REDESIGN FOR THE MORPHOLOGICAL, ENERGY SAVING AND STRUCTURAL UPGRADING AND REUSE OF AN OFFICE AND RETAIL BUILDING

The project regards the redesign and rearrangement of an existing three-story building located on Varis-Koropiou Avenue. The proposed interventions sought to improve the organisation, function, form and energy efficiency of the existing building in order to house the offices of a business group. In various levels of the building, office and auxiliary spaces were created, which were necessary for the smooth operation of each business department. At the same time, an independent convention area with support functions was created.

The old layout of the façades necessitated their total redesign according to a more modern sense of aesthetics. The façades were redesigned around the openings of the building and the functional requirements of the interior spaces. Inside, the various solid parts of the building were clad with granite slabs in two different finishes (glossy and matte), resulting in a distinct and interesting visual intercourse. Through those novel interventions, the building acquired a clean and perspicuous geometry expressed in simple and well-defined masses, while the same design principles were also expressed in the interior spaces, wherever possible.

The main access to the building is through a deep recess on the northern side and under a large, metal canopy that signals the entrance. A windbreaker leads to the main reception area, which includes an information desk and a small sitting area. Access to the underground car park, the open parking lot and the ancillary access to the offices is through the west and the south side of the building. The openings of the existing building were enlarged to ensure maximum natural light and, depending on their orientation, the openings were shaded externally using aluminum blinds or metal canopies. The new cladding forms a second building shell and in conjunction with the special, thermal-insulating frames, provides ideal thermal protection for the indoor spaces.

The complete landscape reconstruction that created green flats, using retaining walls, planters and terraces, and the enhancement of the building through proper night-time lighting, contributed equally to the revitalization of the entire area.