RETHINK

The proposal for the Re-Think Athens competition, is expressed as urban landscape elements which will characterize the entire center of Athens. Their design concept creates a high velocity urban corridor void of anchors or rest by structuring the street space into a series of terraces, expressive belvederes define individual urban spaces along this perpetual slope.
Designed to be one of the most important urban axes in the beginning of the 19th century, Panepistimiou was transformed into one of the busiest vehicular traffic axes of the city, a situation that remains today. The city’s automobile-centric urban strategy, results in Panepistimiou lacking the urban anchors, equipment and sufficient vegetation necessary for pedestrian attraction.
The terraced spaces slow down the spectator and encourage him to interact with the city, its buildings and functions. Terraced belvederes following the street’s slope will organize it into specific zones corresponding with adjacent buildings, streets and neighborhoods and define usable areas for leisure, play, entertainment, cultural activities and markets. The belvedere is topography, infrastructure, platform and sculpture at the same time.
These platforms also play a crucial role in establishing an extensive storm water harvesting system throughout the biggest part of the intervention area. They integrate water tanks which collect filtered run-off to be used for irrigation, a catalyst for a sustainable urban forest strategy in Athens.