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Factory P

Kifisia, Athens

Design & Built 2018

Factory P
Factory P
Factory P
Factory P
Factory P
Factory P
Factory P
Factory P
Factory P

Area: 2000 sqm

Design Team: Marialena Tsolka, Yvette Wolbers, Iris Skiathiti

Factory P is a radical contemporary re-working of a 1950s cosmetics factory at Acharnes, north of Athens. Designed to deconstruct entirely the austere monotone functionalism of the original building, the new entrance composition presents a delicate aluminium envelope that elegantly wraps around the facade. Inspired by the naturally occurring patterns and growth found in plants, the frame will provide a verdant green canopy to welcome visitors to the building.

The entrance sequence begins with a recessed portico, accessed via an angular series of steps, set into the two-storey patterned metal volume above, alongside a further living wall that projects within the interior. Inside, the specification preserves traces of the building’s industrial character and history but re-imagined as dynamic and emotive work environment. The public ground floor area features polished stone walls and a reception desk hewn from two piece of solid stone that echoes the material essence and solidity of the mountains in the distance to the north. A series of sinuous CNC cut wooden panels cover one complete wall, offering an area for product display and brand communication, and creating an organic and emotive connection to the greenery of the exterior facade.

An artistic use of wood continues throughout the office on the floor above, with a series of batons re configuring the main shared work areas. Suspended in a formal yet fluid pattern, the deconstructed arrangement suggests the growth and branching of a tree, with a further distribution of batons presented in one of the private offices. Here the geometric wall display frames a bespoke desk, designed in-house, and created from two single sheets of wood and metal. An elegant recess shelf, cut into the concrete frame of the building and lined with wood paneling, adds a further material gesture to the visual language. The project is an exemplar demonstration of architectural sustainability through the adaptive re-use of building, seeking to re-imagine and re-use, rather than demolish and start again.

office

7, Athinas Avenue, 16671 Kavouri-Vouliagmeni,
Athens, Greece
info@tsolka.com +30 21 0896 0700

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