Passenger Terminal of the Piraeus Port Authority
The building of modern architecture of the passenger terminal of the Piraeus Port Authority, which many call "pagoda".
Modern and Contemporary era (1821 - )
1964 Beginning of construction, designed by Giannis Liapis and Helias Skroumpelos.
1969 Completion.
Ottoman era (1453- 1821)
Byzantine era (331 AC- 1453)
Roman era (30 BC- 330 AC)
Hellenistic era (322- 31 BC)
Classical era (478-323 BC)
Archaic era (800-479 BC)
Geometric era (-1100- 800 BC)
Prehistory (-1100 BC)
What I can see
This 185m long and 51 m wide passenger station is formed by uncovered concrete. It has brutalist influences and an unconventional logic that refers to works by Saarinen and Le Corbusier. It is divided into three levels. On the ground floor, there were originally a customs clearance and trade area, with waiting areas on the first floor, offices and shops, and on the third, the farewell room and a restaurant. Later, it was used as an exhibition hall and conference center, and currently there are discussions about operating it as a hotel. The curved roof, combined with the central pillars and the tensile cables, are reminiscent of sailboat and harbour cranes.
What I can't see
Its design was intended to symbolize Greece undergoing modernization. Architecturally, it was the most original and unconventional public building of that time, with foundations reaching a depth of 10 metres. This building is a part of the station complex designed for the harbour was to include two passenger station complexes, a multi-storey office building, another office building and a port office.
Info
- Address: Miaoulis Coast
Bibliography
http://www.culture2000.tee.gr/ATHENS/GREEK/main2.html
Last visit 23/1/2018
Kosmetatos S., (ed.), (1971), «Επιβατικός σταθμός στον Πειραιά», [Passenger Terminal at the Port of Piraeus], in Architecture in Greece, v.5, p.p. 170-177, NTUA