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Sonstiges Vergabeverfahren | 04/2013

Landscaping the Surrounding Space of the Monumental Area of Eptapyrgio, Thessaloniki

Masterplan of the landscaping proposal on an aerial photo of Eptapyrgio's area.

Masterplan of the landscaping proposal on an aerial photo of Eptapyrgio's area.

Anerkennung

Preisgeld: 4.000 EUR

OPSIS Architecture & Landscape Architecture

Landschaftsarchitektur, Architektur, Landschafts- / Umweltplanung

Spyros Xanthopoulos

sonstige Fachplanung

Aglaia Raptou & CO

Landschaftsarchitektur

Erläuterungstext

The Eptapyrgio, also popularly known by its Ottoman Turkish name Yedi Kule, is a Byzantine and Ottoman-era fortress situated on the north-eastern corner of the acropolis of Thessaloniki. It served as the major redoubt of the city's acropolis, as well as the seat of its garrison commander in Ottoman times, until the late 19th century. It was then converted to a prison, which remained open until 1989. Restoration and archaeological work began in the 1970s and continues to this day. However, the open spaces surrounding Eptapyrgio, though valuable to tourists and local inhabitants of Thessaloniki’s Upper City, have never been an object of landscape planning and development in their urban context until today.
The proposal of Opsis Architects team focused on creating a pedestrian-friendly green historical park that can serve tourist visits throughout the year, small scale cultural events and upgrade the neighborhood’s urban environment. Taking into account that the monument is placed on the highest top of the surrounding hills in the heart of Thessaloniki’s Upper City, it was important to create paths that would be easy to walk, with low inclinations and small stops for the visitor to rest and enjoy the view. On the other hand is was necessary to highlight the monumental character of the fortress and create dramatic frames of different angles.
The characteristic geometry of the proposed network of paths, small scale theaters and supporting facilities derives from the monument itself, that looks like a zigzag ribbon, connecting points of interest. Human interventions are perfectly integrated in the natural slopes around the monument, sometimes used in order to enhance to view and sometimes to block it, like the case of heavy traffic surrounding roads or the new parking space, demanded by the competition’s terms.
The planting proposal supports the architectural choices, although the plant covered areas are more naturally shaped, with free forms and a xeriscape low maintenance concept. Shade produced by trees of different sizes make the park attractive to tourists and everyday users, while ground covering shrubs of native species control the visitors’ movement and views. Small scale open spaces covered with grass surrounded by masses of trees create the impression of a series of outdoor rooms that can only be viewed as a whole from the top of the monument, inside the fortress.

Beurteilung durch das Preisgericht

2nd honourable mention
Northern part of Eptapyrgio's historical park. A small scale theater is integrated in the natural slope of the hill.

Northern part of Eptapyrgio's historical park. A small scale theater is integrated in the natural slope of the hill.

The northern part's small scale theater.

The northern part's small scale theater.

Central part of Eptapyrgio's historical park and main entrance to the monument.

Central part of Eptapyrgio's historical park and main entrance to the monument.

The main entrance to the monument.

The main entrance to the monument.

Southern part of Eptapyrgio's historical park. Open spaces by the the city's ancient wall.

Southern part of Eptapyrgio's historical park. Open spaces by the the city's ancient wall.

The second small scale theater by the wall.

The second small scale theater by the wall.

Open spaces resembling outdoor rooms.

Open spaces resembling outdoor rooms.

Western part of Eptapyrgio's historical park. Some traditional houses built by the the city's ancient wall were saved and restored.

Western part of Eptapyrgio's historical park. Some traditional houses built by the the city's ancient wall were saved and restored.