potentials of the existing tA hens’ communication. tI proposes workplaces based concrete post and beam frame buildings have not been on resource sharing within under-utilized oz nes exin hausted the and new spaces and relationships are still city: an urban gesture that re-imagines the city blocks possible of by simply re-configuring its tectonics. n I the tA hens as a system of vibrant micro-agoras, curating center talentlies the proposed platea, in other words the rG eek that already exists. u S ch a gesture promotes the power public of square. As in the ancient Agora, the platea acts as collaborations and reinforces an understanding that thewe connective are tissue, binding the activities of the city all part of a system, an ideology the rG eeks call Desmos. block with the street network of the city. y B challenging excessiveness in the workplace, wee can current tendencies of tA hens have proved that reect on resources and facilities available in resource bigger sharing and collaborations are not a fad, but companies/systems and strategizes a program aiming mechanisms at for survival. ey are fundamental principles resource sharing. As such, it provides tools only financially of desmos that holds a special place in rG eek culture. viable in larger companies to small-scale businesses. ereforetI evolving tA hens based on desmos not only allows tA henians to operate and innovate autonomously fosters economic recovery, but also is an opportunity to rewith the support of the system, a model that closely design the built environment reecting rG eece’s cultural resembles the ancient Agora. e necessity for sharing tendencies. Revealing what the culture of tA hens has to facilities and ideas amongst young professionals oersparks – from the people.

Abandoned Buildings

New Micro-Agora Case Study

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Ancient Agora

athens city center drawn by thanasis

city scale

city scale

district

district Hadrian’s Library

Hadrian’s Library

Roman Forum

village

an

an

Roman Forum ora nt ag cie

3500 - 600 b.c.

86 - 267

3500 - 600 b.c.

the ancient Agora under Greek Rule

ora nt ag cie

the ancient Agora under Greek Rule

Roman Agora under Roman Rule

86 - 267

Roman Agora under Roman Rule

Hadrian’s Library

Agora

Agora

an

Roman Forum

1

479 - 338 b.c.

Agora after Persian Innvasion

2

4

ora nt ag cie

8

16 m

3500 - 600 b.c.

1205 1456 Agora under Greek Rule the-ancient Agora during the Crusades

86 -1267 4 479 - 2338 b.c.

8

Roman Agora under Roman Rule Agora after Persian Innvasion

16 m - 1456 1205

Agora during the Crusades Bazar

Bazar

Hadrian’s Library

3500 - 600 b.c.

the ancient Agora under Greek Rule

an

an

Roman Forum ora nt ag cie

Agora

Hadrian’s Library

Roman Forum

ora nt ag cie

86 -3500 267 600 b.c.

338 - 86 -b.c.

theAgora ancient Agora under Greek Roman under Roman Athenian Agora under GreekRule rule Rule

479 - 338 b.c.

86 267 1456 -- 1687

Agora after Persian Innvasion Roman Agora under Roman Rule Agora under Ottoman Rule

338 --86 b.c.

1205 1456

Athenian Agora Greek rule Agora during theunder Crusades Bazar

Agora

479 - 338 b.c.

Agora after Persian Innvasion

Agora

Re-Networking Athens With the new common work-spaces/ architecture in orange, the re-designed 338 - 86tob.c.

- 1687 circulation route is no longer limited interactions with street.1456 Instead, meandering 1205 479 - 1456 - 338 b.c.

1205 - 1456 Athenian Agora under Greek rule Agora under Ottoman Rule Agora during thePersian Crusades Agora during the Crusades Agora after Innvasion through new spaces encourages unexpected encounters with different people and disciplines Bazar

Bazar

1456 - 1687

Agora under Ottoman Rule

group work

drawing room

group workspace

breakout space

printing bridge

breakout space

workspace

prototyping

kitchen

private meeting room

Current Polykatikia The current Polykatikia’s monolithic form

59 Unoccupied Areas The intentions are not to displace people from their existing workplaces but rather inject program into under utilized areas

BREAKOUT CONFERENCE S P A C E S R O O M S

GALLERY BOOK COMMON KITCHEN

P R I N T STACKS CENTER

OPEN CPU DE S K SPACE

COMMON M E E I N G S P A C E

INSTRUCTIONAL S P A C E S

READING ROOMS

PROTOYPING

STUDIO SPACES

EXHIBITION S P A C E

Injection of Common Areas Print shops, meeting rooms, prototyping spaces are all resources typically reserved for much larger companies

A New Way of Circulating Much more then just program, the new system allows a new way of interacting and collaborating with their neighbors

Resources of a Large Company To maintain a sense of smallness yet recognizing the need to compete globally, a sequence of common spaces needs to be injected into the city block in order to allow it to act like a much larger entity. Resource sharing not only makes these spaces financially viable, but also encourages collaboration and cross disciplinary encounters

village

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Adding Rather Than Displacing The master-plan addresses the need to augment facilities and diversify users yet not displacing individuals from the existing system. Such a vision required a re-imagination of the city block as a collage of smaller interventions rather then a large singular gesture.

The new system spans between the old - allowing existing workshops to better communicate with the activities of the city block - transforming individual activities to collective thought.

The walls, take on a new form. Rather than following the grid, they shift and alternate with glass inserts in between.

They are no longer these expressionless faces, but rather canvases for selfexpression model by thanasis white card, acrylic, photographs, acetone transfer

misplaced measure

misplaced measure 2020 location: Viseu, Portugal collaboration with Signe Ferguson competition: first place status: built

The site offers a nurturing park, filled with the sounds of peacocks, leaves, and the occasional explorer. The moments of solitude in this park are sacred, and you hear the sounds we normally don’t hear bubbling to the surface - the sound of steps crunching in leaves, the sound of your heartbeat, the twinkling of a bird’s song. Our piece is quite literally a microphone into the home of a family of birds, a misplaced measure often overlooked.

We propose a small incision into the earth, placing the user inside of the listening device, a gramophone of sorts, precisely directed at a vernacular birdhouse installed at the top of the trees. An object of mystery, and an echo chamber for nature, we hope that our sculpture houses not only curious users of the human form, but also nature, including the birds and plants. Too often, art is placed at the eye level, superseding the surroundings. In this case, the art is a gentle filter, exposing and projecting the surroundings, louder than before. The park is the true masterpiece. Listen.

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3mm laser cut raw steel plates, 8mm re-bar. arc welded image by POLDRA

Artefact 126

ffie Storytellers Firepit 2021 competition winning proposal: on display at the 2021 Venice Biennale

storytellers fire-pit

team: Thanasis Ikonomou + Serhan Ahmet Tekbaş

Inspired by the historical role where fire and fiction were closely woven within the ritualized practice of primitive campfires, artefact 126 is a pursuit for new stories to emerge in a state of isolation. In a time of quarantine, the artefact transports the outside world inwards, then transports the user/s outwards, traveling towards new landscapes and horizons, places we may endlessly explore without taking a step outside of our homes.

Blurring the scale of an object and landscape, the fire-pit is a narrative device used by the storyteller to transport listeners from the most domestic interiors into a theatre for the imagination.

Carved into the stone, the fire-pit injects itself as the central element, surrounded by an eclectic family of architectural/sculptural characters.

At first glance the object is inhabited by dried olive leaves, oak, coal, water, matchsticks and a notebook, and composed of a fire-pit, ash void, water bowl and oxygen valves, all used by the storyteller in his orchestration of fires’ size, smoke and scents. At second glance, the artefact may be rediscovered at an architectural scale, revealing an amphitheater, a valley, windows, a cistern, and the ruins of a forgotten landscape. This ambiguity of the artefact aims to activate the shared imagination and ofters itself to be molded and remolded by the user/s, who might ignite the fire-pit to generate both old and new stories.

Like the two heads of the Roman God Janus, the artefact looks backwards in history and forwards towards the future, both at the same time. This mist of time is generated by construction methods that utilize traditional modes of design and manufacture that include hand carving, chiseling and casting, alongside contemporary methods of manufacture that include, digital-scanning, rhino-modeling and 3D-printing. The design process has begun with a digital scan of a rock found in the mountainous village of Boltaş and is designed to be cast/sculpted from a stone composed of a terracotta and copper oxide cast, a material that will rust as a way to celebrate the movement of time, in an endless decay and simultaneous rebirth, an exploration between digital and analogue forms and narratives.

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artefact 126 plaster, iron powder, marble dust, pigment, 3d printed molds

waterfall house waterfall house

2020 location: athens, greece project role: personal project status: under construction 350 m2

Built at the foothills of Mount Pentelis, Waterfall house is a newly designed landscape along with a renovation of an existing home.

The placement of an exterior wall to the far limits of the property re-defines the existing interior spaces without ever adjusting the envelope of the building.

With ambitions of extending the living spaces outwards, the pool becomes the new center of the home. The entry to the home is redesigned as a meandering path with visual obstacles along the way, made out of white hammered concrete cast monolithically from the lower street to the entry four meters above grade.

New columns extend the building grid outwards, while oversized benches and walls throughout the property create a surprisingly playful arena for exploration, mystery and grande reveals.

4430 19 18 17 16 19

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5 4

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4 3 2 1

up

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up

0

ΟΔΟΣ ΕΥΡΥΤΑΝΙΑΣ

ΚΑΤΟΨΗ IΣΟΓΕΙΟΥ

0

2

6μ

0

ground and upper floor plans drawings by thanasis

2

6μ

2

6μ

waterfall house

69

living room looking at pool (above) aerial photo under construction (above opposite) white concrete, crushed local aggregate, hammered finish laser-cut powder-coated steel railing, 32mm depth (left opposite) plaster applique over concrete in pool (right opposite) all photos/renders by thanasis

entry gate

71

landing at entry

waterfall house

interior studies renderings by thanasis

Axon, Stair 102

3

scale 1:20

12

BEDROOM 102

STEEL HANDRAIL @ 25mm x 25mm, POWDER COATED WHITE

A 3.83

12

5

11 10

73

9 580

8

11

6

A 3.83

7 600

6

10 9

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1 600

250

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2600

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Enlarged Plan, Bedroom 102 scale 1:20

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ADJUSTABLE SHELVING, TYP

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stairs to mezzanine white lacquered mdf cabinets with push latch, powder coated 4mm steel plate risers, 8mm white steel railing (in tension) photo by thanasis

Elevation, Bedroom 102 South scale 1:20

courtyard house 2021 location: Athens, Greece project role: solo project phase : design development

courtyard house

500m2 (above ground)

Designed as two intersecting homes, one for formal entertaining and another for informal everyday living, the courtyard house integrates a double height internal garden with a ring of circulation at the collision of two linear homes. The open plan allows free movement from one space to another and the openness of the ground plan contrasts the more internalized spaces of refuge on the upper floor.

With the program brief asking to design a multi-generational home, the courtyard becomes an especially important device acting as both a void - creating a buffer space between the different members of the family, but also as a social anchor for living spaces to branch off from - sparking a sense of togetherness typically not seen on a house of this scale.

The typical multi-generational house in Greece follows the logic of an apartment building - multiple (near) identical units stacked on top of one-another which can be divided into three separate homes in the future.

This allows for flexibility in the future, but prevents communication amongst family members when used as one home.

By re-arranging the program into a series of “homes” intersected at a node, communication is encouraged amongst family and diversifies environments at the different quadrants of the home.

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The central node is clarified by the insertion of an open-air garden at the heart of the residence. Each space around the courtyard gains its own unique character.

The final form is treated to generous overhangs to reduce solar heat gain, create livable exterior spaces and help blend the interior with the exterior spaces.

courtyard house

upper floor

ground floor

basement

77

main entry (top) kitchen with courtyard in distance (center) pool adjacent to formal living area with family room in distance (bottom) renderings by thanasis

courtyard house

79

south elevation rendering by thanasis

t@thanasis.ca