Exhibition of the Results of the European Architectural Competition for the Creation of a New City Centre in Athens
Curated by: Panos Dragonas
Exhibition Design: Panos Dragonas, Varvara Christopoulou
The architectural competition for the reconstruction of the center of Athens was organized by Onassis Foundation in two stages. 71 proposals were submitted at the first stage. Out of those, 9 were short-listed to compete at the second, final stage.
The exhibition layout was conceived as a temporary public space, as a central “square” that is enclosed by construction site panels. The center of the exhibition space presented all the models that were submitted at the final stage of the competition. The models were placed on a big table in the enclosed “square”. On the wooden surfaces surrounding the “square” were the panels of the distinguished submissions, among them the winning entry. The visitors had the opportunity to compare the various proposals for the main locations of the intervention area. The aim of the exhibition layout was to provoke discussions among the visitors, just as a public square should do.
The whole exhibition was constructed by OSB panels. There was no detailing and the panels were used uncut, in their original dimensions, in order to keep the cost down and speed up the time of construction.
The exhibition opened at the Onassis Cultural Center at the same day of the announcement of the results and attracted more than 20,000 visitors in 11 days.
The big turnout of visitors led the organizers to move the exhibition to a new location, to the central Metro Station of Athens at Syntagma square, where it attracted another 45,000 visitors.
February 27th – March 10th 2013, Onassis Cultural Centre, Athens -GR
Organized by the Onassis Foundation
March 14th – March 26th 2013, Syntagma Metro Station, Athens -GR
Planning-Coordination: Effie Tsiotsiou.
Communication: Afroditi Panagiotakou, Marianna Logiadou, Katerina I. Anesti (partner).
Technical Planning & Supervision: TENSOR S.A. (G.S. Papadimitriou & M. Pantelidaki).
Associates: Stavros Martinos, Stelios Giamarelos, Giannis Grigoriadis, Fanis Kafantaris, Thalia Niniou, Christina Vassilopoulou.