10 diploma rotated

facades near and far

evolution of the idea

lighthouse - a climb to the light - ntua diploma thesis The old, problematic existing lighthouse, which also lacks any authenticity or a particular architectural value, was decided to be replaced with a new edifice. conceptual model

requirements Lighthouse in Cape Doukato in the Southeast end of Leukada island. The cape is a place of great wild beauty and awe, with a lot of history and myths surrounding it. The new intervention proposed will include a museum with exhibitions relative to the history and mythology of the land (the myth of Sappho’s suicidal Leap and other legends and stories from the area), as well as a cafe, an open space and a usability as an observatory. The lighthouse’s incorporation to the landscape is of critical importance, as well as its function as a landmark. The aim of the project as a whole is to design for the visitor a complete spatial, experiential and teaching experience that replaces the problematic current situation (spatial, structural, public and symbolic problems).

existing lighthouse

The first architectural “gesture” was to place two vertical walls on the cliffs of lefkata, in the most fascinating and characterizing spot in the landscape.

That way the lighthouse “joins” the vertical linaments of the cliffs while its base fades inside them. These walls create the impression that they are two blades that come out of the rock, from the earth to the sky, jumping forward towards the sea. That lean forward also illustrates the concept of the leap.

Longitudinal section and detail

model perspective view

cape paintings

evolution and plans

views of the landscape

underground museum part related to sappho Widely famous is the myth of the suicide of Sappho from the cliffs of Lefkata. Sappho, a prominent female poet of antiquity (7th century BC), jumped off that cliff because of her unrequited love for Phaon. There have been many other recorded suicides for heartbreak connected to this locus in history, as well as testimonies of symbolic sacrifices by jumping from the top of the rocks to the sea. This intervention preserves the mementos of the place, and aims to alter the negative, frightening and dark tales with the positive, powerful symbol that is the lighthouse.

The spatial quality and the required gradation of light demand this part of the building to be digged, and this was also desired so as to not visually violate the landscape. The underground part instead is a reference to the “darker� mementos of the locus, it has to do with a buried past and memories of deaths, so it has an inverse light character: The visitor is guided by light, which pierces the blackness, in contrast with the lighthouse lamp. Walking in there, the path is not straight like a tunnel where only the beginning and the end matter, but it’s crooked, like a wandering, with exhibition spaces in either side.