/ Architecture Wellness Center in Nea Penteli

Wellness Center in Nea Penteli

Year

2009

Location

Nea Penteli, Athens

Status

Concept

Team

Louis Barault, Georgia Tsigara, Ceca Krstic

The site is located in the New Penteli municipality and is adjacent to the main square. The irregular shape of the site, the necessity to meet specific program requirements, the incorporation of the building into the scale of the area, as well as the strict and limiting building regulations that dictate pitched roofs, were some of the challenges that the design team had to tackle.

The building, mainly because of its program and function, is required to play the key role of an aesthetic landmark in the area characterized by single houses or apartment buildings of low height. The concept aims to stress the multifunctionality and peculiarity of the project as well as to consolidate the connection to the main square. Aiming to incorporate the building to the scale, a composition based on abstraction divides the main volume into five secondary volumes. The sculptural forms of these volumes create a strong antithesis with the horizontal and vertical axes. Within the context of five distinct inclined roof planes, a sequence of both intruding and protruding as well as raising and lowering, elements create the openings of the building through which the natural light enters the space. The distinct green color of the oxidized copper renders a dynamic approach to the exterior shell of the building.

The commercial spaces of the café and the bio shop are located on the ground floor facing the main square. The reception and administration areas are accessible from the side entrance on the street level. On the basement, the indoor pool as well as the hammam and sauna areas, are located while on the first floor, one can find the large yoga and pilates room and right next to it, the changing rooms and several auxiliary spaces. The importance of the outdoor area as an organic and integral part of the building is stressed by the presence of the water element uniting the “inside” with the “outside”.