The project is the creation of a contemporary restaurant within the Stauros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center in Kallithea, Athens, Greece, by Kois Associated Architects. The concept is the expression of the cultural diversity of contemporary Greece through an architectural atmosphere that alludes to the Greek cultural identity. Their aim is for the space to give out a feeling of welcoming familiarity and mystery that is unmistakably Greek in essence.
They did not compartmentalize the space; instead, they opted for a hierarchical allocation of functions, creating elevational differentiations that form a topological landscape within the space. The materiality of the project is based on the concept of authenticity and sustainability. Raw materials were used such as wood, metal, and stone. All the materials develop a dialectic relationship with each other forming a three-dimensional narrative that welcomes the visitor.
The entrance acts as the prologue of a human-scaled story. Its initial rhyme is the mosaic floor made of large fragments of crystalline marble. Material and technique allude to Greek architectural modernism paradigms which are alive in our collective memory. The circular bar surrounded by the columns of the space is set at a higher level marking the center of the architectural path while revealing the strategic design of the internal spatial views. Further, along with the spatial plot, the visitor arrives at the open kitchen area.
The space is encapsulated in a translucent volume that clearly outlines the spatial boundaries without isolating it visually, without enclosing it. Within the dematerialized spatial boundaries, the bar made of marble and bronze hosts is situ gastronomical experiences protected within the privacy of the veil.
The trees bring something of the atmosphere and the micro-scale of nature within the space blurring the boundaries between interior and exterior alluding to a refined living in the Greek landscape. The architectural approach conceptually emphasizes the experience of the enigmatic Greek mythos and the Greek identity through the creation of atmospheres that wake our collective memory.
PRINCIPAL ARCHITECT
STELIOS KOIS
PROJECT LEADER
NIKOS APERGIS
DESIGN TEAM
LEONARDOS KATSAROS, MARIELINA STAVROU, MYRTO GEORGIADOU, MANDY MAKRI, VASILIKI PAPARGIRI, ANTONIOS SARLANIS, KOSTAS TRICHIAS, LYDIA ANTONIOU, RODOLFO TUPAY, ANESTIS MICHALIS, NIKOS PATSIAOURAS
PHOTOGRAPHY
JÉRÔME GALLAND