Poly-ka.toi.ki.a

By studying the extremely dense urban fabric of the area we can see that it mainly consists of a repetition of variations of the polykatoikia. The “polykatoikia” is in a way the Greek city’s ‘urban unit’, a flexible building type that is usually used for housing or office spaces. Wanting to improve the quality of life for all who live and work in Kypseli, we propose some interventions in the unit of polykatoikia, aiming to create a new archetype by using the existing building stock. Firstly, the proposal includes activating the ground floors, so they can take on more of a public use and create a passage to the urban voids (“acalyptos”), which will be revitalized. We also want to retrofit the facades, so that they can have better insulation and resilience to extreme heat, while making adaptations such as bigger openings and better shading systems. Then, we suggest to open up the staircase in the core of the building and its access to the rooftop for better ventilation and lighting and better use of the communal space that is formed inside. Finally, as rooftops are one crucial area of our plan, we wanted to repurpose this level of the polykatoikia by creating green roofs, plant spaces and communal gardens for the residents, integrated with solar panels and a rainwater capture system.





© Eirini Mpovolou, Rea Zisi