Building Restoration, Thisio
The project concerns the radical renovation of an existing building and includes a partial change of use, extensive interior arrangements, restoration of the facades, installation of modern networks and static strengthening of the reinforced concrete elements, the load-bearing masonry and the foundation. Although being the result of two building phases with a significant time difference (1937 – basement, ground floor, first floor and 1954 – addition of a second floor and a laundry room on the roof), the building has a uniform character and bears the typical characteristics of modern architectural style.
On the ground floor of the building there was a corner shop with an entrance from the street level, as well as a small apartment with access to the courtyard. From there, an external metal staircase was extended up to the roof, while next to the entrance to this apartment, a staircase led directly from the street to the basement. On the other side of the building was the main entrance and the private stairwell as the main access to the two floor apartments.
This special feature of clearly distinguishing horizontal and vertical movements according to the use and importance of the spaces was incorporated with some key changes in the new building program. Access to the ground floor spaces directly from the sidewalk was maintained as well as the central stairwell to which an elevator was added to serve the floors. However, the auxiliary staircase of the courtyard and the independent entrance of the basement were abolished, and was now configured internally as an extension of the central staircase, functionally connecting additionally the ground floor with the basement.
Structurally, the similarities are obvious: in the basement there are auxiliary uses, on the ground floor a gallery and a small loft and on the upper floors two apartments. An important difference can be found in the roof which is configured as a private roof garden with exclusive access and use by the second floor apartment.
From a morphological point of view, the facet presents the linear placement of bay windows typical of the period of construction and a series of characteristic elements, which were preserved and repaired or replaced by contemporary products in the same style. Among them are the parapets with geometric railing, the metal entrance door, the single glazing of the stairwell and the typology of the frames with dividers, while for the colors the simplicity of the contrast in white and black was chosen.
