Ypsilantou 35 & Ploutarchou, Athens 10676
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Suburban Peekaboo
Athens
The need to create a second entrance to an existing suburban apartment block in Halandri led to the redefinition of the boundaries, circulation and use of the building’s exterior spaces. A new bridge leads residents directly from the sidewalk to the existing vertical circulation core at the first floor level, bypassing the sunken gardens that act as ground level. A new gate occupies the original entry point, where visitors descend a stair leading to the ground floor offices. Connecting the two points of entry is a continuous L-shaped partition comprising two tiers of slats made from Iroco wood. Both along the sidewalk and along the bridge, the variously angled wood slats create a porous screen that filters views into and out of the private grounds of the apartment block. Discreet yet playful, the voyeuristic connotations of peeking through the fence are a response to the covert social interactions of the project’s suburban setting.