tags:  piraeus tower , competition , 2010

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PIRAEUS PLAKAT english

’NET OF MYTHOLOGY’

CONCEPT

The location of the tower describes a special connecting point between the sea and the city of Athens, a sign between natural and man-built environment, a dialog between sea, world and the citizens. The concept of the ‘Net of Mythology’ uses the geographical site of the building, it is formed and designed by the local conditions like sun moves, and ’operated’ by the typical winds of the place, in order to create a redesigned – sufficient, sustainable and localized – system for the tower. This facade system is capable for sustaining new functions like rainwater collection, passive solar energy use, fotovoltaic surfaces, combined with a naturally ventillated double skin facade construction. The tower conceptually is integrated with some exterior spaces that can be used like public spaces. The grand open staircase which is facing to the bay shift the life of the street to the a platform on 3. level .

At design we used the unsymmetrical placing of the existing tower building on the ’stoa’, to create an extra – partly self-bearing – skin, an extra protection from the sun, from the heat. This skin is close to the original outline on the North and East sides, but forms a new outline on the South and West sides. The skin gives a possibility for some extra functions for the 3rd floor’s platform, like covered terraces for cafés, meeting point at the harbor or resting zone for the people. This outline skin has a sun-shading outer layout and an air deflecting inner layout. The new two-layered facade element also gives the opportunity for the office floors some look-out function by some pathways with terraces built between the layouts. The required fire escape stair outside the existing tower and under the “net” gives the frame of the new facade skin structure.

By a functional overview we keep the ground floor for the main entrance and for retail, 1st and 2nd floors for shopping.. The lobby for offices are also accessible by this main entrance from the street of the bay’s park. The 3rd and 4th floors are for the cafés and meeting point. Above the office levels, on the 19th and 20th floors is capable for a conference function. The 21st and 22nd floors of the tower can be occupied by a restaurant. Our concept put the mechanical engineering on the roof, using the extra facade skin surface with noise-blocking proposition at the top.

MATERIALS

The concept ’Net of Mythology’ uses mainly four different types of materials. The existing cover of the tower is completely removed. The new ventillated double skin facade – with shading net on the South and West sides – builds up from DuPont SentryGlas panels to ensure strength and lightness. With the outer skin moving further form the existing tower outline and creates the covering for the terrace roof on the 3rd floor, the building gets a perforated metal and glass skin for sun shading and also has a strong visual function. This new skin structure is hold by a self-bearing steel grid-system, connected to the extra fire-protected open staircase’s concrete structure, and also connected to the existing concrete bearing system of the tower at the corners by every floors height. Between the grid-structure we designed path-ways for some look-out functions for the offices and the hosting levels with terraces. For the horizontal sun-shading panels we also use perforated steel panels for covering.

The 1st and 2nd floors’ facade get the cover of Dupont Corian in ’sagebrush’ color. This material gives a massive outlook for the stoa. Under it the facade of the ground floor is made of DuPont SentryGlas because its safety properties, and the shops can stay visible for people of the street.

The outer skin made of perforated metal panels, with some terrace breakings and with its grid-style bearing frame is proper for fotovoltaic solar energy collecting panel installation on the South and West sides of the skin. The outline terraces are created with the combination of some shifted panels and pathways are basic vegetation planting points too.

Our concept has a main issue on economy with tools like protecting against sun beams. The tower gets from the east vertical to the east-south horizontal steel shaders by every two floors, moreover the facades has an extra shading level between the two glass skins.

architects:
Csaba Sárközi
Ádám Tubákos

partners:
Tamás Kun
Szabolcs Császár