Intensive residential approach

A private clinic on the edge of the centre of Patras, built in the 1970s, was renovated into an original urban complex comprising 50 student apartments and various public areas. The reconstruction study, concerning the relationship of the building with the city, addressed three key issues:

• Widening the narrow ‘gorge’ of the street by removing the balconies of the façade;
• Reconciling the new façade with the adjacent neoclassical residence via the flatness and scale of the 12 openings on the first three floors; and
• Activating the open space by designing a communal programme on the ground level and replacing the continuous balconies with individual balconies or French windows for each apartment.

In the enlarged Karaiskaki Street, 12 large windows, with black aluminium frames, frame and reflect views of the old city, while the electric blinds alter the façade throughout the day, highlighting aspects of the residents’ daily lives. The balconies and residents’ communal space demonstrate how residual space can be used in Greek cities. All internal panels, on all eight levels of the building, were removed to ‘rationalise’ the spatial organisation. Apartment sizes range from 20–48m²; most are 35m². The interior patio was changed to make this vertical space the building’s social core, through which the residents access their apartments. It brings the bioclimatic benefits of a through-ventilated space, natural light and great views of the upper floors.