XPX Silence Conference Center, Tennis club and Spa, Astir Palace

/ Athens, Greece

2009

In every attempt to transform the visible boundary of the building, the landscape showed strong resistance. The need for silence emerged and transformed the design.

Experiences of entering, moving, seeing, or sensing qualities of space formed the concept. A big ramp created a deep hole into the mass, a ceremonial process transformed in the interior into an elongated fluid atrium. The double height Congress Hall, a big void into the mass of the ‘non-existent’ building, occupied the middle of the floorplan, while ‘deep cuts’ allowed for mezzanine floors and double height parts of the foyer to merge visually and spatially.

In the spa, the notions of water and fire influenced the whole concept.

Nature intruded in every possible way.

XPX Silence Conference Center, Tennis club and Spa, Astir Palace / Athens, Greece

CREDITS

Partner in Charge: Rena Sakellaridou

Architectural Design: Rena Sakellaridou & Morpho Papanikolaou | SPARCH

Collaborating Architects: Ch. Yessios, Ι. Kloni, N.Apergis, M. Anthopoulou