ARTS  BUILDING  Αrchitectural Competition at Athens College
 

In a School of the Arts today digital techniques have allowed us to increase the interconnection between all the arts. Creative exchange between all of the departments and the transfer of the experience to the built space and natural environment has inspired the architectural design of our proposal. The aim is to create an Arts Building as a reference point in terms of form and function.

The idea behind the form of the Arts Building is an artistic walk that is not limited to within the walls of the Building but expands into the surrounding natural area, connecting the school facilities and promoting both a creative curiosity and “abrasion”. The aim of maximum interaction between all departments of the Building takes shape in social circulation spaces, both horizontally and vertically, where students will have the opportunity to meet, to be informed, learn, be inspired and to create.

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The student traffic flows to the plot from the Benakeio building and all the other buildings on the other side, played a decisive role in the composition of the Arts Building and its integration  in the wider network of student movements as it reaches the plot at its two corners, NE and SW,  forming a diagonal axis on its course. The natural diagonal traffic has not only been kept but has inspired a walkway that intersects the building, turning it into a vibrant and dynamic space. It has been reinforced by the idea of students passing through the building, without interfering in the function of  the Educational Centre, everyday to reach the sports centre, the swimming pool, the running track ,the adjacent outdoor facilities and back.

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Regarding the integration of the Arts Building within the surrounding natural environment, the  unobstructed views of the surrounding green area, made up of pine trees and other plants, have served as an inspiration to the design. This project allows the outside view to fully reach inside via large glazed windows that give the building an outward looking perspective. Also another characteristic of the building is the possibility to reach the second floor on foot with a ramp of 5% inclination integrating the green space outside.

Other important elements in the configuration of the Educational Centre have been the orientation concerning the needs for natural lighting and therefore all studios for visual arts and lecture halls are facing south which is the most desirable, as well as the location of the Exhibition Space at the front for maximum visibility and direct access from the gates.

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The educational center has a single floor plan only on the ground floor. On the first floor, the walkway intersects the building and is semi-outdoors  dividing it into two parts, the South and the North. The walkway of the first floor is approached from the east through the triangular open staircase on the ground floor while it levels with the natural ground on the west side. On the second floor, the two parts are joined via a covered bridge. There is also a direct connection from ground floor to first floor through the walkway staircase. 

The two sections have different configurations, according to the functions they host and their needs for natural lighting. Τhe aim of the studios and lecture halls, located on the south side, is to have good orientation, tranquility, and to be well integrated into the natural environment.

All the other spaces have been situated in the northern part around a triangular atrium with a glass roof : the heart and soul of the Building. It reflects the energy of a vibrant building and where creativity will be spread and promoted from the Studios and Lecture Halls in the corridors, in the atrium, and the surrounding natural space.

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An Arts Building is a Building for creation, a building in movement, this aspect is expressed in the composition of surfaces and volumes. The diagonal path that intersects the building is a powerful element of the composition and the triangles it forms both on its horizontal and vertical axis create a dynamic architectural form expressed in many levels creating interesting spatial experiences. The sculptural approach as well as the embossed facades with vertical zigzagged elements shaping a motion to the building and offering a different sight from every point of view, produce a light and shadow dancing depending on the time and the position of the visitor creating an artistic landscape.

The Arts Building with its sculptural structure expressing dynamism and creative energy aims to point out this area of the Campus and connect it conceptually and organically with the school, transforming it to a centre of attraction both in and beyond the boundaries of the school.