OTE Telecommunications Tower

Renovation of the Hellenic Telecommunications Central Headquarters / Athens, Greece

2014

Invited competition

The OTE Telecommunications Tower, one of the very few towers in the skyline of Athens, is visible from afar.

In a rather typical 60’s architecture of office buildings, the large-scale complex comprises of a base and the more that 60 meters-high tower. However, despite its height, it lacks a strong presence. Ιn an invited competition, we were asked to propose an energy upgrading of the envelope and to design a Call Center in the interior.

We realized that it was a great opportunity to re-introduce an important city feature to the Athens skyline and to re-brand the tower as a strong architectural reference point, as a new landmark. We decided to resolve bioclimatic requirements and the lack of character of the tower with one gesture: we proposed a new skin, a grid that wraps around the tower and unifies its four different elevations into one volume. This skin as a bioclimatic envelope resolves energy issues and gives the tower a new strong identity. The grid folds around the tower, ‘wrinkles’ at points of interest, and, by its gradual subdivision into yet smaller divisions as it reaches the top, it intensifies the verticality of the tower. To diversify between the base and the tower, we introduce a new envelope for the base made by vertical blinds positioned in different angles to generate a game of light and shadows.

In the interior, we resolve the programmatic issues by adopting a distinction between the black box, i.e. the telecommunications strong programme and the flowing interactive spaces of the call center. On the intermediate level between the base and the tower we design a roof garden, bringing together all social and educational programme. We also propose a gym on a prominent part of the entrance floor and the re-opening of a generous skylight in the main lobby to intensify its spatial ambience.

Ote Telecommunications Tower

CREDITS

Architectural design: Rena Sakellaridou (partner in charge – SPARCH)

Civil Engineers: Pagonis – Polychronopoulos – Kinatos Co

Mechanical, Electrical and Plumbing Engineers: John E. Papagrigorakis & Associates

Lighting Design: Eleftheria Deko and Associates

Landscape Design: Sarik Barbarian - ARCHETOPO