Mediateque in Patras
Zervou Angeliki, Vassalou Elli 2003
The library has always been a space that provides knowledge. To know, means to be informed, to learn. On a further analysis, learning means observing, seeing, listening, feeling. It also means creating and being part of things happening around me in order to understand their meanings, it means experiencing, being alive. Art presupposes some kind of interaction between people and it’s works. The visitor of a contemporary art space participates actively in all events taking place in it. In fact, one can actually experience the creation of certain works during their visit .
The building site is located on the national road of Athens-Patras, on the edge of the urban center of Patras which is progressively spreading towards this transitional area, forming an entrance to the city.In the surrounding area there is no single uniform layout but instead zones of land use, beginning with low commercial activity, to high commercial activity-on the level of the national road- ending to a residential area which extends up to the port.
Because of the national road there is heavy traffic whereas the appearance of pedestrians is limited towards the commercial stores nearby. Aim of planning was to contribute in the unification of the region with the existing urban centre of Patras.
Exploiting the character of the region as a gateway to the city we wanted to create a building-landmark that will become perceptible in the two currents of the national road but also in all the surrounding area. A building that would invite people to experience it only during peak shopping hours but throughout the whole day.
For these reasons, the role of the facades as a means of communication between the interior and exterior of the building, is considered very important. Consequently, the façade is designed as a vast projection surface – projecting the events taking place inside the building to the city outside- which is shaped by each user or visitor of the building. In that way, the building becomes a collage of information, ideas and moods, a constantly alternating ark of personal expression.
Following the morphological, environmental and utilitarian graduations of the surrounding area, the building is divided into three volumes with different heights which are reunited through movement inside them. Each of these volumes consists of two zones: the one conversing with the exterior of the building and the one conversing with the atrium in the core of the building.We wanted to create a space flexible, multidimentional and open to people and happenings. A building transparent and airy with light materials, with a fluid interior and vivid colours. An environment that would promote communication and make all its visitors want to experience it the most. The programme includes cinemas, recording rooms, audio visual editing rooms, photography-dark room, computer rooms, studios for training sessions and workshops, art and culture library(architecture, cinema, arts, design, magazines etc), multimedia library, dvd/vhs screening rooms, audio hearing rooms, comics library, galleries and preparation rooms, roof garden, bookstore, café .
The building is addressed to the citizens of Patras and particularly to the university students -since it will also be home of the Culture Teams of the University of Patras and all other cultural events-, but also to all other visitors and passerbies.
Because of the national road there is heavy traffic whereas the appearance of pedestrians is limited towards the commercial stores nearby. Aim of planning was to contribute in the unification of the region with the existing urban centre of Patras.
Exploiting the character of the region as a gateway to the city we wanted to create a building-landmark that will become perceptible in the two currents of the national road but also in all the surrounding area. A building that would invite people to experience it only during peak shopping hours but throughout the whole day.
For these reasons, the role of the facades as a means of communication between the interior and exterior of the building, is considered very important. Consequently, the façade is designed as a vast projection surface – projecting the events taking place inside the building to the city outside- which is shaped by each user or visitor of the building. In that way, the building becomes a collage of information, ideas and moods, a constantly alternating ark of personal expression.
Following the morphological, environmental and utilitarian graduations of the surrounding area, the building is divided into three volumes with different heights which are reunited through movement inside them. Each of these volumes consists of two zones: the one conversing with the exterior of the building and the one conversing with the atrium in the core of the building.We wanted to create a space flexible, multidimentional and open to people and happenings. A building transparent and airy with light materials, with a fluid interior and vivid colours. An environment that would promote communication and make all its visitors want to experience it the most. The programme includes cinemas, recording rooms, audio visual editing rooms, photography-dark room, computer rooms, studios for training sessions and workshops, art and culture library(architecture, cinema, arts, design, magazines etc), multimedia library, dvd/vhs screening rooms, audio hearing rooms, comics library, galleries and preparation rooms, roof garden, bookstore, café .
The building is addressed to the citizens of Patras and particularly to the university students -since it will also be home of the Culture Teams of the University of Patras and all other cultural events-, but also to all other visitors and passerbies.
