Location:
Port of Piraeus, Greece
Date:
2010
Gross Floor Area:
9 000 m2
Height:
24 storeys
Phase:
Design
Forum:
Competition Entry
Piraeus Tower 2010 – Changing the Face / Façades Reformation — International Architectural Competition
Greece
Organizers:
GreekArchitects.gr & DuPont Hellas
Piraeus is one of the symbols of Greece as its largest port. The tower is the most remarkable contemporary structure in the city and the first one seen from the sea. As a renewed symbol of Piraeus it can become a new symbol of the country too.
The Greek flag is beautiful, with an easily recognized simple and clear design. The proportions of the tower match almost exactly these of the flag. It is superimposed on two of the elevations as a three-dimensional structure, projecting form the façade plane, serving also as sun-shades.
The tower’s proportions convey the feeling of a much lower building. For compensation, a new free-standing structure is raised on top, making the building higher and shading the top-floor terrace.
A pattern of opaque ceramic dots is applied on the glass to reduce the sunlight. They are larger on upper floors and decrease to lower ones. The dots are painted in white and black, according to the colours of the flag.