logo
logo
  • profile
    • bios
    • awards
    • list of projects
    • publications
  • projects
    • featured
    • residential
    • public
    • offices
    • competitions
    • archive
  • contact
FACULTY OF EDUCATION

University of Thrace, Greece
First prize, european architectural competition 1998
design development: 1998 – 2006
area: 17.000 m2

text

Academic life intertwines around an absolutely specific space: that of the university building. This space remains unchanged/unaltered for periods much longer than the actual residence of its inhabitants. The university building is intensely registered to the experience and memory of the people who transiently use it, becoming a point of reference for their lives.

The project, situated on an 80,000 m2 site at a sparsely built university campus outside Alexandroupolis near the northeastern border of Greece is a building complex of two interconnected university departments for pedagogical studies. Following the competition brief, the complex comprises of lecture halls, workshops, auditoria, offices, a library, a gymnasium, an amphitheater, a congress hall and a restaurant that add up to approximately 15,000 m2 accommodating 800 students and an equivalent number of tutors and employees.

The size  and the diversity of the program, as well as the relative isolation of the building,  imply an almost urban condition to the organization and structure of the building. The conception of the school as a micropolis brings forth a spectrum of spatial qualities to be incorporated into the composition and sets a perspective for their articulation and their interconnection. Spaces public and private, intense and slack, gay and serious, slow and fast must coexist forming alterations that respond to and recompose an authentic, both pragmatically and metaphorically, urban terrain.

All workshops, lecture halls, offices, the gymnasium and the library are arrayed along a distinct broken line that slopes down the site forming the rectilinear S shape that is the central design theme. This broken linearity enables the structure to enjoy the organizational neutrality and the climate control of the modernistic linear slab. At the same time, it defines two open 3-sided atria containing the amphitheater, the restaurant, the congress hall and the auditoria, establishing a positive relation to the dynamics of the site (view, entrance, slope, vegetation) and forming two major programmatic nodes as nuclei of public life.

A continuous movement along the rectilinear S becomes the organizational core of the program. This indoors mini-street that is adjacent to or pierces all programmatic units intensifies the perception of the building as a multiple whole, maximizes the probability of encounters and interaction between students and instructors and establishes the spatial terms for the understanding of the university rather as an interconnected multiplicity than as a hierarchically structured system of parts subordinate to each other.

The design is a hybrid of two typologies. The interweaving of the atria with the linear array fuses together the spatial categories into a unique synthetic entity that registers the specific program and site in an attempt to rethink university life and render the complexities, cuts and continuities of an active micropolis.

credits

Design team:
Iro Bertaki
Elias Chandelis
Vassilis Karamalis
Christina Loukopoulou
Costis Paniyiris

Consultants:
A. Athanasiadis & Partners (structural engineers)
A. Asimakis, C. Georgakopoulos, C. Papapostolou & Co (mechanical engineers)

Client:
Pedagogical Department
University of Thrace

  • Prev
  • Next

© 2021 Bertaki Loukopoulou Paniyiris. All rights reserved.

terms of use | privacy policy | cookies policy

Bertaki Loukopoulou Paniyiris | blp architects
We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “accept all”, you consent to the use of all the cookies.
settingspolicy accept all
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
CookieDurationDescription
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
SAVE & ACCEPT

Privacy Preference Center

Privacy Preferences