Point Supreme Architects were recently awarded an honourable mention for their proposal for the Theatre Square competition in Athens Greece. The square is a small urban space, surrounded by buildings on all sides, in a problematic area of central Athens.

The proposed Square is dedicated to the magic of nature: an urban room realized as a ‘secret garden’. Tall palm trees create a landmark on at the scale of the city, while at street level the garden becomes a place for the imagination with local plants and flowers creating open and closed spaces of light and shadow.

The surrounding office buildings are converted into contemporary housing with new balconies facing the garden. The streets are pedestrianised, cleared of obstacles and reoccupied with a series of playgrounds that service local families and activate the public space. The three entrances to the garden are highlighted by metallic, entrance gates that are also planted. At each entrance, Cypress trees and aromatic plants awaken the senses and announce the entrance.