The project is a cafe/bar –restaurant in Kifisia, a well known for its commercial character suburb of Athens, that is generally consisted of open and green public spaces. The design is carried out at a long and linear space with a depth to length ratio of approximately 1 to 3, in an existing two storey building constructed in the 90s.

Design Space:

-      Basement: toilets, kitchen, cellar and storage room.

-      Ground floor: main bar and sitting area, courtyard.

-      Mezzanine: staff area, engine room.

Design Idea:

The main design idea focuses on unifying inside and outside thus creating a space that cancels the boundaries between open and closed, public and private.

Execution:

Initially it was decided to strip off the stall constructions and coatings revealing the bare structural grid. The specific, archetypal module, transforms, refolds reproduces itself and gets reflected in all the new architectural elements of the proposal, thus serving the initial idea of unification.

The courtyard refers to an urban garden defined by a steel framed structure that is associated with the traditional element of “pergola”. The required shading is achieved by “planting” the canopy itself with climbing plantation.

The interior is formed by the existing, bare structural elements. Simultaneously the external plantation “comes in”, fading and finally appearing in steel pots that are attached on the vertical surfaces (walls and mezzanine). An important, design element is the concrete bar, which runs almost along the whole length of the space, serving the functions of payment, bartending, music playing and socializing since its end cantilevers out, allowing the customers to use it as a table.

The elevation of the mezzanine follows the module with translucent and solid surfaces ensuring on one hand the privacy of its function, without isolating it from the rest of the space. The floor is constructed from a single and plane concrete surface that connects functionally and visually the interior with the exterior, something that is strengthened by the use of fully-opening glass doors.

All the structures and equipment were custom designed and constructed specifically for this project in such way serving both the architectural needs and low budget requirement.