What I can see

Coming to Thessaloniki by train, we see the area of ​​Lachanokipi first and our eyes are drawn to this large residential complex with its colourful balconies. The western entrance to the city, famous for its industrial, manufacturing and commercial activity, has been undergoing a transformation in recent decades, as real estate, hotels, office buildings and shopping centres are developing. Large construction companies have undertaken the construction of residential complexes and their outdoor spaces. In this particular complex, we see seven-storey apartment buildings developing around the perimeter of the plot, inside which there are two lower towers. The facades of the apartment buildings are similar, thus emphasizing the unified architectural identity of the complex, with the main characteristic being the colour “play” of transparent surfaces -instead of railings- on the balconies. The plot has a total area of ​​12,285 sq m, the 436 apartments (of three types from 55 to 95 sq m) have a total area of ​​27,880 sq m and the auxiliary spaces (covered parking spaces and warehouses) another 3,360 sq m.

What I can't see

The project to build these houses and their outdoor spaces was undertaken by one of the largest construction groups in the country and is aimed more at repatriates from the former USSR. This development caused concern among architects and sociologists about possible conditions of social isolation for these people. The project was an example of public-private sector cooperation. The circumvention of legislation in favour of the group, with the approval of the local authorities, and the purchase with favourable loans to the repatriates by the state, led to faster housing, but also easier and guaranteed profit for the group. On the contrary, the Workers’ Housing Organization is not equally treated and usually is even unable to utilize the land it owns. The proximity of Menemeni area to other industrial areas attracted low-income social groups. The transformation of the area does not follow the typical urban gentrification, but relies on the market capacity. Thus, the city is divided into corresponding zones and the architecture/urban planning follows the dictates of the market. Nevertheless, 5 years after the completion of the complex, the apartment sales had barely reached 70%, therefore, the investment was not as successful as expected. This type of intervention in the urban space by large groups has a stronger impact on it, as the changes are larger in scale and more violent compared to the construction of individual apartment buildings on a plot of land in the city. Consequently, the architectural design of such projects carries more weight, as it determines social impacts for the population residing there. In this case, we have an example of residential design with interesting open common spaces, but without the area being surrounded by public amenities and with difficult access to the city centre, elements sufficient to produce conditions of social isolation.

Info

• Address: Moutafi St.

Bibliography