Portfolio pooja deshpande

THESIS DESIGN PORTFOLIO M.Arch Urban Design Bartlett School of Architecture

Pooja Deshpande Unit 3 Tutors: Nicholas Boyarsky Camila Sotomayor

C O NT E NT S EXPLORING ATHENS A t h e n s an d M i g r at i o n SITE E le m e n t s D e r i v e d f r o m t h e Si t e

D o c u m e n t at i o n o f O p e n Sp ac e s o n t h e Si t e

G li m p se s o f E le m e n t s Po st I n t e r- v e n t i o n

FESTIVALS THAT UNITE G e r an i ’s E t h n i c C o m p o si t i o n ‘G e r an i O n e ’

Ro u t e s t h r o u g h t t h e Si t e

STRAGEGY FOR INTERVENTION M at e r i als Av ai lab le o n t h e Si t e TYPES OF INTERVENTIONS Ro u t e M ap f o r I n t e r v e n t i o n s

C at alo g u e f o r B lo c k s

THE NEW GERANI M ai n A t t r ac t i o n s o f G e r an i C e le b r at i n g N av r at r i

GERANI AND THE WORLD EXCERPTS FROM DIARIES

EXPLORING ATHENS

Athens, as a city, is extremely exciting. It is a city which is consistently competing to maintain the rich values and styles of its ancient history while trying to keep up with the contemporary movements. Its economic conditions, unfortunately, has limited its growth and Athens is stuck somewhere in between.

The difference in classes is very apparent as the rich get richer and the poor get poorer. This inequality is clearly visible in the urban fabric of Athens. The centre of the city, Gerani, which consists of the historical part of the city of Athens, is dominated by the migrants who have pushed the locals to the suburbs. These migrants have come looking for a better life from other poorer countries. With their very merger income they are in no position to look after the infrastructure or upkeep of the place. This has taken a major toll on the texture of the city.

As you go towards Lykavittos Hill, the houses get more stylish and modern. It shows how the city has grown. The centre, however, is crumbling under the density of the foreign population.

These are the textures of Athens and its centre, Gerani, that have been documented in the current section of the portfolio.

Pictures on the adjoining page show the contrast between the Athens of the past and the Athens of the present.

ATHENS AND GERANI

ART IN ATHENS

DOORS IN ATHENS

BRICK.

WOOD

METAL

MARBLE

Evidences of decay in the city categorized by different materials.

ATHENIAN DECAY

Greece, today, is at a pivotal point in its history. It had a glorious past but its future is uncertain. In addition to the struggle to stabilize its economic position, it has to address the added pressure of illegal immigration caused by its very penetrable borders. Daily, hundreds of immigrants cross the borders from Turkey, Libya, Somalia, and other countries in distress, hoping for a more secure and promising future.

Greece, usually for them, is a country of transit, through which they travel to other European countries such as Germany, France, Austria, etc. In the attempt to find a secure future and a final destination, they often halt in Greece, sometimes for years together, primarily to apply for political asylum. It is human nature to stay close to those who are familiar. It gives them a sense of security in an alien world. Thus, there has been a heavy influx of migrants in Gerani, a place in the centre of the Athens. The economic structure of the area has changed due to the ever increasing number of immigrants. Employment and income have shrunk for both the native-born and immigrant populations, while competition within and between the two has increased. This has resulted in lower wages, a contracting labour market, and fewer regularized immigrants — drawing attention to immigration as a growing threat to the cohesion of modern Greek society. The tug-of-war that they have to play with their dreams and the harsh reality has left the immigrants in a very venerable position, especially now, with the uncertainty of the economic condition of the country.

ATHENS AND MIGRATION

OMMON

IRA

IOS

AT H IN A

ST AD IO

SVK

RAT

U

OYS

VNO

S

S

PE

IA

KAT

SOFOK

AKO

YZH

NOY

Storage Space

Hotel

Retail

Public Palza

LEOUS

Cafe/ Restaurants

GLA

DST

VNO

1960

late 19th cent

S

PLAT TE A U

OMONO AS

E

M

S

T

O

K

O

Y

Park ing

Unused Spaces

Green Space

Housing

traffic island fountain

circular island of lush sub tropical vegetation

LE

Public Buildings

Land Use

S

N

KH

TA

OMMON

RA

IRA

IOS

OMMONIA SQUARE

M

A

N

O

H

M

L

E

N

A

R

O

1972 K

symbolic structure inR Dathens’ pop culture A T

H

U

E

M

Y

P

K

Y

IO

erection of telephone and electric lines

A

AD

M

1905

ST

AT H IN A

S

PE

IA

O

O

SOFOK

LEOUS

Y

Abandoned Buildings G A M B

OMMON

IA

E TA

OMMON

S

IOS S

U

AT H IN A

AT H IN A

IRA

IO

NAS

PE

AD

AUH

IOS

ST

‘the runner’ by costas varostos

subterraniean railway art decco columns

SYNTAGMYA SQURAE

IRA

1990

1930 OY

R

PE

U

YRG

V

N

Y

IO

LYKO

E

N

O

AD

G

E

D

ST

GAZI

G

A

IA

SOFOK

LEOUS SOFOK

LEOUS

P A N E P S T

S

H M

TA

O

D

Y

O Y

X

KT N OY

SUE

NOY

S

S

EYP

A

N

T

A

R

O

KLE

R

O

K

Y

P

H

Highest Density

ZA

OL D OS

The most used and abused space in Athens.

OMMONINA SQUARE

A

LA

Y

TR

O

1950

four lane round about

2008

olympicso metro space for demonstration

EXPLORATIONS AROUND GERANI

The fascist attacks, xenophobia, open drug use, the increased density of people and negligence in the upkeep of the area is clearly visible in the physical texture of the area. Greani, that was once considered an ideal place for the upper middle class to live, has now become a black hole in the centre of the city. The contrasting elements of the different textures of Gerani are clearly visible when the area is visited. While one half of the triangle is dark, has a high density of people and is usually inaccessible, the other side has buildings which are majestic and have traditional Greek architecture, the footpath is clean, made of better material, and is constantly maintained. This observation clearly states the lack of government and local involvement in the upkeep of the place. A lot of dark activities that happen in the corners are ignored and if the police does interfere, the activities are just shifted to another place. A lot of alleyways and buildings are closed due to this very reason.

In Gerani, the green areas are scarce, and the smells in the street are overwhelming. There are not enough public toilets as the number of homeless keeps increasing. The public buildings are usually barricaded and do not help improve the conditions of the area. The combination of high deserted buildings, narrow streets and desperate people contribute to a feeling of unrest.

Illegal structures in the inner courtyards, fenced arcades and inaccessible buildings add to the experience of a dead-end state.

Inadequate environmental conditions such as scarce sunlight and natural ventilation on the lower floors and the use of air conditioning, aggravate the microclimate of Gerani. The area evokes a sense of a trap to both, the residents and visitors.

The collages on this page reflect the contrasting textures of Gerani.

The blocks highlighted have been chosen for interventions.

SITE

omonia

blue collar area

immitgrant community

sofokle

ous str eet

government buildings

syntagma

centre for formal politics

SOFOKLEOUS STREET

SOFOKLEOUS STREET

ELEMENTS DERIVED FORM THE SITE

a. The Built Spaces

There are several abandoned buildings in Gerani. The structural integrity of most of the buildings is quite good and they can be used for various events as the program suggests. It is also possible that not all buildings are used in its entirety; the roof tops of some of the buildings can be used to create usable spaces, while leaving the rest of the building as it was. The alleys can be opened up on the ground floor of some of the buildings so as to create a passage through the buildings opening up the centre of the blocks.

The built spaces provide an important hub for activities on the site such as market spaces, exhibition spaces, workshops, spaces for workshops, vocational training, etc.

b. The Interstitial Spaces

The interstitial spaces are the ‘connectors’ and are one of the most important elements that has the capacity to string the whole project together. Opening up the buildings to connect the interstitial spaces to the streets, makes these spaces ore accessible to the public. These in-between spaces are sometimes big spaces for large scale events, or small cosy places that can take shape as visualized by the user. These small spaces can be used as the staging areas for the bigger events or programs that are scheduled to happen in the large public areas. For example, if there is a performance in a large public area, the spaces adjoining it could be used as a pop up stall to sell refreshments, green rooms for the artists, or seating area for the audience. These spaces encourage small scale social interactions as well. During a procession or an event, these spaces could lead the actor or the participant out of the central area to another visual plane where he can become the audience and view the event from a different plane; and come back to be the actor or participant if he wishes. These spaces will give the flexibility of the role of a user and flexibility of the space. These spaces will not remain as ugly left over spaces but will be used to aid the areas of the main event. Different nodes can be activated at different times of the day and different times of the year.

THE POLYKATOKIA

c. The Public Spaces

The public spaces are the open spaces where the main events take place. They will be activated on a large scale only during large scale celebrations.

On a regular days they will be open to public to use as they please. These are the spaces where events turn into spectacles.

During the site study of Gerani, I found some elements that stood out that were very specific to Gerani. Earlier in the portfolio, I wrote of the variying textures of Sofokleous street. Using that as my base line, I started experimenting with elements like the antique doors on the site, the abandoned and inaccessable alleyways, and the footpath. I used these images as the starting point and sought out to understand how these spaces could be transformed. The adjoinging picture shows the end result of my experimentation. It shows what I envision my end result to be while keeping the essence of the elements true to Gerani.

Priliminary mapping of open spaces on the site.

Examples of open spaces that can be used during the course of the project

Doors

The doors and entrance ways that I found in Gerani spoke of the rich past of the area. The heavy wooden doors and the ornate balcony railings are evidence of the upper middle class Greeks who lived in this area before it got taken over by the immigrant population. I believe that it would be nice to keep true to these historical elements of the site while it leads to new, unexpected, spaces behind it.

Alleyways

The blocked out alleyways were one of the most important features that I wish to address in the design of the project. These alleyways can become routes to connect spaces within the site and open up the interstitial spaces within the centre of the blocks. Currently, there is no sunlight that reaches the ground floors. With the opening up of alleyways on both sides, natural light would filter in, making the centre of the blocks more accessible and friendly.

Footpath

Currently the footpath in Gerani is extremely user unfriendly, with the cracked tiles and basement entrances that pop up suddenly. Quite often, a lot of material from the shops that line the streets spills out and makes it harder to navigate. I envisage the footpaths to be cleared up and new tiles to be added. This transformation is quick and easy and really transforms the feel of the place. More mobility on the footpath makes the area more accessible to people.

DOCUMENTATION OF OPEN SPACES ON THE SITE

GLIMPSES OF ELEMENTS POST INTERVENTIONS

‘It is human nature to come together in times of distress and in times of celebration.’

This project believes that even though the country and Athens are currently in a state of distress, it contains, within itself, an immense resource - its people; natives as well as immigrants. Their strength lies in the knowledge of the cultures that they belong to, and the skills that they can develop, to bring the best part of their cultures to the forefront. This new vision of Gerani acts as a common objective to help organize and mobilize people. It delves into how community participation, often guided by a set of rules, can change the face of the once dark and unfriendly, Gerani, which in time, will become a destination for tourists all over the world, all round the year.

The idea of the ideal, according to me, is when every participant takes up his responsibility, irrespective of how small it is, to achieve a common good. As the famous quote in Alexander Dumas’ The Three Musketeers goes, ‘All for One, One for All’, it is imperative that all the communities stand by each other. There is always strength in numbers. Together, they are not just one community of Gerani, Athens, but have brought out the cultural richness of their motherland and put it on a common platform for the world to witness and participate in.

FESTIVALS THAT UNITE

Inspired by the tradition of self organized groups in Athens today, the inhabitants of Gerani, with the help pf a local NGO, started organizing themselves into a community network under the name of ‘GeraniOne’.

Setup

GeraniOne is divided into five subgroups based on the ethnicities prevalent in Gerani. They are the Greeks, Chinese, Asians, Africans and Europeans.

The reason for dividing them in these five basic groups is that these groups already have established networks within the site and in the surrounding areas.

The longer they’ve stayed in Gerani, the more responsibilities they will have in GeraniOne. The new comers find it easier to relate and talk to people who belong to their own ethnicity and region and this will make organizing the people easier.

Gerani is home to a multitude of ethnic communities who’ve travelled from various parts of the world. During 1990 to 2001 was period of mass immigration to Greece where immigrants arrived in two waves - the first was in the early 1990s where the Albanians dominated, while the second wave occurred after 1995 where the majority of the population comprised of the Balkan States, the former Soviet Union, Pakistan, Bangladesh and India.

During a research carried out by Sarcha (School of Architecture for All) in 2011, the ethnic composition of Gerani is as given in the picture above.

Functions

1. Registry - There is a need to know exactly how many people there are who want to avail services of GerniOne. So it is essential that all of them register themselves. The numbers, the ethnicity and the basic information given to GeraniOne can be used as a base for creating facilities for the members.

The Registry is responsible for registering the new entrants and existing migrants without which the migrants cannot avail the facilities offered by GeraniOne.

2. Medical - One of the most important requirements is medical help. As the migrants have no identification, they cannot avail medical help in government hospitals, where a lot of questions will be asked for which they have no answers. Moreover they will be unwilling to approach unknown people in an alien land. Small-scale medical centres and rehabilitation centres are set up for the people residing in Gerani. Community focus and self help groups are organized for them to share their problems. People who have been in the country for long will understand their problems, and those who have gone through the same problems they are facing, will guide them to find solutions.

3. Employment - Migrants have some skill but do not know how and who to approach for work. The registry recognizes the skill pool of their respective community and can organize employment opportunities across the community network. This will encourage cross community interaction and support.

Nearly one half of the migrants have secondary education (including technical-skill schools) and one third have aquired primary education. Immigrants are almost exclusively (90 percent) engaged in wage work and, to a much lesser extent, are self-employed (6.5 percent). Most of the jobs are non-skilled, manual work well below the immigrants’ level of education and qualifications. Most of the immigrants are males between the ages of 19-30, who can be trained to aquire a particular skill and thereafter train other too. This is one of the major roles of GeraniOne - to train and employ the people accordingly.

4. Housing - The union will recognize opportunities for housing and use the skill set available to them, among the people themselves, to make these places habitable. The owners of the abandoned buildings will be given incentive to rent out their spaces for the inhabitants and thus will become a part of the process of regeneration of Gerani.

GERANI’S ETHNIC COMPOSITION

Results of the self organized movement in Exarchia. The park was a parking site which was promised to be converted to a park by the government, but in vain. The locals, along with over 500 volunteers converted the parking lot into a park.

‘GERANIONE’

january

NAVRATRI

N A V R AT R I

g re e k - c h r i s t a i n

jan 6 - the epiphany carnival pongal

Wors hipping goddess Durga the inaccces s able the conquorer

w o r s hip

february

w o r s hip

Wo rs hipping go dde s s La k s hm i - go dde s s o f w e a lt h

carnival spring new year lantern bir thday of prophet muhammad maha shivratri

Wo rs h ip p in g go d d e s s S ars w ati - go d d e s s o f kn o w l e d ge

Day 1,2 - Garba dancing Day 3- I mmers ion of the Durga idol

w o r s hip D a y 1 0 - B u r n i n g Ra v a n e f f i gy ‘ go o d o v e r e v i l ’

Da y 7 ,8 ,9 - Ga rba da nc ing

Day 4 , 5 , 6 - Garba d an c in g

‘Good over Evil’ Navratri is one of the most important festivals celebrated by the Hindus. It is a festival dedicated to the worship of the Hindu deity ‘Shakti’. The word Navratri literally means nine nights. It is a celebration that is spread over nine nights of worshipping and the tenth day is called Vijaydashmi or Dussera.

Time - Late October Festival Period - 10 days

celebr at io n

march chinese

feast of annunciation azure dragon holi hindi new year ugadi

april

easter feast of st. george shangsi quin ming bengali new year

muslim

may

day of the holy spirit

june

Day 1,2,3

Day 4,5,6

Day 7,8,9

Day 10 - Dussra

FINAL ROUTE RAMADAN | EID

RAMADAN EID

‘Month of Cleansing’ Ramadan is the month in which the Muslims believe that the Quran was relealed. It is a month of fasting and cleansing. The festival is about Fasting - Praying - Charity - Celebration. Iftar is the evening meal when Muslims break their fast during Ramadan. It is one of the religious observances of Ramadan and is often done as a community, with people gathering to break their fast together, after Maghrib (sunset) time. Eid marks the end of the month of fasting.

Time - Ninth month of the Islamic calender Festival Period - 30 days of fasting; 3 days of Eid

day of the holy spirit

july hindu

beginning of ramadan guru purnima nag panchmi

august

day of assumption of virgin mar y double seventh ghost end of ramadan eid-ul fitr raksha bandhan onam krishna janmashtami

september mid autumn ganesh chatuthi

october mid autumn double ninth waqf al kadr - hajj eid-al-adha navratri durga puja dussera lakshmi puja

Pre Ramadan and

Pre Ramadan and

Holy Night - Night

Eid

FINAL ROUTE CHINESE NEW YEAR

CHINESE NEW YEAR

‘New Beginnings’ The Chinese New Year marks the beginning of the new year in the Chinese calender. It is the most important of the Chinese festivals, even though it is not a religious festival. This is the time when the Chinese meet and greet family.

Time - February Festival Period - 15 days

november islamic new year day of ashura diwali kar wa chauth dhan teras

december christmas winter

Pre Chinese New Year

Day 1

Weekend Festivities

Lantern Festival

FINAL ROUTE

ROUTES THROUGH THE SITE

The condition of the site is such that the transformation of the site has to be done in stages. The site is full of buildings that are abandoned and spaces that are hard to use. These spaces are the most appropriate for intervention and some of them have been identified to be the key points or the core for the interventions.

Strategy for the Site

Gerani One, with the help of a local NGO body, will have identified the people with varied skill sets and the material available to chalk out the plan of action on site. The kick-off activity for the large scale change is the very basic - clearing up of the site. The idea behind this step is to start bringing the people and the members of GeraniOne together to work on this simple task and thus build a sense of comrade between them. This event also allows them to collect the materials that are available on site to be used later on in the project. The main materials that can be collected are metal, timber, debris for refilling, unused/abandoned elements that can be used further like doors and glass panes.

The points of interventions have broadly categorized the points of interventions as Main Event Interventions and Support Interventions as shown in the adjoining picture.

The Time Line for Work on Site

Working on the whole site can lead to absolute chaos. It is important for the locals to truly understand the site and be a part of it. Hence, the work on site will have to be done in stages. Taking April 2013 as the beinning of these interventions, it will take the locals at least three months to organize themselves and start work. This means that the first event that will be hosted on the site would be Christmas in December.

This works better with the Greeks as the festival is the local Greek festival and would be a symbol to show Greeks the respect they deserve.

Month 0 thru 1: Setting up of GeraniOne The first month is dedicated to rounding up of people and setting up of GeraniOne with the help of a local NGO.

Month 2 thru 3: Training

The next two months will be dedicated to training the first set of participants. The initial training process will be held by the NGO. During this training, the NGO will identify people who can become trainers for the next batch of volunteers. Slowly, training will become the responsibility of the various departments of GeraniOne. The participants will receive complete training in terms of:

a. Construction: They will be trained to set up, use and maintain the elements that will be introduced on the site.

b. Event Management: To control and manage the show. It is during this process that the site points A and E will be cleared and material for construction will be collected.

Month 4-6: Changing the Site

This is when the actual work on site begins. The first places to be worked on are sites A and D as they are the most accessible and they can be worked on as pilot projects.

EXISITNG SITE

Month 7: Gearing up for Christmas A lot of construction on site will be completed by this time. The target during this time is to start working towards the Christmas festival.

STRATEGY FOR TRANSFORMATION

TYPE 1 - CONNECTORS

TYPE 2 - MOBILE VENDING ACCESSORIES

TYPE 3 - VANTAGE POINTS

TYPE 4 - BUILDING SPECIFIC INTERVENTIONS

To make a festival or an event successful, it is important to make it accessible to the participants. Connectors are such permanent and semi permanent elements that are introduced to the site which allow the participant or the observer to access the site, a whole or parts of it that he wants to approach with ease. The following elements enable the participants to access the site with ease.

No festival or event is complete without clusters of elements that truly add to the soul of any event. These elements form the gathering spaces. People tend to spend a lot of time here but do not tend to remember the architecture of the spaces. This section deals with a few such items that in larger number add to the ‘festive’ spirit of Gerani.

These are places with the best visual connect to the events and the Acropolis at a distance. They are places of activities on the highest building closest to the event space. They give a bird’s eye-view of the activites. More than one event can be seen from these points.

There will be permanent changes made to existing buildings that will transform their role on the site. These changes will enable the buildings to become points of public use not only during the festival but on a daily basis that will enhance the lives of the locals. These interventions are classified in the following types

Walkways

It was for the Olympics held in Athens in 1996, that the metro was built. Despite having only three lines running, it connects the city of Athens wonderfully. The bus system adds to the efficient public system in Athens. Ommonia Square, being the center of the city, is also the hub of all traffic networks and Is able to bring in lots of participants to the events.

In order to make the events more accessable, a series of walways and temporary connectors need to be added to the site. These walkways can be constructed from the materials found on the site.

These walkways also assist the partcipants as they act as visual aids as well. They steer the participants along the path to the festival and the various events.

These will usually be cafes and roof top restaurants. This will be an income generating activity and a tourist attraction as well.

Vending Carts

Common Changes to Buildings

Vending carts are the most important part of any event. They

These are a series of changes that can be applied to different are the most versatile in nature and used the maximum. They are carts buildings. The procedure for the changes follow a set of rules. selling food, handicrafts, etc. This is also the most economical for people trying to sell their items as it involves the least amount of Change 1- Adding to the Shop Front capital and is the easiest to construct. Here we will explore vending carts as a kit of parts that can be assembled and dismantled for easy transportation and various methods of using the element with the least capital spent on it.

Crank Up Stages

This element is also aimed at being easy to construct and multifunctional. It can be used as a pop up stage for small and large gatherings. A few of these stages put together can form a large stage while a single one can be used for smaller events. This can also be used as an addition to the shops and restaurants to increase their usable- customer area.

Increasing and opening up shop fronts

Building Specific Change

Building Specific Change relates to the changes brought about to the buildings with their specific nature and predicted use in mind.

The location and the condition of the building play a very important role in deciding how the building will change and the process of its transformation.

Change 1- Abandoned building to an Amphitheater

Permanent walkway over the streets Materials Used - Metal, Timber, Fabric

Building after intervention

MATERIALS AND THE SITE

Temporary walkway, Potential to become permanent in due course of An example of the stage. time.

Materials Used -Timber Battens and Rope. Fabric can be added for shade too.

An example of the stage.

TYPES OF INTERVENTIONS

Sky Walk Connector A sky walk is introduced to that connects the site to the opposite site of the main road. This is to ensure accessibility of the site to the pedestrians.

Materials: The sky walk can be constructed out of the timber battens and other timber and metal members found on the site to secure the base of the sky walk.

Fabric can be used as a sunshade.

Roof Top Plaza The sky walk continues on to the roof of the building, usually marking the starting point for the experience of the festivals. This space is carved out of the last floor and the roof top of the building by demolishing the roof slab to give the parapet adequate height. This space is used as in formation centre for the site as it is at a height and provides a good vantage point.

Extended Sky Walk The sky walk is extended over the street level plaza connecting three buildings on its way and providing separate vantage points along its path to view and experience the festivals. This is a permanent structure.

Vantage Point Cafe Utilizing the face of the building to accommodate an extension to provide another vantage point to view the festival.

Platform for the Cafe Materials: The platform is made of the same materials as the sky walk. ie. Timber battens and timber and metal members for support.

Existing Building Structure The existing buildings are a combination of official and residential spaces. At the street level, the buildings house a umber of commercial spaces as well.

There is a large space that is left unused at the centre of the block which gives this site immense potential for interventions at street level.

The New Building This building is designed as the entry point to the site.

Intervention Highlights 1. Last two floor slabs will be broken down to create a roof top plaza.

2. This sky walk behaves as a pedestrian connector from across the main road to the site and goes extends all the way to Block 3. The interstitial spaces of the block are cleared up and re paved to house a variety of street activities and markets. Temporary and semi permanent vending carts are lined on the plaza.

Connector Platform This platform connects the rooftop of the adjoining building to the first floor of the cafe.

Roof Top Festivities Space Space that can be used as an extention for the festivities in the building.

Acropolis View Cafe As this buildings is one of the tallest buildings on the site, the last two floors are transformed in to a vantage point cafe. The last two floors of the building and the roof top especially provide wonderful view of the Acropolis and Gerani.

Connector Platform This platform connects the rooftop of the adjoining building to the first floor of the cafe.

Materials: The platform is made of simple timber battens placed by each other.

Existing Building Structure The existing building is a residential building. Hence the intervention proposed for this structure is limited to the top two floors.

This building has been chosen as it is one of the tallest buildings on site and hence the roof top allows for a great view of the Acropolis.

Floor Area for Festivities A part of the slab is cut out so that people on various floors can experience the function at the floors below while each floor above is dedicated to different aspects of celebrating the festival such as retail, food stalls, meditation, hectic. The floors are open to use as required.

Floor Area for Festivities A part of the slab is cut out so that people on various floors can experience the function at the floors below while each floor above is dedicated to different aspects of celebrating the festival such as retail, food stalls, meditation, hectic. The floors are open to use as required.

Floor Area for Festivities A part of the slab is cut out so that people on various floors can experience the function at the floors below while each floor above is dedicated to different aspects of celebrating the festival such as retail, food stalls, meditation, hectic. The floors are open to use as required.

Floor Area for Festivities A part of the slab is cut out so that people on various floors can experience the function at the floors below while each floor above is dedicated to different aspects of celebrating the festival such as retail, food stalls, meditation, hectic. The floors are open to use as required.

Connector Sky Walk The sky walk connects this building to the building on the other side of the street.

Platform for Deity This is a wooden platform to place the deity. It is a projection from the building so that people from the streets can view it too.

Connector Sky Walk The main sky walk enters the building and straight in to the festivities floor.

ROUTE MAP FOR INTERVENTIONS

INTERVENTION CATALOGUE BLOCK 1

Existing Building Structure The existing buildings are a combination of official and residential spaces. At the street level, the buildings house a umber of commercial spaces as well.

There is a large space that is left unused at the centre of the block which gives this site immense potential for interventions at street level.

Retail Floors These floors are dedicated to retail spaces specific to festival merchandise

The New Building This building is designed as one of the centres of the festivals or any other function that might happen on the site. It is a felix use space. The use of this building is not limited only during festival times alone. The Acopolis View Cafe is open all year round as it is to be available to both locals and tourists.

During Regular Days the place might be closed or can be used as a meeting point to organize the next big event. It may house one big event or a series of smaller events.

During Festival Days the entire building is activated as a centre of activity of various sorts ie. It is available as space for worship, workshops, retail, food court, etc.

During Regular Days the building is used as a roof top plaza and the platform as a cafe. The usage of these spaces are not linked during non festival days.

During Festival Days the whole site and its activities are linked.

The roof top plaza is used as an information centre and first point of meeting. The platform can be used as a cafe or a performance space, as required by the festival.

Jaali Wall ie. wall as railing on one side New Roof Top Plaza Used as a gathering space for workshops during the day or evenings. Festival space during season Sky walk connection from the opposite building

Existing level of roof top

Proposed level of roof top

The New Building This building is designed to function primarily as an educational institute.

During Regular Days the building is used as a vocational training institute with the roof top plaza open to be a space for workshops, evening classes, etc. While the rest of the rest of the building houses classrooms and technical training spaces.

Intervention Highlights Existing building The building currently is semi abandoned. It is used as a storehouse for illegal workshops and many of the spaces within the building are cordoned off.

Proposed street Proposed elevator

1. Last two floor slabs will be broken down to create a roof top plaza.

2. This plaza will be connected with the building that lies opposite the street with the help of a sky walk.

3. Exit from the plaza in through an added feature of an elevator. The elevator lands in the heart of the street market.

Elevator To take you from the roof top plaza to the heart of the street market while experiencing different views of the site and the festivities Street Market Open throughout the year, the nature of the market changes with respect to festivals.

During Festival Days only the roof top is open to the public as a space to gather and find out information about the institute.

There will be some festival specific work sops from time to time at the plaza. The building interiors, however, continue to function regularly and the public is kept away from entering the building during this time.

Cutting the Building The building is cut at this point so as to create a path within the building.

This path also connects the interior of the block to the main street. One of the approaches to the interior of the building, primarily the museum is through this path.

Existing Building Structure The existing buildings are a combination of official, commercial and residential spaces. The commercial spaces are on the first two floors of the building, whicle most of the other parts of the building are residential. A major portion of this building, however, is currently not in use.

The New Building

Roof Top Park An aerial green area - designed to give respite to the hustle bustle of the market area below.

This building is the museum of Gerani. The split in the centre is symbolic of opening up Gerani to the world and showcasing their way of life. This museum is curated by the memebers of GeraniOne and showcases things which are most important to them, their lives and their history.

Demolition of Buildings Some of the buildings on the site are illegal buildings and hence are brought down. This creates plenty of open space within the site that can be a part of various programs.

Soil Floor The second floor of the building is filled with debris and mud found in and around the site so that it can hold the trees that can be planted on the floor above.

Building 3 Connector A sky walk to connect the buildings on either side of the alleyway. The sky walk is lined with jaali walls on either side.

Alley way Street Market The alleyway is cleared up and re paved to house a street market. This market is thronged with semi permanent and temporary vending options. The market is open throughout the year, the nature of the market changes with respect to festivals.

Building 2

Nursery Flanked by two roof top gardens, the first floor of this building houses a nursery for the nature enthusiasts and also is used as a maintenance office for the gardens. This space is also used to conduct horticultural workshops.

Building 1

Existing building The cluster of buildings at the moment are semi abandoned.

Roof Top Park An aerial green area - designed to give respite to the hustle bustle of the market area below.

Building 1 - This building was renovated to be an office block and a commercial space on the ground floor, but due to the increase in dangerous activities in the neighbourhood, this building has not been able to let out its spaces and thus remains empty.

Soil Floor The second floor of the building is filled with debris and mud found in and around the site so that it can hold the trees that can be planted on the floor above.

Intervention Highlights 1. The roof tops of buildings 1 and 2 are converted in to roof top parks.

2. To aid the parks, the floors below the parks are convered in to soil floors to allow the growth of trees and grass.

3. Building 1 is converted in to a maintainance office and a nursery.

4. Buildings 1 and 2 are connected by a sky walk.

5. Buildings 2 and 3 are connected by constructing stairs bewteen them.

6. The alley way is cleared up and repaved in order to open a new street market.

7. The street market has a number of semi permanent and temporary vending structures.

The New Complex The new complex is designed to function as a green space within the network of the site.

During Regular Days the complex is used as a park and retail space.

During Festival Days the retail space becomes festival specific retail area while the park remains as it is and is accessable to all

Existing Site Condition The site has a lot of space within it that can be used as a part of the intervention process. However, these spaces are not accessable easily. The site also has a lot of illegal construction in the centre.

Street Gallery Touching up and repainting the walls of the buildings along this street can transform this street into a giant canvas for the local Athenian artists.

This becomes a street gallery and can be viewed free of cost.

The New Site Thetransformed site is now a very open and accessable space. It has virbant activities that are open throughout the year making this one of the most important landmarks of the new Gerani.

BLOCK 2

BLOCK 3

View of the Site This part of the amphitheatere is designed for people to view the festivities happenning on the site. The wall is cut out and a large glass is added such that it looks like a theatre screen. This feature adds to the sense of ‘drama’ to the festivites and the activities going on on the site below.

Water Body The water body is designed as a feature on the site. During festivals, it acts as a source of water as the rituals of the festival demands.

For example, during the last day the Hindu festival of Durga Puja.

The idol of Goddess Durga is immersed in water. This immersion of idols symbolizes the death of the physical form of the God while the soul rises up to its heavenly abode to return in the physical form the following year.

The act is symbolic and hence the water body does not have to be deep. The water body is maintained throughout the year as a landscape feature for the people of Gerani to enjoy all round the year.

Amphi ‘Theatre’ This side of the amphi theatre is dedicated to screening movies in the evenings.

Benches The benches illustrated here are permanent benches all around the site.

Construction and Materials: These benches are very easy to construct. They are logs of wood which are easily available in and around the site. The logs of wood are simple bolted or fastened to the ground to maintain its stability.

Interstitial Space The existing space was not enough for people to walk around comfortably. Hence it was decided to widen this area to make it accessible to the public and use these streets as a market space.

Archway One wall of the building is retained and turned into an archway to add detail and character to the street market.

Selective Demolition of the Building A part of the building is demolished to make the interstitial space more accessible to the pedestrians.

Podium The podium is used for any event that requires a stage. It is a permanent fixture on the site. Its is located near the church as the architecture of the church can be used as a backdrop and the church itself can act as a green room.

Indoor Retail Space and Thoroughfare The space inside the building continues to be a retail space

Existing Building Structure

The New Space The whole block is dedicated to street markets and retail spaces.

This space is in particular is designed for ease of access for pedestrians. The street market is open at all times making the space vibrant all year round.

During Regular and Festival Days the space is open as retail spaces and street markets.

The existing buildings are a combination of residential and commercial establishment. The rear part of the building is used as a storage space and rarely accessed.

Hard Scape A ‘Materialistic’ Journey Through Gerani The hardscape defines a clear pathway through the centre of the site. The hard scape is created by using debris of different materials found on site fused with concrete outlining a notion of what Gerani used to be.

Soft Scape These are the informal spaces of gathering at the heart of the site.

Slab Cut Out The portion of the slab marked here is cut out to create a double height space for the walkway below.

Indoor Retail Space and Thoroughfare The space inside the building continues to be a retail space

Entrance Archway The following walls as retailed and detailed out as archway to make an ornate access to the site. The spaces that are flanked on either side are used as retail spaces.

Retail Spaces These spaces will be used as retail spaces.

Existing Building Structure The existing buildings are a combination of commercial and residential spaces. The commercial spaces are housed on the first two levels of the building while the levels above are designed as residential spaces. These residential spaces lie mostly un occupied.

The New Building Structure The new building structure is modifeid based on the fact that it is the tallest building on the site and hence the rooftop provides for an ideal space for a vantage point. The rooftop is open through out the year for screening of movies, parties and general space for the community to get together.

BLOCK 4

Opened Walkway The building has been cut out to make a walkway to the centre of the block from the main street as illustrated here.

Existing Complex The existing complex has a large open space in the centre but it has been cordoned off. There is a church in the block which acts as a shelter for the homeless.

Existing Building Structure

Retail Spaces These spaces will be used as retail spaces.

The existing buildings are a combination of residential and commercial establishment. The rear part of the building is used as a storage space and rarely accessed.

The New Space The whole block is dedicated to street markets and retail spaces.

This space is in particular is designed for ease of access for pedestrians. The street market is open at all times making the space vibrant all year round.

The New Complex The central space has been opened up to the public for use all round the year. The place has been designed to accomadate a podium, water body, and seating areas. A clear path has been defined by the use of hardscape and softscape elements.

The space is a central, all purpose space which is open through out the year.

BLOCK 5

During Regular and Festival Days the space is open as retail spaces and street markets.

THE NEW GERANI

MAIN ATTRACTIONS OF THE NEW GERANI The new Gerani is seen as a must-visit place. For the town planners and architects, it shows how the existing, almost abandoned areas could be salvaged and healthy, lively environment produced. For the migrants, it is a place to get together with their own people and also learn to live in a health co-existence with the other minorities and the locals. This also gives the migrants an avenue for income generation. As this change has been possible only because of the hard work put in by the people who live in Gerani, so they have a sense of ownership of that place. For art lovers it is a place to showcase their talent. With such a lot of varied activity going on, the visitor has a lot to see and absorb.

Street Market

The interstitial spaces in this block were initially blocked. In order to make them accessible some of the buildings were strategically cut out. This opened up a large space for commerce and gatherings. This street market is open all round the year. Its proximity to the main green space of Gerani makes it a popular market place.

Street Gallery

Street art is a rich part of Athenian culture. It is a very strong medium of self expression. This street is a gallery for all street artists of Athens and around. Every few months, new artists are invited to adorn the walls of this street with their art and this walkway forms a gallery to showcase the talents of these artists. These works of art are photographed and the photographs are sold in the GeraniOne Art Gallery. This gallery promotes art education as there are workshops dedicated to learning various forms of classical and modern art.

Street Market

The skywalk connector from the main festival building enters the roof top plaza on a building on this site. The building too is one of the main centres for festival rituals. The interior of the building, however, is not to be accessed from the roof top plaza as it is a building dedicated to education. The rooftop plaza is connected to the street market with the help of an external elevator. Travelling by this elevator takes you from a high vantage point straight to the heart of the street market. This street market is open all round the year.

Museum of Gerani

In order to celebrate the rich history of Gerani, the Museum of Gerani was created. Two buildings were cut in half firstly to create a path out of the interstitial space and secondly, when you walk through the path, you can see the texture of the built form of Gerani. The spaces are accessable to the public.

Site Experience

This block allows entry in to the site on two levels. Firstly, the entry throught the ground level which leads you into the street market space. The market space allows plenty of shopping opportunities and space for street performers. The second entry to the site is from the pedestrian bridge from across the road. Taking this bridge leads you to a roof top plaza, which is mostly used as a centre for information. One can go to the street level from here using the plaza stairs or continue on the bridge which takes you across the centre of the site, giving you a different vantage point of the activities happenning on the street level, to the main festival building.The main festival building, as the name suggests, is one of the centres for the main festival rituals. The deity is placed on the platform which is added to the building so that it can be viewed from all points on the site. The building itself is used as a space for festival related retail, food stalls, etc.The rooftop of the main building allows you to enter the adjoining building which houses the Acropolis View Cafe. The building which houses the cafe is one of the tallest buildings on the site, hence it provides magnificent views of the Acropolis. The main building has a skywalk connection to the building opposite the street which also is one of the main buildings for festival rituals.

Gerani’s Public Space

This area was originally housed homeless shelter and the garden in front of it was courdened off. The space is now open to the public and designed such that it can be used all times during the year. During festivals, it can be used as a centre for rituals that call for large gathering of people. On other days, it is a green space for the people of the city to use.

The rooftop amphithere also adds to the charm of this public space. The amphitheatre is designed in such a way that on the side that faces the public space, it allows you to view the events unfolding on the site from a height thus making you a spactator. The other side of the rooftop is a traditional amphitheatre.This space is designed to be the heart of the site. It gives the centre of the city a sense of opennes and makes it approachable to people.

CELEBRATING NAVRATRI

GERANI AND THE WORLD

EXCERPTS FROM THE DIARY OF A RESIDENT

EXCERPTS FROM THE DIARY OF A VISITOR