Next 7 - The Future Is Here
Architectural Competition
Site: Athens, Greece
(Architectural Competition, in collaboration with Marilena Chantzopoulou, Athanasia Florou, Charikleia Christina Kougea, Chara Mantopoulou, Evaggelia Anna Papoulidi)
Future is here and it is all altered. Altered by man himself who seems to adapt to a new lifestyle. There are two existing tendencies that incline what is next. One refers to people living together, sharing and cooperating. The other is about people living alone, opting for solitary life
1st Competition Board
[Living together]
Collaboration, symbiosis, collective thinking and open dialogue seem to be appealing in an attempt either to resist the economic recession (by sharing goods and life costs etc) or to adjust to a new urban culture and ideology which has set new values and tends to turn human race into a closely knit society (globalization, development of communication technologies, etc).
[Living alone]
Nowadays, individualism is a trait often found in one’s behavior. External interference upon one's own interests by society results in citizens’ dissatisfaction. Virtual communication replaces face-to-face contact, people value independence and self-reliance while personal goals are of utmost importance (especially in the working field), forming a trend for solo-living.
Nowadays, individualism is a trait often found in one’s behavior. External interference upon one's own interests by society results in citizens’ dissatisfaction. Virtual communication replaces face-to-face contact, people value independence and self-reliance while personal goals are of utmost importance (especially in the working field), forming a trend for solo-living.
2nd Competition Board
[Problem]
Considering the above, one can assume that the future society will not be able to support the new needs and demands of its members. In a world where these tendencies are not simply assumptions but an actual fact, it is important to make equivalent changes. Habitat standards need to be released from conventional forms and create a city defined by new conditions. These two opposite views highlight the complexity of human nature and how priorities differ from one another. The new city needs to be defined by the former conditions and receive a new identity.
[Site]
The chosen location is Kypseli, an area in the center of Athens, capital city of Greece.
This specific site demonstrates a wide range of land use, high rate housing, strong presence of public space and large number of immigrants, elements that result in an interesting mixture of citizens, buildings and everything in between.
