© Point Supreme Architects . Published on November 07, 2011.

The transformation of five rival spaces into one unified operation was the opportunity to define and give clarity to a street in the centre of Athens.

© Point Supreme Architects . Published on November 07, 2011.

A programmatic reversal takes place: five previously mono-functional, autonomous spaces in constant competition are transformed into one multi-functional space of complementary uses to create a cultural centre. The conversion occurs with the minimum of means and no additions. A very restricted budget, usually perceived as a limitation, became the inspiration.

© Point Supreme Architects . Published on November 07, 2011.

The program changes across the space from gallery, café, gig/concert space to bar; this reflects a shift from daytime to nighttime use, bright to dark, vacant to dense space. This shifting is literally revealed through paint – each space is painted in a subsequent shade from white to black. The spaces are simultaneously unified and given individual identity. The unification is amplified by a continuous fluorescent strip of colour behind the façade and large communal tables that stretch across the whole street. The de-saturated spatial experience creates sharp contrast with the vibrancy and vigor of the hidden garden behind the building.

© Point Supreme Architects . Published on November 07, 2011.

The intervention in the garden brought back the site to its original natural state; in a city that systematically builds up its fragmented natural remains, the 400m2 garden allows the operation of a busy café and night bar with few key actions that merge with the natural setting; a wooden bar and furniture plus simple light bulbs hanging from the trees makes for all the equipment , allowing for a rare sense of the ‘situation of nature’ that is so missing in the area. The garden becomes a place about space before human intervention, a place about the pleasure of nature and the appreciation of the void.

© Point Supreme Architects . Published on November 07, 2011.

© Point Supreme Architects . Published on November 07, 2011.

Foto: © Panagiota Karastergiou. Published on November 07, 2011.

Foto: © Panagiota Karastergiou. Published on November 07, 2011.

© Point Supreme Architects . Published on November 07, 2011.

© Point Supreme Architects . Published on November 07, 2011.

© Point Supreme Architects . Published on November 07, 2011.

© Point Supreme Architects . Published on November 07, 2011.

© Point Supreme Architects . Published on November 07, 2011.