DESIGN STRATEGIES
DESIGN STRATEGIES
Thessaloniki is the second biggest city in Greece , with a multi-kilometer urban coastal line. At its prime 1.1 km length- in front of the historic center - cars, people and bicycles compete for space . And we all know what this means: cars win. What can be done here? Either remove the cars completely - or produce more space for soft users. The international competition launched by the Municipality calls for solutions along the latter direction.
Our awarded proposal is a straightforward extension of 10 m. in continuation of the existing 6.5 m. for a total of 16.5 m. Out of those, 4 meters toward the edge step downwards towards the water, and create the conditions for citizens and visitors to isolate and view Thessaloniki’s beautiful sunset. At important junctions of the coastal promenade with vertical access roads, pedestrian walks and plazas ( Eleftherias and Aristotelous sq.) the deck is further expanded to create even more generous public space.
We propose a hybrid construction, where each material is used for what it can do best, at the right place: reinforced concrete piles, steel beam diagrid, wooden deck finish.
STATUS: proposal, honorable mention
TEAM: Kostas Poulopoulos, Christina Christia, Konstantina Kousari, Ira Kapaj, Panos Poniridis (str. consultant), Stavros Konstantinidis (traffic consultant).