Sleep Persephone in the earth's embrace

Student: Bafiti mantalena
Supervisor: George Papakostas
Faculty of Engineering. School of Architecture. Aristotle University of Thessaloniki
Presentation Day: 21/02/14

Project's name is inspired by Nikos' Gatsos poem "Sleep Persephone in the earth's embrace '' and concerns the construction of a bathing complex in a Paros' region known for it's clay. It is a building with bathing and recreational functions, whose characteristic is the total immersion into the ground.

Essay
Project's name is inspired by Nikos' Gatsos poem "Sleep Persephone in the earth's embrace '' and concerns the construction of a bathing complex in a Paros' region known for it's clay.

According to mythology, Hades grabbed Persephone (goddess) making her wandering between the upper and the lower world. Gatsos urges Persephone to stay in the underworld watching the tragic situation that has today's industrial Eleusis fallen contrary to its glorious past.

The designing process of the project is described by a complex of angles in floor plans, as the angular shapes refer to rough. Key feature for the project is the decision for total immersion of the building beneath the earth and the sensitivity to the landscape remains unspoilt but prevent areas character from being altered (reference to the radical change of identity of Eleusis according to the poem). The only thing that betrays the existence of civilization beneath the earth are triangular prisms (atriums) and cracks in the ground that pierce the earth and illuminate the entire underground building.

The building evolves into 4 levels:

1st: Parking and storage
2nd: reception, parking, restaurant, lobby, screening room, bars, offices, utility rooms
3rd: bathing rooms, pools, baths modules (sauna, massage, etc.)
4th: clay pool, private baths

The elevators and stairs are located in the prism roofed atriums.

Beyond the boundaries of project's region there was a vestigial port in the close area which was redesigned getting recreational character. Moreover this was connected with the underground construction via a walking route that alternates it's character (dock, ramp, tunnel, bridge, building's body).

The interior is lined with white Parian marble and the clay's pool wall is replaced by natural rocks (immediacy). Light beams through the atriums and the land crannies are supposed to help bathing process creating atmosphere during the day, however in the evening these prisms are lightening the entire outdoor area.