OTE Tower

What I can see

The work of Alexandros Anastasiadis, the OTE Tower is one of the landmarks of the city with a total height of 76 metres and is a  project which uses all the potentials of reinforced concrete. The architectural design gives the impression of a giant sculpture. It consists of vertically tapered shapes, which enclose a vertical cantilever made from reinforced concrete, while annular plates of various diameters also grow vertically to it. It is set within the area of the Thessaloniki International Fair and is fortunately not surrounded by blocks of flats, which allows for a great view of the city and the sea from its restaurant-cafe, though this is also reflected in the menu prices.

What I can't see

It is called OTE Tower (i.e. Telecommunication Organization of Greece) not because it belongs to OTE, but because it has been leased to OTE. It is property of TIF and one of the few, if not the only, remarkable works of architecture that were built during the junta years. The 166 steps lead to the fourth floor, where a rotating café/restaurant operates, similar to those found in Stuttgart, Dortmund, Honolulu, Seattle and Singapore. The mechanism of the rotating floor was constructed by Rohr House and makes a complete turn in 45-60 minutes. During the first years of its operation, the fifth floor housed the OTE and TIF broadcast television networks. Today, a well-known telecommunications company has its headquarters here. The Panopticon logic of the building introduced a “modernist view” of the city. With this building, OTE consolidated its presence in the city and was established as “comparable” to similar organizations in Europe.

Info

• Address: International Exhibition Centre of Thessaloniki
• Postal Code : 54636

Bibliography