In a spirit of enquiry into the evolution of apartment block architecture in Athens, design district and architect Minas Papadakis take you on a tour of the Exarchia area, focusing on four buildings of particular architectural interest that mark the evolution of the apartment block in central Athens.
Mr Papadakis is a member of Guiding Architects, a group active in 30 cities around the world that organises architectural tours.
The “route” that you can follow in the video touches on subjects such as the reasons why apartment blocks became widespread as a housing type, when the antiparochi system (the exchange of land for apartments) was in operation in Greece, and how legislation and the construction industry worked from 1930 to 1990.
The buildings that serve as stops on our tour:
• The Michailidis brothers’ apartment block, on the corner of Stournari & Zaimi streets (1.48 min)
The Michailidis brothers’ apartment block was built in 1934 by the architects Thoukididis Valentis and Polyvios Michailidis.
This building represents one of the first steps in the architectural transition from Neoclassicism to Modernism.
As a characteristic example of Modernism, it avoids decorative elements altogether; its appearance comes instead from a range of materials that were new at the time and are still in use today.
• The Antonopoulou apartment block in Exarchia Square (8.55 min)
The Antonopoulou apartment block stands in Exarchia Square. It was built in the same period as the Michailidis brothers’ building and remains one of the largest apartment blocks in central Athens.
Its distinctive feature was its blue colour, which is why it is still known today as the blue apartment block. Its design was a pioneering undertaking for its time, the result of a collaboration between the architect Mr Panagiotakos and the painter Mr Papaloukas, and it reflects the principles of the Bauhaus movement.
It is in effect two buildings with two independent entrances, which “communicate” with each other only at basement level and on the roof terrace.
• The apartment block by Dimitris and Souzana Antonakakis on Emmanouil Benaki Street (14.15 min)
The third apartment block stands at the end of Emmanouil Benaki Street and was built in 1973 by Dimitris and Souzana Antonakakis. Its distinctive features are the open stairwell and the uneven floor levels.
Wanting to escape the leading role of the contractor and the conventional antiparochi method of construction, the Antonakakis couple worked with the future owners of the apartments from the outset on how they would be laid out.
• The apartment block by the sculptor Alexandros Patsouris, on the corner of Didotou and Delfon streets (16.05 min)
The fourth and last apartment block our tour takes you to is by the architect and sculptor Alexandros Patsouris, on the corner of Didotou and Delfon streets.
Mr Patsouris designed a residential building with seven apartments, which likewise does not “obey” the logic of separate floors. Construction began in 1987, and its distinctive feature was its “dialogue” with the neighbouring buildings.
Explore Exarchia with us through the video!
Editing: Minas Papadakis
Production Management, Editing, Presentation: Manos Lianopoulos
Photography – Camera: Alexis Pilos
Music: 3 minute pop song
