Location:
Athens, Greece
Year:
2009
Type:
Gallery, Bar & Restaurant, Refurbishment
Status:
Build
Size:
1.600 sqm
The Art Foundation has been an inspiring and impactful entity for the contemporary culture in Athens, being an open platform for cultural production and action and, at the same time, a meeting point, accessible to the public all year round, seven days a week.
The original building was constructed in 1870 and consisted of small housing units around a central courtyard. in 2008, the Art Foundation (T.a.f) was housed inside the building envelop with the one and only purpose to strengthen the dialogue between art and the historical centre of Athens.
Pieris.Architects alongside architect Despina Bardouki, created a public platform for contemporary art that stimulates discussion and exchange of views, representing in a sense a modern architectural interpretation of the Athenian Agora.
The project aims to introduce cultural activities such as exhibitions, performances and artisans markets through the design of unique multi-functional spaces.
Major parts of the original building were kept to their original state, allowing the dialogue between the past and the present to take place.
During the summer, a series of “urban water lilies” customed designed by Pieris.Architects operate as shading devices, and act as the most recognisable and signature visual elements of the building.
During winter, the courtyard of the building gets covered by a tensile retractable roof ‘the cloud’, the ‘cloud’ shelters the open courtyard from unpredictable weather, extends its year-round use securing temperatures closer to comfort zone, and permits the winter operation of the bar.