Mini Neighborhood

The user group for the Mini-neighborhood project are new arrivals who are likely to remain in Greece, with Thessaloniki as their final destination, or for individuals who are awaiting their application to be processed, which in some cases can take up to one year.

The site represents a typical situation in this area: building blocks surrounding an inner, open space with no specific programs, experienced as left-over spaces not accessible from the street. The Mini-neighborhood project proposes to break the boundaries between the interior and the unused outdoor spaces.

The new social housing proposed in this project, is designed for a mixed group of single individuals and families. The spaces are organized vertically instead of horisontally to breack the logic of horisontal segreagtion common in housing blocks, where the poorest live on the ground floor level, while the wealthier live on top. The apartments are narrow, but with a double height ceilings - that creates a different spatical experience, with lots of light, and functions stacked on top of eachother.

There are two levels of common spaces. The ground floor connects the street and the inner green space, which expands into the building. The second level used for common spaces offers shared functions, such as kitchen and cinema room for the residents. The vertical void inside the building ensures that all units and common spaces have daylight.