NTUA-AA

SUSTAINABLE CITY WORKSHOP Victoria Square Athens ATHENS 15-19 DECEMBER 1997
Organised by DEPARTMENT OF ARCHITECTURE NATIONAL TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY OF ATHENS and ENVIRONMENT & ENERGY STUDIES PROGRAMME ARCHITECTURAL ASSOCIATION GRADUATE SCHOOL Text edited by Simos Yannas & Thanos N. Stasinopoulos Photographs by Joumana Khodr Web layout by Thanos N. Stasinopoulos February 1998 These pages have been designed for 1024x768 resolution
Contents	.
Credits Introduction Project Brief An Introduction to the Victoria Square area Diary	Design Proposals THE GREEN INTERVENTION WRAP REALITY "CLIMB TO THE ROOF TO EAT THE CLOUDS" LIQUID GREEN SPOTS, LINES AND SURFACE SOME LIKE IT COOL THE GREEN WALK-THROUGH NET PEOPLE STREAMS
Credits	Top of page
Organisers Vankelly Evangelinos NTUA Theano Fotiou NTUA Thanos N. Stasinopoulos NTUA Elena Stavropoulou Simos Yannas AA Graduate School Contributors Nikos Douros NTUA Nikos Fintikakis Synthesis & Research Ltd. Nikos Fletoridis A.Tombazis & Associates Nikos Giogias NTUA Venia Haritatou NTUA Artemis Lizardou NTUA Helena Massa AA Graduate School Kostas Moraitis NTUA Yannis Romanos A.Tombazis & Associates Catherine Vei Spiropoulou Architect-planner Maria Spyridaki A.Tombazis & Associates Special thanks to the Association of Greek Architects, Nikos Kalogeras, Christos Karras and Katia Sakellariou.	Workshop Participants Undergraduate students, National Technical University of Athens, Department of Architecture Dimitris Diamantakos Zoe Sideri Sofia Economidou Marina Raftopoulos Melina Kaklamani Andry Sofroniou Katerina Manoliadi Themis Zouzoulas Julie Psallida Masters students, Environment & Energy Studies Programme, Architectural Association Graduate School London Adriana Aristizabal Raul Moura Gustavo Duque Carlos Miranda Paula Galarza Maria Romero Sara Grohmann Klaus Rothhahn David Hirsch Francisco Santisteban Demy Kalograia Teresa Sandiumenge Joumana Khodr Ricardo Rosa Madhavi Kohli Heide Schuster Atsuko Kotani Katrina Shum Rodrigo Loeb
Introduction	Top of page
This web page illustrates eight student schemes which were developed in the course of a five-day workshop on sustainable urban design. The workshop focused on design proposals to improve environmental conditions in the area around Victoria Square, a typical segment of central Athens. Participants were asked to address air and noise pollution, car traffic and pedestrian movement, existing buildings and outdoor spaces, and to make proposals for reducing built density and increasing green areas. The workshop teamed a group of 19 post-graduate students from the Architectural Association Graduate Schools Environment & Energy Studies Programme in London with 9 diploma students from the Department of Architecture of the National Technical University of Athens. Eight teams were formed combining students of twelve nationalities from the two institutions. Over the week of 15-19 December 1997 the teams worked intensively for four days presenting their proposals on the fifth day. The workshop was preceded by introductory presentations and visits to buildings of interest. Students from both institutions gave presentations on recent project work. The workshop was held at the headquarters of the Association of Greek Architects in Plaka.
Project Brief	Top of page
The project area around Victoria Square is a typical segment of the high density, degraded, polluted, and noisy centre of Athens. The chosen segment is delineated by Kodrigtonos to the North, Patission to the East, Ioulianou to the South and Aharnon Street to the West. The busy Patission, Tritis Septemvriou and Aristotelous streets divide the area into distinct subsections along the north-south. Along the east-west direction Heyden Street crosses the area on both sides of Victoria Square. The square houses the entry to the Victoria underground station and the only green elements in the area. The area contains numerous neoclassical buildings, some of which listed, including the derelict High School at the corner Heyden and Aharnon; the Stoa Matala arcade at the corner Patission and Kodrigtonos, which features a glazed roof; and the recently refurbished Workers Union Headquarters at the corner Patission and Ioulianou. Other buildings vary in age, height and degree of negligence. We are looking for design proposals to improve environmental conditions in the area. You may choose one of the following as the context for your intervention: - the whole area delineated by Kodrigtonos, Patission, Ioulianou and Aharnon; - the segment delineated by Derigny, Aristotelous, Ioulianou and Aharnon or a number of its constituent blocks; - the segment delineated by Derigny, Tritis Septemvriou, Victoria Square and Aristotelous; - Heyden Street (designated for pedestrianisation by the municipality) and Victoria Square.	Proposals should address the following: · air & noise pollution · built density · the square / the street · outdoor spaces, activities & microclimates · landscaping & vegetation · empty sites · the car / pedestrian movement · listed buildings & buildings to retain · building orientation & solar access · the open spaces at the centre of urban blocks · roofscapes / balconies / setbacks · materials In addressing the above you may wish to recommend removal of unsustainable buildings and elements to reduce built density and increase green areas. You are free to suggest any interventions you see fit. Your attention is drawn to the following dynamics of the urban environment: · transitions (public / private; inside / outside) · mixed uses · new built vs retrofit · daily (day / night ) seasonal (winter/ summer) cycles · capacity for change, adaptability and flexibility. Submit visual material illustrating proposals with drawings and sketches to appropriate scale. Total submission should be of four A3 sheets including explanations and a written statement of up to 300 words. TIMETABLE Project Development: 15-18 December 1997 (studio opening hours 9.00-20.00) Presentations: 19 December 1997, 12.00-20.00
An Introduction to the Victoria Square area	Top of page
This text is based on the 1996 Diploma Thesis of Katia Sakellariou titled "A Mild Intervention for Uses of the Victoria Square Area" for the NTUA Dept. of Architecture.	General The area around Victoria Square is a typical example of a large part of the urban fabric in Athens. Located near Omonia Square, the most busy spot of the city, it was among the first sections of Athens to be included in the City Plan introduced in 1867. For many decades it had been a middle class residential area, encircling the underground station which was constructed in 1935. As in the rest of Athens, after the war-plagued 40s there was an intensive building boom by private developers on a flat for land basis; thus scores of apartment blocks on small plots replaced the old family houses, providing housing for the petit-bourgeois masses that migrated from all parts of Greece. Population The consequent high density, combined with the rapid growth of traffic-related problems, led to the degradation of the area during the last 20 years. A large portion of its current population belongs to weak social groups (old-aged, students, immigrants from abroad, etc.), whilst most of the better-off ones have moved to the suburbs. Between 1981-91 the population shrunk by 18% to about 18,000 (or 29,000 according to other estimates) in more than 9,000 households. The typical family is rather the minority of households today, with more than half of the population belonging to young or old age groups, most of them of low income. The influx of foreign immigrants from Eastern Europe and Third World regions has been intensified during the 90s, forming perhaps 20% of the present population, a trend that leads to further decline of the area status. Uses The area a mixed-use one; there is no legislation on land use other than the Building Code, as in most of the Athens area; authorities try to control certain uses indirectly, through red tape. Most property is residential (about 78%), the trend being to convert flats into offices. The ground floors are generally occupied by shops, mainly retailing. Most commercial activities are attracted towards the main axis of Patission Avenue, while the back streets house rather underground uses (prostitution and gambling). The existence of fringe classes (immigrants & unemployed) and 'obscure' activities does not create social friction, as long as a degree of discretion is in place. There are many offices in old flats and a few office blocks, the biggest ones being the Greek Telephone Exchange and the State Electricity Board, with a strong impact on parking space demand. Educational buildings vary from elementary schools, usually housed in old private houses, to the Athens University of Economics Campus. Social catering like day care centres etc. is limited, but there are many leisure facilities like cinemas, restaurants, coffee-bars, or even gambling halls, most directed not to local inhabitants but to the whole city. Housing Most apartment blocks are up to 6 storey high plus basement (about 3m high each), served by a small lift; in many cases basement storage spaces have been converted into small flats. Apartment sizes range from 20 to more than 90 sqm, averaging 15-20 sqm per room, typically with central heating using oil burners & iron radiators. Building footprints cover more than 70% of the plot, the back yard being of little use other than providing daylight & ventilation to the back rooms (inner spaces are ventilated through small so-called light ducts). Narrow balconies (limited to 1/10 of the street width) run across most of the facade, with top floors offering the advantage of a set back by 2.5m. The typical structure consists of concrete frame & cavity wall infill; light-coloured plaster covers most of the inner-outer surfaces, with floors made of polished concrete, marble or wood over the concrete slab. Windows are usually single-glazed on wooden frame with rolling or sliding shutters. Thermal insulation is minimal, as most were built long before the energy crisis and the subsequent regulations; similarly, sound insulation is poor due to thin partitioning walls between flats (10-20cm hollow brick), a usual cause of quarrels. Traffic & parking The area is intersected by non-local traffic across several axes, the most busy of which (Patission Avenue) is used by more than 70,000 cars daily. This is not only a major problem for pedestrians, but also a significant cause of air and noise pollution, usually above acceptable limits. Parking provision (about 2,600 spaces, 1/3 of which is not legal) is much less than needed (3,300 spaces, 35% of which is due to non-residential uses), leading to wide spread illegal parking and thus to even more traffic congestion. Public space The major public space of the area is Victoria Square, also known as Kyriakou Square, which was created in 1935, together with the local underground station. Being a space of many & diverse activities, it serves passers-by more than local residents. Used more as a passage rather than for longer staying, it is an example of "public space locked up in private sub-sets". Its east side, next to the station, is a leisure area with many tables from the surrounding bars & restaurants which attract clientele from other parts of the city. The west side, with the statue next to the pont, the benches and the small playground, aims more to the locals, but its appeal is reduced by the frequent presence of drunkards, homeless or un-employed strangers. Due to its character, the square does not function as an open space for the local residents, especially those who need it most, i.e. old-aged and children which usually are forced to stay at home. Proposals An effort to halt and perhaps reverse the decline of the area should bolster urban infrastructure, along with enforcing restrictions on uses that are at odds with its residential character. In that direction, funding is less of a problem than the unavoidable confrontation with the profits at stake. A recent study commissioned by the Municipality of Athens concludes in two major proposals, (a) a network of open spaces with functional & environmental value, and (b) new regulations on land use. The first group of suggestions includes the creation of social facilities, the reduction on non-local traffic, the introduction of pedestrian streets and the construction of off-road parking space. According to the second group, restrictions should be enforced on certain commercial uses which discourage the residential function.
Diary	Top of page
FRIDAY 12 DECEMBER 1997 Building Visits AVAX OFFICES (Architect: A.Tombazis & Associates) VEIS HOUSE (Architect: C.Spyropoulou-Veis) MELETITIKI OFFICES (Architect: A.Tombazis & Associates) SOLAR VILLAGE I (Architect: A.Tombazis & Associates) Presentations SUSTAINABLE CITY PROJECT (AA Environment & Energy Programme students) KOTZIA SQUARE COMPETITION PROJECT (NTUA Students) SATURDAY 13 DECEMBER SITE VISIT: VICTORIA SQUARE AREA INTRODUCTION TO SITE (T.N.Stasinopoulos) VLALI SQUARE COMPETITION ENTRY (E.Stavropoulou) SIX PROJECTS (D.Fintikakis) XXX XXX (K.Moraitis / / ..) ATHENS APARTMENT BLOCKS (T.Fotiou) SUNDAY 14 DECEMBER SIGHTSEEING IN AND AROUND ATHENS	MONDAY 15 DECEMBER INTRODUCTION TO WORKSHOP BRIEF TEAM FORMATION SITE VISITS WORKSHOP START TUESDAY 16 DECEMBER WORKSHOP WEDNESDAY 17 DECEMBER WORKSHOP THURSDAY 18 DECEMBER WORKSHOP FRIDAY 19 DECEMBER PRESENTATIONS

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