Tourkovounia as a green - wind landscape

Students: Demertzis Andreas, Katsanos Giannis, Farangas Thanasis
Teacher: Xaidopoulos Giorgos
National Technical University of Athens, school of Architecture
Date: February 2011

The reason for selecting and analyzing this concept was the examination of the area of Athens. The city is characterized by the growth and development of new buildings. Even if those new structures improved the every day life of the residents, the overall effect on the character of the city suffered.

 

 

We selected this particular concept as our diploma thesis because we noticed the negative impact of those urban structures on the landscape of Athens and that the city is "eating away" the landscape. Our intention is to create the opposite effect: for the landscape to merge with the city.

A) Targets and Strategies
We hope to renovate the area of Tourkovounia in an economical way by introducing a green space that would not only be an important part of the city, but also would display the uniqueness of the Attiki landscape.

We are concerned about uniting green and free spaces around Athens. The Tourkovounia area could be the foundation of a "green" effort and its roots will spread all throughout the city.

 

 

The landscape of the area appears to be very interesting. The right design of paths and rest areas along with the carefully selected plants would create harmony between the new and the old form of the quarry.

 

 

 

Our intention is to combine two kinds of plant life: the typical park plants and a new less expensive species, called natural farming.  

 

 

 

Lastly, the yearly competition of wind sculptures would make the park unique and help it to be financially independent.

B) Synthesis Elements
The first step in creating such a park is to put back some dirt that was taken from the quarry during its' construction, so that the plants could grow their roots. In addition, there should be a system of walls that protect against landslides. Those walls are to be used in specific places and have paths on their top parts. At the same time they would not create awkward height differences. They would be 1,5- 2 meters high.

 

 

The biggest issue of the project is how to effectively create a path from the entrance to the highest point of the park, so that it could be easily used by everyone, including bicycle riders. The main path is based on the old one used by the quarry workers and it is parallel with a bicycle route.

 

 

Smaller paths are attached to the main one, creating a complex of routes leading to different rest areas. It is important to mention that the main path is not only the biggest one, but also is made from a different material that makes it different from the smaller ones.

 

 

The next step is to handle the connection points between the paths in a way that they could be rest areas and also to create a link between the different kinds of paths. We didn't want to create an empty space, but we wanted to have a space that could combine rest areas, an area that children could play, or that the elderly could enjoy the sun and have a conversation.

 

 

The concept of the wind sculpture competition was an idea that would give the park something unique compared to similar spaces. The annual competition would allow all artists all around the world to compete. The income collected from the competition would give the park the chance to be self- sufficient.

 

 

Old buildings are used for the park department, coffee shops and storage facilities. The rest are elements restored to make the visitor interested in the history of the quarry. On the highest point of the park is located the wind sculpture museum where visitors can find information about previous winners or the history of the Greek wind myths.

Last but not least, there are three big ramps in the park that make it possible for handicapped people to move in every area of the park, making them feeling comfortable in such a place.