Student Residences

Student : Economou Axilleas
Instructors : Adamakis Konstantinos
University of Thessaly
Presentation date : September 2013

The " A.TH.O.E. " , more commonly known as " Alcohol " is an industrial complex, which remains abandoned within the urban area of the city of Volos. Specifically, the factory is located in the district of Agion Anargiron a purely residential area, with a few local small businesses and degraded mostly.

The factory " A.TH.O.E. " began its operation in 1922. That time, the area was outside the city plan and the factory did not bother with its operation. But over the years, the urban area of the city of Volos approached the factory and then the problems started. The factory cause sound disturbance with its function and produced horrible smells because of the gases that emitted into the atmosphere. Eventually after several conflicts with the local community in 1997 the factory shutdown.

The intervention proposes the creation of a new resident building in the center of the site, with its sports area be placed on the west side and other supportive uses on the east side where the industrial complex is. The buildings of the industrial complex reserved (except from the buildings that their structural condition does not allow interventions) with the appropriate reinforcements, without undergoing aesthetic changes.

The design of the new building follows a three dimensions orthogonal grid and its materials will be mostly metal, glass and wood, so that the new construction is lightweight and comes in contrast to the heavy, monumental construction of the industrial complex . The filling of the grid will be made by alternating protrusions, recesses and covers of the boundary of the metal frame. The logic of the projections, which are the main resident unit, comes from the video game TETRIS.

Finally, with the proposed intervention is expected the area to become a landmark for the city of Volos and follow upward growth path.