PLACES : experiencing and making a place in Athens

Abstract

PLACE is a concept that addresses fundamental aspects of human existence; the external bonds of man with the world. It rests upon shared ways of life and knowledge which enable its physical expression into coherent and live environments. In our time, when the common languages and the processes that support them have broken down, it has become increasingly difficult for architects to set the ground for new PLACES. The lost order of organic evolution has been replaced by a new order based on control. Through the present study I intend to draw from my understanding of the physical environment and its transformations over time, in order to formulate a conceptual basis that can help me form a complete picture of the complex issue of PLACE. The use of a specific place - the immigrants' neighborhood in Kessariani, Athens, - which will shortly undergo a process of demolition and rebuilding, will serve as a background for testing the previous concepts through the experience of its space and through an attempt to design the physical conditions for its reemergence as a new place -an alternative to the design of control, reintroducing change. The study is also an exploration of the link between conceptual and formal expression, as processes that reinforce, perfect and are tested against each other.