Diathlasis Mention - C. Dimitrakopoulou, A. Danilof, M.Agraniotis, D. Theodorakatos

Play of Wind & Brilliance Facade

This proposal is an attempt to redefine Piraeus Tower as a connective agent between the surrounding urban context and the wind. Wind has powered our voyages and has shaped our landforms and islands. In this study, wind shapes architecture.

A soft intervention attempt has been made in order to preserve some of the main characteristics of the abandoned building, which along the past decades has undoubtedly left a historic trace in the port of Piraeus. In this approach wind interacts with the building’s new facade in order to evolve the building, literally and metaphorically, into subtle movement.

Automatic movable fins, consisting of unique corian panels, have been used in the first two floors creating a permanently waving façade, which responds to the surrounding weather conditions.

The rest of the building consists in a more quasi-static form. A sequel of copper frames of white corian, interrupted by dynamic glass fins, have been added to the facades that lie predominately in the east –west axis to ensure a comfortable and glare free workspace. The north – south facades have a glass double skin structure, which preserves the views, controls the daylight and allows for the thermal comfort of the occupants.

A rotating art exhibition open space and an observatory have been added to the third and top floor respectively.

The interaction of moonlight, water and wind has been the key element of the design intent for the nocturnal image of the building. A dynamic but subtle play of brilliance, in cool white light, is evolving throughout the façade, responding to the current speed and direction of the wind. The lighting scheme consists of compact dimmable LED modules that are integrated into the building’s fabric and a digital anemometer that allows for the wind interaction via a controller. The two smaller facades are kept in darkness subduing the volume of the building, while reflected and refracted white light gently reveals the form, creating an ethereal landmark in Piraeus nightscape.

Material selection

1st- 2nd Floor: The first two floors of the building consist of a sash frame of rusted copper, and a sequel of White Corian® external movable fins, which respond to weather conditions.

3rd floor: For the exhibition spaces static Corian® white sheets will be used as vertical external shading materials while wooden floors will be covering all internal spaces and connective external corridors.

3rd-22rd floor: A sequel of copper frames of White Corian with automated movable fins, made out of Sentry Glass Expressions, have been added to the north-western and south-eastern facades. The fins control (via astronomic clock) sun’s direct lighting component at low elevation angles that take place along the east-west axis. The south- western and north-eastern facades employ a double skin structure, consisting of Sentry Glass, that is employed for the thermal comfort of the occupants via the chimney effect. Silk screens allow for views of the port and the city, while moderate daylight and glare.

For all vertical closures and the observatory’s tensed structure roof Sentry Glass and Sentry Glass Expressions have been selected.
Lighting:

Dimmable, high brightness, cool white LED compact modules with optics are integrated into the façade. The LEDs are mounted at the base of each glass fin (3rd – 22nd floor) and at the bottom sides of the White Corian external fins (1st -3rd floor). A digital anemometer at the top of the building is connected to an LED lighting controller interfaced and programmed via a PC. Each and every LED module can be addressed individually in terms of lighting intensity. The anemometer reads the speed and the direction of the wind and accordingly triggers various pre-programmed lighting scenarios that correspond to current wind conditions in the area. Changes are subtle and the one lighting scenario fades into the other.

Christina Dimitrakopoulou - Athanassios Danilof - Michalis Agraniotis - Dimitris Theodorakatos

Christina Dimitrakopoulou was born in Athens in 1980. In 2007 she graduated from the Architectural School of Florence, Italy. She currently lives and works in Athens as a founding member of "Mind the Architecture": a group of architects and associate engineers and designers with an aim to create innovative architectural interventions, with respect to the environment, that support human well being and promote artistic, economic and social value.

Athanassios Danilof is an Architectural Lighting Designer - Consulting Engineer. He holds the MSc Built Environment: Light & Lighting from the Bartlett School - University College London. He also has an MSc in Engineering Management and a BEng (Hons) in Electrical Engineering from Brunel University. He was born in Athens in 1980 and has been practicing Lighting Design & Illumination Ångineering in a wide range of architectural and urban projects since 2005.

Michalis Agraniotis was born in Athens in 1981. He studied Mechanical Engineeringat the National Technical University of Athens (NTUA).Since 2004 he works as a research associate in the Laboratory of Steam Boilers and Thermal Plants at the NTUA. He is a PhD candidate in the same laboratory.

Dimitris Theodorakatos was born in Athens in 1980. He received his Diploma in Mechanical Engineering from the National Technical University of Athens in 2004 and his MSc in Mechanical Engineering and Applied Sciences in 2007 from the University of Pennsylvania. He now works at a construction company

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