PAIR

We were invited to shape the Pair, in a space of right angle geometry with two faces, one towards Athanasiou Diakou and the other towards Porinou. These are two streets, next to the pedestrian street of Makrygiannis in the Acropolis, which are perpendicular to each other and are connected by this space.

PAIR, if it had no use, could also be seen as a gallery in the center of Athens, at this historical point.

 

The central idea of the architectural proposal is based on this dynamic reading of the space and on the need to tell a story as we move through it, as befits an urban gallery.

The development of the story takes place through a white film, which unfolds in the space in the form of a light linear projection that starts from the outer courtyard in Porinou, proceeds inside the space and ends at Athanasiou Diakou. It is a zone of pure white that runs through the space on its right side and is projected onto the volumes, the walls, the bar and even the floor.

It functions as a guide and at the same time as an element of connection and deconstruction of all the characteristics of the space.

 

The spatial narration - story telling in essence is completed through handmade Graphic Art Works that are developed on this white film of Pair. The dominant form is the human body, which is overturned, deconstructed and re-read. The sensitivity of the human body is highlighted, as its parts are completed with a blooming floral decoration. The handmade plant decoration symbolizes the invisible threads that connect us and introduces elements of nature into the design of this urban space.

This is  a different Street Art Work proposal, in this symbolic gallery, that wants to talk about the sensitivity of meeting our body and others as well as the dynamics of proximity and matching.

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A decisive tool in solving the space was the lighting management. The low portico with its strange geometry needed light. The lighting was chosen to be indirect, emerging through the volumes, reflected on the ceilings giving a diffused and clear lighting effect.

 

The furniture design, materials, colors and textures serve the purity of this central idea.

The linear, bright bar invites you to stand in this urban landscape, in order to meet people, tastes, experiences.

The iron suspension bridge, suspended in the center of the space, is an industrial element that divides the space into its two important faces and functional parts, the hall with the tables and the library and the bar area.

 

In the courtyard area facing Porinou, a small green courtyard has been created, a breath in the dense construction of the center of Athens which is suitable for outdoor meetings   and moments of relaxation.

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