Piscator Apartment In Athens

Piscator Apartment In Athens
© Mariana Bisti

Piscator Apartment in Athens 

en-route-architecture

LEAD ARCHITECTS
Hannes Livers Gutberlet, Katerina Kourkoula

DESIGN TEAM
Marina Matinopoulou, Elina Varouxaki, Ioanna Virvidaki

MAIN CONTRACTOR
Ergon+

CARPENTRY
Michalis Zabetas

FURNITURE
Myran

METAL FABRICATION
Xionas Metal Constructions

LIGHTING COMPANY
LUUN, Artemide Hellas S.A.

MANUFACTURERS
Geberit, Arne Jacobsen, Artemide, Emu, HAY, Leif Jorgensen, NIC design, Nikari, Ritmonio, Sanco

PHOTOGRAPHS
Mariana Bisti

AREA
85 m²

YEAR
2023

LOCATION
Athens, Greece

CATEGORY
Residential Architecture, Apartments, Renovation

There is a wide gap between having just enough and having just too much. This refers to the amount of occupied space per person or the amount of clutter that occupies a person.

Piscator Apartment In Athens
© Mariana Bisti
Piscator Apartment In Athens
© Mariana Bisti

Having less in less space has - once again - become a worthy living model. Worthy, because the equation is compelling: The less space per person, the less expansion into unbuilt areas.

The more people in one area, the more diverse communities are. The less clutter per person, the more focus on necessities and (hopefully) less waste. But as we learned (from modernism), less is never always more.

Piscator Apartment In Athens
© Mariana Bisti
Piscator Apartment In Athens
© Mariana Bisti

Because less can also be alienating and morbid. Less needs orchestration, fine-tuning, and flexibility. Especially, if one lives in less space, it becomes essential to achieve just the right kind of lively lightness. A banal but essential insight.

In 1926, Marcel Breuer knew this, when he designed the apartment for Erwin Piscator in Berlin. Two influential personas seemed to have overlapped with their ideas about space and how to experience it. Lightness, spaciousness, and adaptability are principles that are as valid today, as they were then.

Piscator Apartment In Athens
© Mariana Bisti
Piscator Apartment In Athens
© Mariana Bisti

Back then, most inventions and convictions were born out of a condition of scarcity. Scarcity in space, materials, and time. Today, in most economically advanced countries, scarcity is barely imaginable. As gradual planetary destruction looms on the horizon of an anthropocentric maelstrom.

In this project, the owner’s choice to opt for a smaller apartment initiated the idea that scarcity could form the conceptual starting point from which design choices evolved. Like in modern design, the approach relates to basic principles on how to respond to scarcity.

Piscator Apartment In Athens
© Mariana Bisti
Piscator Apartment In Athens
© Mariana Bisti

Existing elements such as mosaic and wooden floors were kept intact as much as possible, while pipes were exposed to avoid cuts in these areas.

Built-in elements such as shelves, cupboards and counters were hung on walls to emphasize lightness and overall openness. Allowing to place seating elements below or to move them around in different scenarios.

Standard materials are applied and perceived as what they are. Sheet metal, plywood, cement plaster, and tiles are the basic ingredients that complement each other. Their alignment, color, shape, and composition all relate to their pragmatic use in each specific location.

Piscator Apartment In Athens
© Mariana Bisti
Piscator Apartment In Athens
© Mariana Bisti
Piscator Apartment In Athens
© Mariana Bisti

Some corners are curved to avoid sharp edges. Some surfaces are steel when exposed to daily use. Most walls and elements are painted white to emphasize spaciousness.

Bathroom spaces are colored to provide contrasting interludes in areas with less light. Cupboards are wooden to complement metal materials with a lighter and different haptic comfort.

The design decisions allow the resident to have an honest relationship with furniture and space. Every element is not more than it needs to be, but also not just functional. Specifically designed and orchestrated objects promote a lifestyle of living with less in less space.

Piscator Apartment In Athens
© Mariana Bisti
Piscator Apartment In Athens
© Mariana Bisti


Piscator Apartment In Athens
© Mariana Bisti
Piscator Apartment In Athens
© Mariana Bisti


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