Area : 120000 m2
Location: Thessaloniki
‘Thesserae’ Business Center is a design master plan proposal for a new central business district at the west end of Thessaloniki. The purpose of the proposal is the creation of a contemporary, smart and innovative combination of vibrant urban space and international business hub in West Thessaloniki.
This historic layering of the city inspired the project to consider the notion of mosaic as a permanent mark of city’s historical heritage. The mosaic technique, the creation of shapes and forms with the use of tesserae (mosaic) becomes a central inspiration.
The proposal aims to a contemporary urban planning approach that goes beyond the traditional city blocks, suggesting a new concept of city development, challenging the explicit limits of public and private space. Urban green and public spaces become “smart” and expand in all levels. Open spaces are blended with semi-public spaces in a three-dimensional canvas. Workspaces, F&B, retail, sport and business activities are connected in a 3 level public spine, offering a new experience for the new business district. More specifically, the public space is lifted in a higher level, at 12 meters above the ground floor creating a "flyover urban space" in the middle of the open space between the office buildings volumes, in a valley-like architectural topography and viewing platform for the city.
The design pluralism with innovative elements, celebrates the differentiation of design one can meet in the city of Thessaloniki , stretching the different experience with direct references to the maritime design with the “ship building” , to suburban green hills with the “valley buildings”, the container startup and creation center for young artists and entrepreneurs and a contemporary statement the one with a the twisted building as the new land mark of business and development, which stands a dialectic approach with the white tower the symbol of the city. Green roofs and lifted public and semi-public spaces seek to provide the new experience of the mosaic, significantly increasing the percentage of green in west Thessaloniki. At the same time the 9 listed buildings on site formulate five significant “squares”: the FIX Square, the Valley, the Mosaic Square, the Tower Square, and the Skate Park with different visitor experience for each one. This design proposal is submitted in the Arxellence UIA competition by ALumil.
Design coordination/management: Alexandros Kouloukouris, Dimitris Raidis |
Strategic design consultancy: UNstudio Marianthi Tatari |
Design Team Eirini Bableki, Stefanos Argyriou, Persephoni Terzi, Elias Vouras |
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Smart city expert: Marilina Toli |
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Visuals: Christos Panagoς , Eirini Bableki |