Old City Hall of Municipality Varis – Voulas – Vouliagmenis, Athens (Greece)

Old City Hall of Municipality Varis – Voulas – Vouliagmenis, Athens (Greece)

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Description

The building of the Old Town Hall of Vouliagmeni is located in the region of Attica, at the southern suburbs of Athenian metropolitan territory and approximately 25km south-southeast (SSE) of its center.

The old Town Hall was built in the beginning of the 1960’s during the post Greek Civil War blooming period and is located in the middle of a municipality park in the main residential area of Vouliagmeni.

Its initial use was to accommodate all the municipality’s administrative agencies and services as well as, the mayor’s office, but since 2011 it accommodates a range of community & public services and some of the municipality’s agencies.

Τhe building is one of the few remaining typical post WWII modern architectural buildings in Athens metropolitan area and is considered as an historical landmark, governed by the current applicable legislation for the protection of historical landmarks.

In the aesthetic point of view, the architect Ilias Papagianopoulos (1939-1998) was influenced by the Le Corbusier architectural movement (1887, Switzerland – 1965, France) which was very contemporary at that time in Greece as Le Corbusier through his travels in Greece, had a profound influence to the most important Greek architects of the time.

Papagiannopoulos tried and succeeded to combine the functionalism of the modern movement with a bold, sculptural expressionism. Elements such as curved upwards roof finishing and concrete shading frame are typical for a modern building of those years. Apparent concrete very lively colored are also considered modernisms for that ages.

The Le Combusier influence to the building architectural concept is clear and obvious; clear volumes of architectural exposed concrete and “floating” volumes over recessed glass surface are the main features of the building. The architect inserted curved upwards facing roof and a concrete shading frame which are enhancing Le Corbusier influence at the design of the building.

The main floor (ground floor) is mainly an open space which was divided because of the needs of the city hall. It has 2 main entrances one from the park area and another from the parking and road area. Also, 2 auxiliary entrances are situated in the parking area (north part) deserving auxiliary functions, situated in a compartment with all the annexes (wc, archive, kitchen, etc.).

The upper floor (1st floor) is an office divided space with light divisions and continuous partly glass façade. It also includes the computer room and a small sanitary unit for both sexes. The most important aspect of the interior design of the first floor, which half of it is extending by reaching the roof of the building; permitting easy access, fluent air and sun circulation. Additionally, the concrete benches above the over hanged interior balcony at the first floor is the key interior design element of the building.

Natural paving stone at the ground floor and a colored concrete as floor finishing was used to enhance the aesthetics of the structure, while colored rough rustic plaster covers the external envelope.

InnoWEE solutions in Voula

Based on the outcome of the proposed solutions and the architectural survey conducted the following panels were installed:

ETICs-like panels at the left side of the north wall of a total surface of 23.56 m2
Ventilated façade panels at the middle of the north wall beside and on the right of the main entrance of a total surface of 11.52 m2
Wood geopolymer panel wall at the back side of the internal wall of the Office 1 of a total area of 10.00m2.

Installation of ETICs-like panels

Installation of ventilated façade panels

Installation of wood geopolymer panels

Energy performance simulations