The Greek polykatoikia (apartment building) typology which emerged in the second half of the 20th century was shaped by specific historical, legal and economic conditions. Apart from floor standardization and economies of scale related to construction methods and materials, a new financial agreement was established between the owner of the plot and the contractor, which is responsible in part, for the homogeneous appearance of the city. The agreement, holding to this day, is called “antiparohi”. Very profitable for both parties and involving very small risk, it regulates an ownership percentage of the square meters built, stating that the majority is given to the contractor to sell and the minority to the owner.
In the case of the “Half-a-polykatoikia” we were asked to intervene within this standard financial (and structural) framework. The owners, relatives of the contractor, had acquired from the drawings stage, the two top floors of an apartment building to be developed with antiparohi. They required, instead of standard construction, that their property be custom designed into a family dwelling with individual spaces and a layout to suit their specific needs. This condition nurtured the coexistence of two economies: the economy of the unique resting above the economy of the standard.
The opportunity was seized to express these contrasting economies very clearly. Moving away from the usual residual approach to outdoor spaces (balconies) with the odd mop and broom parked on the side, here the terraces extending on three levels, are treated as prime spaces and furnished with multiple layers of use: built in terrazzo planters and clothes lines, stable and retractable pergolas, net railings, a barbeque area with ample seating, vertical sliding panels, providing shading and privacy, constantly transforming the facade and a vast green roof for farming, playing and resting, while enjoying the view of the Lycabettus hill.
The interior spaces occupy two floors and communicate through a custom designed steel circular stair, progressively pierced as it moves up, its concrete shell and treads washed with light through a glass ceiling. All spaces, public and private, are designed with built in furniture, both a unique characteristic of the apartment and a clever way to provide free space with a maximum amount of practical storage and shelving.
Even the way one arrives to the “Half-a-Polykatoikia” diverts from the norm, where surprisingly, a door in the floor’s public circulation corridor opens to an outdoor shaded terrace leading to a separate private entrance door for the apartment.