Status: Realised
Year: 2021
Location: Athens, Greece
Onassis Stegi undoubtedly constitutes an emblematic landmark in the scope of Athenian culture, located along Syngrou Avenue, strongly attaching importance to the surrounding area. As a monumentally stand-alone building, Stegi is particularly visible from the view of the busy avenue, acting as a pole of attraction for numerous vehicles and pedestrians.
However, what happens in a closer approach?
Onassis Foundation invited and entrusted KN Group to develop conceptual and architectural ideas as far as the “opening” of Stegi towards the city.
In the context of reviewing and re-evaluating the urban landscape and connectivity with the urban network, KN Group has initiated a dialogue aiming to discover ways for cultural and architectural development and communication in small-scale perspective, such as the neighborhood, the people walking by, the people living around and everyday or occasional visitors.
Under the decision and cooperation with the municipality, the two perimeter roads beside the building, named Leontiou and Galaxia str. are studied to be converted into mild circulation streets, while the parking spots are restricted only to the ones for emergency use.
Aiming to discourage the passage of vehicles around the building and boosting the visitors’ passage, KN Group has inspired a series of installations as impressive surprise, located in the exit from the underground tunnel of Lagoumitziki and Evridamantos streets, encouraging pedestrians to explore and experience it.
First and foremost, our primary objective is the creation of a single unified base around the building, offering a special connection with the surrounding spaces and sidewalks, expanding all the indoor activities outwards. Simultaneously, urban planning with eco-friendly direction is of great importance. More specifically, KN Group sculpts the idea of a dense green axis with tall planting both on Leontiou Street and on the islet in the building façade for optimization of sound absorption from Syggrou avenue, and with tree planting with tall trees on the sidewalk of Evridamantos Street. Following the integration of the neighboring greenery and the creation of life on the side and back sides of the Stegi building, the neighboring sidewalk in Galaxia str. adopts the cultural character, as KN Group proposes the hosting of artistic installations and outdoor activities.
Finally, through the total design approach, KN Group achieve the target of Stegi to be open to the side roads of mild traffic via planting and activities’ zones, given that it connects the neighboring planting axes of the area and creates a multi-purpose zone of high aesthetics.
Last but not least, KN Group dared to go one step further the conceptual proposal by strengthening the business idea. We envision the whole project of Stegi ‘s externalization as a part of an urban supra-local cultural, educational, architectural and green network, which unifies athenian keypoints starting from the Onassis Foundation headquarters in the historic center of Athens and ending up the coastal zone.
