7 June, 2023
Gold award at the Interiors Awards 2023 for the project "European Centre of Architecture, Art and Design: The restoration of an "abused" landmark building"
The 1895 landmark building at 74 Mitropoleos Street, in the historical Centre of Athens, has been telling the story of modern Athens for three centuries.
The three-story neoclassical building was renovated by EPIKYKLOS with great respect in every aspect, in a study by Anastasios Bachas and with the internationally renowned architect, visual artist and president of the European Centre, Ioannis Karalias as co-editor, in order to house the European Centre of architecture and design.
In 2012 the renovation of the ground floor had begun, while today, 10 years later, the rest of its floors have been completed and have now been handed over to the public in order to accommodate important architecture and design exhibitions.
THE RESTORATION OF AN “ABUSED” LANDMARK BUILDING AND THE NEW ARCHITECTURAL PROPOSAL
The neoclassical building includes a ground floor, a mezzanine and a 1st and 2nd floor. The new work focused on the two upper floors which had been previously misused and needed to be restored to their original form. Drywall partitions were painstakingly removed, a loft which had been built in the middle was removed and the plaster decorations on the ceilings were restored. The basic idea was the creation of a white zone from the floor to the ceiling which will pose as the basic, neutral background on which the artworks of each exhibition will be hosted and highlighted. The intention was that the building itself, despite all its importance and charm, should not compete with the exhibits and not distract the viewer’s attention at his eye level. The ceilings and the floor are the two color boundaries between which this white zone is defined and for this reason they were treated with a totally different logic. All additional elements placed within this white zone followed the same color scheme
GREAT INTERVENTIONS: THE BUILDING IS UNIFIED. THE ATRIUM SHINES FORTH.
Until recently, the two floors had an independent entrance from the sidewalk level. A new opening was created at the ground floor loft level, in order to give indoor access to the two upper floors, now unifying the building.
Where the current 1st floor atrium stands today, there used to be rough roof constructions that limited its actual space to a few square meters and largely prevented natural lighting from diffusing inside the spaces, significantly depriving the first floor of its present sense of openness. With their removal, a pleasant space was created, giving visitors the opportunity to stop during their tour of the building, while at the same time the courtyard itself can be utilized as an outdoor exhibition space, if needed. The white zone has also been extended into this space, with the intention of emphasizing the area of recent intervention in relation to the rest of the exterior masonry. This zone greets the visitor from the entrance level on the ground floor.
To serve the employers in the Centre, a small kitchenette and a toilet were created, while plumbing and electrical installations were set up from scratch.
MAINTENANCE AND RESTORATION
The support of all the rough constructions of the past resulted in damage to the insulation, which led to dampness in the ground floor ceiling. The necessary waterproofing and new flooring works provided a solution to the technical issues, shaping a new style in the inner courtyard.
All the wooden frames were preserved and maintained, as was the characteristic wooden internal staircase between the two levels.
WITH RESPECT TO THE SHELL
The new lighting study was designed and implemented with the aim of the least possible intervention in the building’s shell, while serving the functional needs of the museum to the maximum. In this stage, the main difficulty was the fact that it was not possible to hang any objects from the ceilings, both for reasons of stability, but also in order not to cause damage to the existing plaster decoration. To deal with this issue, the alternative solution of masonry support was provided.
The external stone masonry, combined with the building’s age, constituted another major difficulty in any interventions that were carried out with respect and precision in the specific project.
THE FINAL RESULT
Resolving all these issues did not take place at the expense of the overall aesthetic effect, causing us to cut corners. Perhaps, after all, the same difficulty was part of the architectural design and constituted the main challenge to solve the whole project.
The European Centre of architecture and design is now open to the public hosting important architecture, design and art exhibitions, in a building that continues to make its own history…
A FEW WORDS ABOUT THE SPACE:
The European Centre for architecture, art, design and urban studies is an exhibition space at 74 Mitropoleos Street, in the historical Centre of Athens. Due to its collaboration with the American Museum of Architecture The Chicago Athenaeum: Museum for Architecture and Design based in Galena, Illinois in the United States of America, it houses world-renowned exhibitions such as the GOOD DESIGN SHOW, THE CITY AND THE WORLD, PRIZE DESIGNS FOR MODERN FURNITURE + LIGHTING.
In addition to architecture and design exhibitions, it often accommodates group and individual exhibitions of various art forms, such as painting, sculpture, photography, etc.
The project received a Gold award at the BOUSSIAS Interiors Awards 2023, in the category: Completed Projects // Residential Interior // Cultural Building
