Athens, Greece

Program: A 108,000-square-foot mixed-use complex for Shop & Trade, a clothing import and distribution company, with offices, a supermarket, and 97,000 square feet of underground parking. Two four-story office blocks form an L shape around the supermarket and overlook a garden, which doubles as a green roof for the market. Shop & Trade's offices are housed in the larger block set behind the store; the other office block rises in a narrow tower to the west and includes leasable office space. The development is part of a ten-year effort to revitalize an industrial neighborhood; a mile down the road, Kokkinou Kourkoulas Architects also designed the Pireos Street annex of the Benaki-Modern Museum in 2004.

Design concept and solution: To evoke the drape of fabric, Kokkinou Kourkoulas gave the facade of the main office block a sweeping curve. The concrete building juts out over the garden and recedes at the first level; the curve continues through to the back of the building, finishing in a sloped overhang above the first floor. A slanted arcade at the entrance of the supermarket mimics the leaning facade. Inside the main office building, a wedge-shaped atrium adds a sense of spaciousness by growing larger on each successive floor. The architects used glass partitions to keep the interior transparent and open up views to the garden. To provide a clean backdrop for the clothing, they left the structural concrete and aluminum windows exposed.

Design Architect
Kokkinou Kourkoulas Architects & Associates
Chr. Serron 7A, Athens, Greece 11471
Ph:  +30 210 3612 591
Fax: +30 210 3634 316
www.kokkinoukourkoulas.com
archisin@hol.gr

Completion Date: June 2010

Location: Pireos 222, Athens, Greece

Total construction cost: €25 million

People

Owner: Shop & Trade

Architect:
Kokkinou Kourkoulas Architects & Associates
Chr. Serron 7A, Athens, Greece 11471
Ph:  +30 210 3612 591
Fax: +30 210 3634 316
www.kokkinoukourkoula.com
archisin@hol.gr

Personnel in architect's firm who should receive special credit:
Maria Kokkinou (Partner), Andreas Kourkoulas (Partner)

Architect of record: Maria Kokkinou, Andreas Kourkoulas

Consultant Architect: John Peponis

Associate architect(s):  Marianna Athanasiadou

Consultant Associates: Artemis Halari, George Nikopoulos

Project Team:  Eleni Papanastasiou, George Iliadis, Marianna Lizardou, Despoina Lafazani

Engineer(s)
Structural: T. Tsiknias & Associates

MEP: LDK – Consultant Engineers & Planners LTD

Consultant(s)
Landscape:  Helli Pagalou Associate: Eleni Tsiridani

Lighting: Thanassis Kanelias Associate: Myrto Kanakaki

Acoustical: Thodoris Timagenis

Energy:Aris Tsangrassoulis, Vasilis Geros

Furniture: Fransesco Cassetta

General contractor: Arcon Constructions

Project Management: Dimand

Photographer(s)
Erieta Attali
eattali@yahoo.com

Dimitris Mitsopoulos   
amits@tee.gr

CAD system, project management, or other software used: Autocad

 

Products

Exterior cladding
Concrete: Cast-in-Place, Thanassis Mpahlavas

Windows
Aluminum: Schüco Hellas

Glazing
Skylights: Schüco Hellas

Glass louvers: Glasscon S.A.

Fire-proof glazing: MCM Fire Company S.A.

Doors
Custom main-entrance door: Manos Vordonarakis

Perforated security shutters: Gerolymatos S.A.

Interior finishes
Paints and stains: Exposed Concrete Sealer, HMK Stonecare, Smili S.A.

Resin floor: Rinol – Hellas S.A.

Metal ceiling panels: SMEKA S.A.

Furnishings
Office furniture: Frezza S.P.A., Sagola S.A.

Showroom furniture: ALU S.P.A.

Lighting
General lighting: SMEKA S.A.

Exterior: Artemide Group S.p.A., Bright SPECIAL LIGHTING S.A.

Conveyance
Elevators/Escalators: Kone Hellas S.A.

Add any additional building components or special equipment that made a significant contribution to this project:
Custom metal work: Manos Vordonarakis

Stainless Steel Wire Mesh: Ieronimakis Inox S.A.

Green Roof System: ZinCo – EGREEN Hellenic Import Export Enterprises Ltd

Professional Kitchen Equipment: Xenex A. Kioulpapas S.A.

Interior Architectural Shading: HomeStyle - Vane S.A.