The seventh edition of Material Matters, organized by ek magazine, was successfully held on 16 June at the Banquet Hall of Megaron the Athens Concert Hall. Dedicated to the design and construction of architectural façades, Material Matters Vol. 7: Facades — Metal, Wood, Glass & Cladding brought together leading architectural practices to reflect on the façade as a technical, spatial, material and cultural interface.

The event was moderated by architects Ariadni Vozani, Professor at the National Technical University of Athens and Editor-in-Chief of ek magazine, and Stavros Martinos, member of the magazine’s editorial team. Invited speakers were asked to present two of their own projects and one work by another architect, through their own critical lens, within a ten-minute format.

The evening opened with Natassa Lianou and Ermis Chalvatzis of LC Architects, who presented the projects Orbit and Antenna Group at the level of detailed design, while pointing to the potential of glass-fibre reinforced concrete in contemporary façade design. Nikolas Travasaros of Divercity Architects then focused on the relationship between visibility and bodily movement, through an office building on Syngrou Avenue and the new Mitsis N’U Piraeus Port hotel, using the Institut du Monde Arabe by Ateliers Jean Nouvel as a reference.

Matilda Beraha of Arid offered a reflective exploration of the façade as boundary, presenting the Veil building in Kypseli and a shipping company headquarters on Alimou Avenue, while drawing parallels with related works in New York and Paris. Dimitra Katsota of Buerger Katsota Architects highlighted the façade as part of the public realm through the work of Alison and Peter Smithson, before bringing this line of thinking into the design of the new University of Nicosia facilities at Ellinikon and an office building nearing completion on Kifisias Avenue.

Anargyros Mougiakos of ISV Architects addressed the façade as a sculptural construction composed of successive standardized elements, drawing on examples from 1950s American modernism and two corresponding applications in specialized buildings in Athens. Fotini Gouveli and Niki Katsaragaki of A&S Architects brought the importance of the “fifth façade” to the fore, through an office building on Pireos Street and Education City in Doha, using COBE Architects’ The Silo in Copenhagen as their reference project.

Eraclis Papachristou of Eraclis Papachristou Architects discussed the challenges of designing tall buildings through two recent projects in Limassol, focusing on the importance of views — but also of a broader architectural vision — in relation to tactility and material presence. Ivy Nanopoulou and Eri Nikoloudi of TPA – Thymio Papayannis and Associates selected two projects separated by almost sixty years: the OSE Building on Karolou Street and the “Odysseas” Hellenic Maritime Heritage Park, currently under construction in Faliro Bay. Their presentation traced the continuity of the practice’s thinking through a creative reading of place, landscape and history, with Frank Gehry’s Fondation Louis Vuitton in Paris serving as their reference building.

Loukas Bobotis of Bobotis+Bobotis Architects presented his private residence in Athens and the One Floreasca complex in Bucharest, taking as a point of reference the renovation of the Palazzo della Civiltà Italiana in Rome.

The evening concluded with the keynote lecture by Doriana Mandrelli Fuksas and Massimiliano Fuksas, who presented an impressive panorama of their work, ranging from interior design to large-scale building complexes and public spaces. The participation of the internationally acclaimed Studio Fuksas gave this year’s edition particular weight, opening a direct dialogue with the Greek architectural community and confirming the high quality of the presentations that define the Material Matters series.

The event was held under the auspices of the Hellenic-Italian Chamber of Commerce of Athens, the Hellenic-Italian Chamber of Commerce of Thessaloniki, and the Hellenic Institute of Architecture. Material Matters Vol. 7 was honoured by the presence of the Ambassador of Italy to Greece, H.E. Paolo Cuculi.

Platinum Sponsor: Elval Colour
Gold Sponsor: F|Nous
Silver Sponsor: Voutsadakis
Bronze Sponsor: E-dreams
Stage Design Sponsor: Rouchotas
Cocktail Event Sponsor: Dipo-Interwood
Sponsors: AkzoNobel, Alumil, Etem, Europa, Ilicon, Mipeco, Nolte Kitchens, VasGlass, Vitex
Supporters: Anegersi, Diodos, Domiki Papanikolaou, Gratalum, Koligas Wood Essence, Knauf, Saint-Gobain Glass, Textures & Tiles
Hospitality Sponsors: Electra Rhythm Athens, Inn Athens
Wine Sponsor: Zacharias Winery

 

 

Floating volume

Situated close to the shoreline of the densely populated suburb of Artemida in Eastern Attica, this small house engages critically with its surroundings while conceptually addressing its broader context.

 

Design Philosophy

The project seeks to redefine the ephemeral and adaptable character of coastal habitation. It aims to provide comfortable, high-quality indoor and outdoor living spaces using economical means, to frame selected views toward the sea, and to ensure the residents’ privacy from neighboring properties. Elevated on a distinctly articulated concrete base, the two-story structure is composed of two intersecting volumes arranged at a right angle. The white, seemingly floating volume with its gabled roof creates generous covered spaces beneath its overhangs, forming a fluid, ground-level living area that merges interior and exterior environments within the garden boundaries. This suspended volume accommodates two strikingly tall bedrooms and a bathroom, organized around a bright stairwell–study space. Adjacent to the party wall, a rooftop terrace extends the interior into an outdoor room connected to the study. Each bedroom opens onto a private loggia, with the bathroom located between them.

 

 

Spatial Organization

The contrasting forms of the two volumes are echoed in their interior finishes. On the ground level -conceived as a shaped terrain- earthy, robust materials dominate. Cement terrazzo flooring extends seamlessly into both levels of the garden, while exposed concrete surfaces are complemented by dark-painted metal elements and joinery in deep black tones. In contrast, the upper volume is defined by a palette of white surfaces and wooden flooring, which continues uninterrupted through the enclosed and open-air rooms. Folding timber shutters, in the same tone as the flooring, break the uniformity of the white prism and provide shading above the openings.

 

 

Construction Strategy

Structurally, the house employs a composite system that minimizes its footprint on the compact site. The basement and ground floor are constructed from reinforced concrete. The ground floor is pared down to its essential structural elements -two concrete walls and four slender steel columns- maximizing spatial flexibility and enhancing visual continuity with the garden. The upper floor slab combines cantilevered steel beams with a 10 cm concrete deck. The floating volume and its pitched roof are built using a lightweight steel frame of columns and beams.

 

Uninterrupted flows

The “One Athens” residential complex situated at the foot of Lycabettus hill, constitutes an iconic building for the city and its architecture. The modernist building was designed in 1957, by the prominent Greek architect Constantinos Doxiadis, and was fully completed in 1971.

 

Design Philosophy

The building served as the Doxiadis Associates headquarters till the late 1990s. In 2014, the listed office complex was transformed into a residential development, introducing a new building type and scale to the city, which is primarily dominated by the ‘polykatoikia’ typology. The complete renovation of the 5th-floor apartment aspires to accommodate the needs of contemporary living, while respecting the existing architecture.

 

Spatial Organization

The reorganization of the ‘L’-shaped plan is simple and explicit: an open public zone, includes the dining, living and kitchen area as well as an office extension that leads to a private zone, which includes a master bedroom with en-suite bathroom and walk-in closet as well as a secondary a guest bedroom. The intentional absence of walls enhances the idea of a fluid, flexible and continuous space. Scattered full-height, translucent sliding panels made of glass and timber divide the rooms offering enclosure and privacy. In parallel, the large terrazzo floor slabs delineate a seamless surface enhancing the space’s continuity.

 

Existing Facade

The building’s original, modular façade design used to serve corporate office needs by filling the space with abundant yet filtered Mediterranean natural light and controlled natural ventilation. Today, the new open plan organization connects the two glazed wings of the ’L’ shaped apartment: the one facing towards the central atrium and the other towards the street. As a result, the apartment enjoys the unobstructed immediacy to the eminent Athenian context and the lush Lycabettus hill as well as the southeast views of the Acropolis and the Saronic Gulf, visible through the polykatoikia rooftops.

The most cherished architectural celebration in the city returns this year, as an online event. The OHA 2021 program, includes 20 videos that will premiere from June 24^th to June 27^th, and will remain available on the Open House Athens YouTube channel; further, the program includes one livestream event, one 3d virtual tour and many competitions for the audience!

The program, in a nutshell:

LIVESTREAM | June 24th

https://www.openhouseathens.gr/event/livestream/

Registrations: here.

 

OPEN OFFICE | premiere June 25^th

Guided tour in five architectural offices in Athens: Workshop | Dionisis Sotovikis, Bobotis + Bobotis Architects, R|C|TECH, Tsolakis Architects, Aristides Dallas Architects.

 

3D Virtual Tour | premiere June 25^th

A virtual tour in Workshop | Dionisis Sotovikis

 

VIRTUAL TOURS | premiere 26/6

Virtual tours in 10 contemporary buildings in Athens, on the Open House Athens Youtube channel. Featured works: Cosmote HQ & TV Studios by LC Architects, Apartment in Faliro by Plaini and Karahalios Architects, Penthouse in Vouliagmeni by Synama, Ogarden Suites by A31 Architecture, HOUSE E by Burger Katsota Architects, Obliquity by Gavalas Architects, The den by Studiomateriality, NBG Insurance by Mario Botta, SPARCH (Rena Sakellaridou & Morpho Papanikolaou), House in Politia by A & O Architects, Villa 13 by Parthenios architects+associates.

More info: https://www.openhouseathens.gr/event/virtual-tours/

 

MADE IN ATHENS | premiere June 27^th

Guided tours in creative spaces in Athens. The videos will be uploaded on the OHA 2021 webpage and will remain available on the Open House Athens Youtube channel.

Participants: Alexandra Bissa, Tind, Alexia Kokkinou Bookbinding, Sektor30, Stratis Tavlaridis.

 

Competitions:

 

OPEN YOUR PORTFOLIO | June 7^th – July 16^th

Win a scholarship at Vakalo Art&Design College for undergraduate design studies. The scholarship covers the academic year 2021-22 (€7.000) and may be extended to the full BA cycle (€19.000) on merit and achievement. More information: https://www.openhouseathens.gr/event/open-your-portfolio/

FABER OPEN PHOTO | June 24-30^th

Photography competition on Instagramm with the hashtag #faber_oha2021.

More information: https://www.openhouseathens.gr/event/open-photo/

ISOMAT OPEN VOTE | June 25^th-July 7^th

Win a Fujifilm instax mini 11. by voting online at the Open Office, Virtual Tours and Made in Athens categories. More information: https://www.openhouseathens.gr/event/open-vote/

 

Follow the Open House Athens YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/openhouseathens-2014