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Studio Drapetsona: Academic Commons and Technical Education, Transformation of an Industrial Complex in the port of Piraeus

Kada Dimitra, Baknis Christos

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Summary

This project unfolds a careful dialog between past and future, permanence and adaptability. The project reimagines a demolition-threatened modernist industrial complex situated in the Port of Piraeus, owned by the Piraeus Port Authority. The goal is to transform it into a sustainable residential, cultural, and socially inclusive urban attractor. Through the creation of an academic and technical centre dedicated to the knowledge and application of traditional and modern construction techniques. By the coexistence of techniques for stone, wood, metal and clay, combined with advanced technologies such as robotics, the centre aims to revive traditional construction techniques, enriched with innovative approaches.The composition transforms the urban landscape through a synthesis of open spaces, free movement and dialogue with the environment.Rather than accepting the fate of post WWII concrete buildings—often dismissed as inefficient and outdated —the project proposes a holistic transformation through an adaptive reuse strategy that balances architectural preservation, energy performance, and material environmental impact. A key principle of the transformation is reversibility to ensure that the modifications do not limit future adaptability, thus enhancing long-term flexibility and reuse.The design focuses on community and collaboration: internal courtyards, semi-outdoor spaces, workshops, makers' studios, exhibition spaces, library and offices, all connected through a common platform-corridor, which acts as an organizational and symbolic axis of the project. The proposal places particular emphasis on sustainability, promoting the use of recyclable materials and the reuse of existing elements of the site. The aim is to create a multi-functional space for education, creation and research, acting as a nucleus for the social and cultural activation of the area, reinforcing the link between technical knowledge and the educational and productive process. Introducing affordable housing, public programs, and cultural initiatives, the project transforms an isolated structure into a vibrant hub for community life. This approach redefines preservation not as a merely conservative effort, but as a dynamic and sustainable process of adaptation that promotes urban resilience.

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