In an urban neighborhood characterized by tall trees along the sidewalks, an abandoned semi-basement in a typical apartment building of the ‘70ies is converted into an architectural studio.

Connecting to the Urban Environment

The main goal was the connection and the interaction with the urban environment. The studio is an expression of extroversion with flowing interior workspaces which lead the gaze to the outdoor greenery. The design of the yard creates a smooth transition from the public space to the entrance level through a ramp, offering the employees a vital space for relaxation and making the outdoor area a fundamental part of the studio.

Lighting Design

Full exploitation of the facade openings maximizes natural lighting. The refractions of light in polycarbonate sheets are a brightness factor, diversifying the atmosphere during the day.

Functional Layout

The open floor plan interior, with light filled spaces, enhances human interaction, collaboration, and constant exchange of ideas. The central column, made of concrete in its original raw form, acts as a reference point with the main functions arranged around it, and simultaneously connects the past with the present. A wooden box at the back encloses all supplementary uses.

Architectural Narrative

Light contributes as a conceptual element, beyond the ambience, and wellbeing values. Illuminated path unifies all spaces of the studio and signals the three main phases of design process. Inspiration visualized by the allegorical placement of a shower at the beginning of the path, passes through collaboration and finally as the idea matures fills up a white canvas in every new project.

The Open, International Architectural Ideas Competition ArXellence 2, an initiative by ALUMIL, set the framework for highlighting innovative design as the ideal approach for creating the new Central Business District of Thessaloniki (CBD) and prescribing a sustainable urban development for the west waterfront of the city. The international architectural community responded to the call by the company with 1464 enrollments and 173 submitted entries, underscoring the necessity of redesigning this historical yet long-defunct area, following sustainability principles.

The culmination of the competition will see the official Exhibition, from September 11-26, in the heart of the west entrance to the city, the Old Abattoir. All 173 submitted entries will be presented in the outdoor space of the International Center for Digital Transformation and Skills – Cisco (DT&S), launching a “dialog” with the site, its present image, and its people’s testimonials.

Concurrent to the exhibition, a series of parallel events will bring attention to the crucial importance of implementing one of the entries, will facilitate contact between the citizens and the history and features of the site, and record their preferences on the desired shape of the west entrance of the city.

• Round table discussion: “Seeking the Possible and the Required between Cultural Heritage & Modern Architecture.” [Saturday, September 11, 2021]
• Photography Competition [August 12-September 10, 2021]
• Thematic tours [Saturday 11 September, Friday 17 September, Sunday 19 September, Friday 24 September]
• Online poll on the entries [3-26 September 2021]
• School and institutional visits [13-26 September 2021]

Detailed information and ways of participation to the parallel events will be announced soon.

With this initiative, in the framework of its corporate responsibility honoring its domestic base, ALUMIL aspires to set the grounds for the competition, the exhibition, and parallel events to underline – through architecture and contemporary urban design – the fact that Thessaloniki is a global city, with the potential of undertaking a leading role in the near future; a city that will boast not only high-level corporate space but also zones combining commercial activity with prime quality housing.

More information:

Exhibition website

Exhibition video

Competition website

The Competition was organized and financed by ALUMIL, with the support of the International Union of Architects (UIA). Its proceedings complied with the UNESCO Model Rules for International Architecture and Urban Design Competitions and the UIA handbook of good practice. The Competition was held under the auspices of the Ministry of the Environment and Energy, the Municipality of Thessaloniki, the Prefecture of Central Macedonia, the Technical Chamber of Greece / Central Macedonia Section, and the Union of Architects of Thessaloniki.

Arxcellence 2, the architectural competition for a new Central Business District in Thessaloniki, hosted by Alumil, reached 1464 registrations from 90 countries, and 173 architectural entries were submitted for evaluation. The evaluation process was held online, involving an international Jury, that concluded in 6 prizes and 4 ex aequo mentions; those 10 projects were deemed as the most responsive to the relevant UIA guidelines.

On February 23^rd, 2021, the online award ceremony will provide architects with the stage for debating their innovative ideas. Furthermore, a physical forum is scheduled for the month of June, where the international jury members will elaborate on their outlook upon the competition.

To follow the online award ceremony, you may register here.

Furthermore, you may watch the ceremony on Facebook, through live streaming.

Ek magazine is a media partner of the competition.

“ArXellence 2”, ALUMIL’s international architectural competition, was successfully completed on Saturday, November 21^st, with the announcement of the 6 prizes and 4 honorable mentions. After the first successful “ArXellence” competition in 2018, the company decided to organize “ArXellence 2”. The competition was endorsed by the International Union of Architects (UIA) and was carried out in constant and close cooperation with UIA’s International Competitions Commission (ICC Council). ALUMIL, as the organizer, ensured full transparency and implementation of UNESCO’s international standards for Architectural Competitions. The members of the international voting jury guaranteed the results, as they evaluated the proposals and awarded 6 prizes and 4 honorable mentions, according to the competition’s brief. EK magazine is a media partner at the competition.

The Challenge

ALUMIL made an open call for proposals and ideas regarding the redevelopment of Thessaloniki’s western coastal side. “ArXellence’s 2” subject was aiming to receive innovative ideas from the global architectural community about the creation of a new Central Business District (CBD). According to the criteria set by UIA, the Business District should be characterized by high energy efficiency and sustainability, redefining the west gate of the city to welcome citizens and entrepreneurs (contribution to sustainable development, social impact, economic viability etc.). The evolution and redesign of Thessaloniki’s misused western waterfront will redefine its position on the international map and improve the quality of life for citizens. Furthermore, Thessaloniki will restore its prestige as a leading city in the Balkan area, attracting investors, businesses, and new visitors.

ArXellence 2… in numbers

The participation in “ArXellence 2” exceeded our expectations: 1.464 registrations from 90 countries and 173 submitted projects. Due to restrictions that coronavirus pandemic has caused, the evaluation of the proposals was conducted online following the international protocols. The Jury examined in detail every submission entry via teleconference and simultaneous projection of the proposals created by architects around the world. The overall evaluation by the international Jury resulted in 6 prizes and 4 equal honorable mentions, meeting the criteria of UIA.

The Jury

Voting jurors

Kasper Guldager Jensen, UIA representative (Architect, Denmark)

Nikolaos Salpingidis, Alumil representative (Innovation Director, Greece)

Gabriella Carillo (Architect, Mexico)

Lauren Haiden (Architect, South Africa)

Dimitrios P. Tsomocos (Finance & Management, UK/Greece)

Alternate jurors

Sara Martin Camara, UIA representative (Architect, France)

Oren Sussman (Law & Finance, Israel)

Professional Advisor of the Competition

Evangelos Lyroudias, Alumil Consultant (Architect, Greece)

The Prizes

The 6 prizes awarded by the Jury of “ArXellence 2” are the following:

1^st Prize

Title of proposal: The Lodge

Competitor ID: d15bd86f-2938

Name of participant: Alejandro Piqueras

Architectural office: ALE Studio

Country: Spain

2^nd Prize

Title of proposal: The Green Ηub

Competitor ID: 20d6099c-5616

Names of participants: Angeliki Tzifa, Sophia Nikolaidou

Country: U.S.A.

3^rd Prize

Title of proposal: Thessaloniki Green Pier

Competitor ID: c24d129b-ca90

Names of participants: Mircea Mogan, Alexandra Virlan

Architectural office: Mogan Architecture

Country: Netherlands

4^th Prize

Title of proposal: Bioclimatic Urban Lighthouse

Competitor ID: 7fcb61a5-e4bc

Names of participants: Alberto Mizrahi, Guillermo Lesch, Osvaldo Alvarez Rojas, Valeria Franck, Federico Menichetti, Leticia Alfaro, Philippa Jane Page

Country: France

5^th Prize

Title of proposal: De-fragmenting the Productive City

Competitor ID: 6a1e10a2-7174

Names of participants: Maria Chrysoula Akrivou, Antonis Athanasiou

Country: Netherlands

6^th Prize

Title of proposal: A view of the bay – A glance at the future

Competitor ID: 5fc57b05-4a53

Names of participants: Marco Broekman, Floris Van der Zee, Martha Seitanidou, Jordy Stamps, Yunshih Chen, Timothy Simons, Marina Lysenkova

Architectural office: Bura urbanism

Country: Netherlands

Honorable Mentions

(alphabetical order by country)

Honorable Mention

Title of proposal: The Gates of Thessalonica

Competitor ID: d7633b4d-e29c

Name of participant: Ivo Panteleev

Architectural office: ADA – Agency Design & Architecture

Country: Bulgaria

Honorable Mention

Title of proposal: Ships Forest

Competitor ID: a8ef5994-ee73

Names of participants: Perraguin Olivier, Spiegelstein Jacques, Letourmy Laurent

Architectural office: hOP/ar

Country: France

Honorable Mention

Title of proposal: Thessaloniki Wave (T-WAVE)

Competitor ID: cb17c371-dd7c

Names of participants: Andrea Michelini, Jacopo Berlendis, Alberto Gasparini, Tommaso Tassi, Alessandro Bonaventura, Mauro Baessato, Rade Batinica, Antonio Spena, Carlo Leonardi, Filippo Marsigli, Roberto Franchini, Giancarlo Franchini, Giacomo Gola, Davide Cappochin, Giuseppe Cappochin, Amarda Velcani, Thimi Rudi, Charis Christodoulou, Avra Bousda, Margarita Lekka, Vilma Chastaoglou, Matteo Taramelli, Roberto Zuccon

Architectural office: F&M Ingegneria Spa

Country: Italy

Honorable Mention

Title of proposal: City’s New Pulse

Competitor ID: c981fd16-5b56

Names of participants: Esteban Colmenares, Sanhita Chaturvedi, Shashank Jain, Anshul Bhargava, Ben Kikkawa, Joao Pedro Costa, Florentina Tsakiri

Architectural offices: Studio C+C / Studio 4215

Country: United Kingdom

The outcome and future steps

ALUMIL, being a leading international company specialized in architectural aluminium systems, organized this competition aiming to share the vision of a city that improves the quality of people’s lives. We made an open call for creative and innovative ideas and we are glad that this challenge inspired so many people all around the world. Despite the unprecedented difficulties due to the pandemic, we insisted on conducting the competition by maintaining its international character. We are proud not only for the large number of proposals we received from so many countries, but also because all these submissions were evaluated by an international Jury of highly qualified professionals. We believe that an ideas competition provides the necessary expertise that is crucial for every type of spatial planning. Architectural design has the power to invoke cultural evolution, and through architectural competitions we have the chance to offer new possibilities of improvement to our cities.

“ArXellence 2” was a competition that reopened the discussion about the redesign of Thessaloniki’s urban space and created a platform full of inspirational architectural ideas regarding the redevelopment of the city’s western waterfront. But most of all, “ArXellence 2” sent a positive and confident message of hope and optimism, based on advanced urban development and sustainability.

Founded in 315 BC and named after princess Thessalonike of Macedon, the sister of Alexander the Great, Thessaloniki is a historic city that has developed through the ages. Thanks to its location at the northwest corner of the Aegean Sea, Thessaloniki became a multi-ethnic metropolis. Hellenes, Romans, Ottoman Turks, Slavs and Jews passed through the centuries, leaving their mark on the city’s culture and architectural style.

The west coast, including the port of the city, used to be a manufacturing zone and is now uniquely located to spearhead the development of the city and its regeneration into a vibrant regional and international pole. Unfortunately, today the west waterfront area is an underused urban area representing probably one of the most underdeveloped areas of the city. It weakens the city’s image, livability, and productivity. Several past initiatives to facilitate the change towards urban growth and productivity have not been successful. Τhe challenge still remains.

The Architecture Competition “ArXellence 2” is an Open & Free, One-stage International Ideas Competition that aims to highlight innovative design as the ideal tool for the success of the new Central Business District (CBD) of Thessaloniki. The competition is sponsored & organized by ALUMIL – an international company based in Greece, specialized in the development of advanced architectural aluminium systems – and endorsed by the International Union of Architects (UIA). It will be conducted according to the UNESCO Standard Regulations for International Competitions in Architecture and Town Planning and the UIA best practice recommendations.

In more detail, the subject of the competition is the design of a new CBD at a wider area of 120.000 m² behind the port. The area’s advantageous location next to the city’s port, near the historic center of the city and quite close to important road and rail networks, as well as near industrial zones and logistics infrastructure, offers opportunities for sustainable economic development. Moreover, the area will be upgraded significantly upon the completion of major prospective infrastructure projects, as the upgrade of the port, Thessaloniki’s new Metro network and the potential development of the western suburban railway. Last but not least, Thessaloniki’s airport ongoing redevelopment will result (by 2021) to an expanded modern airport with a significantly increased capacity, connecting the city, further, with the world.

Thus, with the potential of redevelopment being strong, the Architectural Ideas Competition “ArXellence 2” represents a major challenge of urban regeneration. It is the first, and most decisive, step towards meeting the expectations of a new, cosmopolitan Thessaloniki. It is hoped that visionary competition schemes will pave the way for the regeneration of this decaying urban area through local government initiatives and private sector participation. Confirming its gravity and importance to the public, the competition runs under the auspices of the Greek Ministry of Environment and Energy, the Central Macedonia Regional Government, the Municipality of Thessaloniki, the Technical Chamber of Greece (Central Macedonia Branch) and the Architects Council of Thessaloniki.

The competition started on the 9 March 2020 and the registrations will be open until 25 May 2020. The due date for submissions is on 15 October 2020. The prizes will amount to 60.000 € and the 6 winners, along with 4 honorary mentions, will be announced on 25 November 2020. The awards ceremony will be followed by a 20-day exhibition in Thessaloniki Town Hall and a similar exhibition in Thessaloniki Music Hall. To get the official UIA approved competition brief and to register, please visit the competition’s website: www.alumil.com/arxellence.