2ND PRIZE (1st prize not awarded)_Architectural Competition
REGENERATION OF THE PUBLIC SPACE AND THE WIDER AREA OF THE NEW DIKASTIRIA METRO STATION
Between the northern edge of Pedion Areos and the Courts of Evelpidon Park lies an area that functions as a connecting link between two significant urban green spaces. This space that holds a prominent position, is chosen for the placement of the new Dikastiria metro station. The lush area encounters the boundaries of the intervention area with the fully urban character of the apartment buildings on Evelpidon Street, the extensive surface of Protomagia Square, and the area of the Courts.
Simultaneously, while the position of the field calls for the integration of the green area that tends to traverse it, the unique condition of the proximity of multiple land uses characterizing the surrounding area introduces the two main axes on which the proposal seeks to develop: the environment of the new station must allow for the seamless integration of urban greenery, while the new configuration could serve as a reference point, attracting and facilitating user flows and their orientation. The creation of Dikastiria metro station allows for the emergence of a new urban, functional center, strategically located within the now-integrated green space.
The primary gesture involved consolidating all movements resulting from existing accesses into a central circular platform, adjacent to the boundary of the road, enclosing the given facilities of the new metro station. The platform is designed to define, on the one hand, a distinct gathering space for passersby while leaving the rest of the field free for planting - with the goal of unifying the two sub-areas of urban greenery.
A second elevated circle, this time in the form of a canopy, serves to make the station a focal point. The circular, expansive platform and the as well circular, smaller canopy interact ultimately as an interconnected complex that symbolically charges and signifies the metro station. The protective and highlighting canopy for the entrance-exit space consists of a circular disc with a diameter of 25.70m and a height of 4.80m. The ring is supported by three inverted beams in one direction and by a frame that develops precisely along the diameter. The suspension of the canopy plate is achieved through the beam system, giving the impression of a hovering structure - without visible intermediate supports.
The field is characterized by a diversity of uses and the absence of a cohesive character in the urban fabric. It is a main aim to organically connect the area to the city, the Residential area, with the Pedion Areos, as well as the adjacent green space. Through the restructuring of the field as a space that condenses different functions, users will perceive a new centrality, with a proposal that arises amidst the greenery. A new landmark is created within the now-unified grove and the wider area, capturing pedestrian movements, redistributing them in space, and simultaneously creating a circular space for relaxing and recreation.
Project Team: Tilemachos Andrianopoulos, Konstantinos Xanthopoulos, Leonardo Falcao, Panagiota Mousa, Christos Voutsas, George Machairas, Natalia Kostoglou, Ariadni Logiadi
Consultants:
Katerina Christoforaki, Urban Planner
Eleni Tsirintani, Landscape Architect
George Lagadinos, Traffic Engineer
Athanasios Kontizas, Structural Engineer
Pantelis Argyros, Mechanical-Electrical Engineer
Panagiotis Vasilatos, Building Technology
Antonis Matsouris, Hydraulic Engineer
Panagiotis Zafiriou, Environmentalist
Grigoris Karaiskos, Agriculturalist