ARCHITECTURAL PROJECTS

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01 June, 2007

MOB (mauve) architects-V. Baskozos & D. Tsagaraki

MOB (mauve) architects are V. Baskozos, born in Athens in 1956 and D. Tsagaraki, born in Athens in 1962. both received degrees of architecture from the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and have their office in Athens.

By Vassilis Mistriotis

Greek version

Official site : http://www.mobarchitects.gr/

Projects include factories (delta dairy in Attica and Thessaloniki, Tasty Foods snacks factory in Attica, MARVO s.a. in Attica), office buildings ( Almi Marine s.a. Headquarters at kalogreza, Attiki Diodos s.a., Logic Dis Offices in N. Kifissia and Galenica s.a. Headquarters in Attica), bank branches (Agricultural Bank of Greece in kythira and in Skala Lakonias) - public open spaces - landscaping - many residences and residential complexes - shops - interior design etc.

Their work has been presented in architectural exhibitions within and outside Greece such as: exhibition of mediterranean architecture in montpellier - France 2000, Athens - Scape the 2004 Olympics and the metabolism of the city - London 2003, e.t.c. Projects of the team have been published in European Architecture Magazines including: L' ARCHITECTURA, VIA ARCHITECTURA, DBZ, ARCHITECTURE MEDITERRANĖENE, ABSTRACT, STAVBA, ARCHITECTURE IN GREECE.

The group has been proposed twice for the Mies Van Der Rohe Award (2003, 2005). Moreover MOB (mauve) architects have been awarded from the Hellenic Institute of Architecture with the fist prize for the best house within period 1999 - 2004 for the project "Twin - Family Vacation House in Porto - Rafti". They also gain an honorable mention from the Hellenic Institute of Architecture for the project "Office complex in Kifissia".

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Office complex in N. Kifissia

The three-storey office complex consists of three buildings that create two independent volumes with unified common spaces. The complex unfolds around the perimeter of the site. Surrounded by the buildings a common courtyard acts as an access point to all buildings. The internal circulation spaces (staircases, corridors) are also placed, facing onto courtyard.

The aim of the project was not to be presented as an austere impenetrable private ground but as an office core directly related to its environment and with the materials accentuating the business image. The office complex in N. Kifissia is part of the philosophy of building with low cost materials mostly used in industrial buildings.
The issue that determined the façade design was the request for large glass planes and the need for sun shading. In this case, the large glass facades are oriented on the south and east side, where permanent vertical and horizontal canopies provide shade.

Shop in Kifissias avenue - Athens

The project is an intervention and reconstruction of an existing structure of reinforced concrete, to be used as shops (1.120m2).
The building consists of a main rectangular volume and two smaller ones. The site has two street facades with a height difference of one floor level. From each street, there is an independent access, in order that the building can be used as one or two shops. During the design process the exact use of the building was not known except for the idea that the building was meant to be used commercially.

Externally, marble and metal were used for cladding, and paving blocks and marble for the flooring. In the interior, wooden and marble flooring was used and the staircase is made of metal and glass.

School in Porto Rafti

In this project, of approximately 2.000m2, the guiding idea to take full advantage of the climatic conditions led to a solution maximizing the open-air areas. Only the classrooms and the necessary spaces are kept indoors, creating a sequence of enclosed semi-open and open-air spaces. Great care was taken upon the orientation of the building in order to achieve ideal lighting and ventilation conditions (according to the precepts of sustainable design).

Housing complex in Vrillisia (1)

This building complex has a combined area of 3100m² consisting of an apartment block of eleven flats, a smaller two apartment building and an underground garage.

The basic design strategies were:

The minimum use of the site area to maximize the amount of open space and planting,
The expansion of the basement to the maximum permissible area,
The arrangement of the main building volumes based on their harmonization with the existing buildings on the adjoining sites,
The creation of 'visual surfaces' that result from enclosed or open spaces formed by horizontal or vertical projecting planes.

The 'visual surfaces' create outdoor living spaces and reduce the intensity of the sunlight within the apartments.

Housing complex in Vrillisia (2)

The residential complex, of approximately 3.000m2, consists of two independent building volumes. One four storey building of 11 apartments, which is arranged along the street and a smaller volume comprising two independent and identical houses.
The large open space between the buildings has been developed into a common garden.

Housing complex in Vrillisia (3)

The housing complex at the corner of 28th October str and Thrakis str in Vrilissia (North of Athens) consists of flats and two semi-detached houses. Resident's parking is located in an underground garage.
The site is situated in a residential area. We attempted to harmonize the new building with the existing built environment taking in account the building regulations, the program and the architectural character. The strategy we used is similar to the two other housing complexes designed by our practice in the same street.

We divided the built mass into two volumes, reduced the footprint in order to increase the garden area, planned double-aspect dwellings to allow better ventilation and designed elevations that would provide adequate light conditions.

House in Glyfada

This residence of approximately 455m2 has been designed to house a family of five.
It is organized into three upper levels and a basement.
The issue that determined the design has been the request for large open-air and semi-open air spaces which are planned at one side of the site and around the swimming pool for the residents.

Two family holiday house in Porto Rafti

The house is located in Porto Rafti, a seaside area that lacks urban planning. The substantial issue in the design approach was to create internal views in order to avoid the anarchy of the surroundings. On the other hand though, the variety and the beauties of the natural landscape, led the design to open the first floor volume to the sea.
The design concept was to create an interference condition between indoor and outdoor spaces. The house is conceived through a route that provides different spatial experiences: indoor spaces come after outdoor ones creating many shells of living. On the ground floor level, outdoor spaces and planting create a private courtyard while the verandah on the first floor provides an open view to the sea. The house consists of two volumes that contain the limited indoor spaces.The choice of materials is based on a preference for minimum maintenance.
The building volumes are made of exposed concrete, floors are made of timber and other structures such as the main staircase, the verandahs e.t.c. Are made of galvanized steel.

Twin houses in Chalandri

For this project located in the area "Patima Chalandriou" (Northeast extension of Athens) we choose to enclose the house and its garden in order to fully control the view from the house's interior. Openings were created in the surrounding concrete wall toward selected vistas outside.
This strategy was an attempt to protect the users from the surrounding ugliness of the sprawl environment.
This kind of introverted layout is often proposed by our practice when commitionned to design individual houses in those new suburbs that constitute the extension of Athens. In our opinion the quality of the built environment is constantly decreasing.

This is due to the planning of individual houses one after another in very small plots, where architecture is at the mercy of the client's individual vision. The result is a disparate architectural environment that is extended endlessly.

House in koropi

The project consists of a single residence of approximately 500m2 located in the surroundings of Athens. It can be reached via a local road bordered by trees.
The built mass is subdivided in smaller volumes of one and two storey's, forming a cluster around the swimming pool. The volumetric fragmentation is further expressed by the use of different colors.