Paramana Square

What I can see

Paramana Square occupies an area of 7500 sqm and the materials used are wood, stainless steel sheets, concrete, stone and granite. Each material has a different intended use. The expressionist style and form of the square lends dynamism. Six free stripes of varying size and height add depth. The central folding surface evolves into a gate, forms a monument to heroes and ends up as an open theatre. The square is transformed from a two-dimensional surface into a three-dimensional one. The car ramps and emergency exits of the underground parking lot and the sidewalks of the area are in harmony with the square. The lighting with different colours emphasizes the morphology of the square, its surfaces and uses, while it extends beyond the square, gradually “erasing” its boundaries.

What I can't see

It was designed by Dimitrios Kontaxakis, Maria-Eleni Kosmidou and Spyros Papadimitriou. Digital means of design were used and it is considered a work of experimental architecture. The sculptor Kostas Varotsos also participated in the project. Design parameters were the traffic in the square and its activities. Among the aims of the design is the visitors’ physical contact with the surfaces. This area gathers municipal services and – in combination with the underground car park – the traffic is intense. The ambition of the square’s design was to compensate for this “tension” and become a place of relaxation.

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