00:01First of all we are captivated, we are always captivated by the Mediterranean
00:06typology because we live in the Mediterranean area. We wanted to create
00:12something new and contemporary at the same time we took into account the local
00:17surrounding conditions. And we are always looking for this kind of Greekness in our
00:34projects.
00:35The apartment is located at the north slope of Lycabetus hill, very close to downtown Athens.
00:41There are very small and narrow steep streets and roads coming down from the
00:47hill, very close to the center of the city, but at the same time you are very
00:52close to the nature, pure nature.
00:56This building, which is a four-story building, was built around the 1990s.
01:04This basement apartment used to be a storage place. The apartment is also almost fully
01:11buried on the ground. One side to be underneath the ground and the other side to
01:18have the only opening towards the atrium.
01:24When we first entered the apartment, the apartment was very dark. Everything was
01:29falling down and there it was an empty space without any partition wall inside. We
01:37did a gut renovation and we had to do floor again, ceiling again.
01:44Moreover, we had to add a new partition wall in order to organize the spaces into distinct
01:52areas of living.
01:53From one side, the apartment is fully buried inside the ground, so it has only one single
01:59opening towards the atrium of the block of the apartments. And it has a pair of skylights
02:06linking to have natural and ambient light from above.
02:11Upon entering the apartment, you see an arch opening, which is threshold between the entrance
02:19area and the living area.
02:23The living room is a long linear space and it's a sequence of spaces, the kitchen, the dining
02:33area and the living room.
02:39We designed the sideboard of the living room that accommodates all the things that the living
02:45room needs, like a television set. And it's placed right above the concrete slab foundation
02:51of the building, actually.
02:54We designed it to be elevated from the ground and to leave the foundation slab unfinished and
03:01unweathered. And we finished the remaining area with some ceramic tiles.
03:12The kitchenette is situated on another curve of this partition wall. There are all the appliances
03:20of the kitchen, including an upper oven, the ceramic stove, a washing machine, the cabinets.
03:27It is made from plywood and there are ceramic glazed tiles on the back splash. And there is also
03:35a pull-out bench to give some extra space when somebody prepares the food.
03:45There is this big circular opening that allows the natural light to flood into the bedroom.
03:52And this opening is very important because it works both as a desk between the living room
03:59and the bedroom, but at the same time it works as a vanity for the bedroom.
04:09We designed also a custom piece of furniture in the bedroom that works both as a closet and
04:17as a mirror vanity. And this furniture is all the way from one side to the other, but it's
04:26elevated again from the ground. We designed that space in such a way that although it's small,
04:32it looks bigger.
04:39The only interior door in the apartment is the one that leads to the bathroom. The sour
04:46niche is designed inside this partition wall and we designed it to be finished with deep blue glazed
04:57tiles.
04:58The bathroom was designed using ceramic tiles everywhere, meaning the walls and the floor. So we did
05:07that to make the room looks bigger. We designed the storage cabinet made by plywood and the big mirror, so
05:18that the space looks bigger. And we also designed a storage cabinet by plywood.
05:26So our main philosophy is to design for the specific place. We say that our projects are mainly site-specific
05:37projects, meaning that we take advantage and we take consideration of the local materials, the local conditions, the climate conditions,
05:47but also we infuse insight into the projects the clients' needs.
05:53Upgrading a small space in the city center is very important for the regrowth of the city urban life. You
06:02give the opportunity to young people to come and re-habit the center, thus rejuvenating the neighborhoods.
06:10These people are well connected with their social context, so they are eager to interact with the city. And this
06:19is very important for the city.
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