Luminous Minimal Refurbishment

The Luminous Minimal Apartment occupies the third floor and a rooftop of a building in the Athenian southern suburb. Limited budget refurbishment transformed the existing reality into the bespoke, oneiric domestic realm. Inspiration was drawn from the potential of the given conditions of natural light. That potential was enhanced and revealed by increasing the size of window openings in several positions. Thorough spatial and materiality research was done so as to choose the most appropriate finishes that would highlight the beauty of natural illumination, while keeping the intervention at the minimum. Hence, blank canvas was implemented by applying neutral pallet materials that allows for habitat atmosphere alteration during the entire day.
Two main parallel axes were established. One providing a sensuous experiential quality by erasing the boundaries between the private and public, while connecting a communal space to the backyard terrace and a newly created bamboo garden through the large bathroom opening. The other one being a multi-purpose five-meter-long custom-made unit of the cooking/dining area that relates to a papyrus/bamboo garden at the street-side terrace.
The environmental benefit was accomplished by improving the existing 150m2 flat rather than moving to a new one. Slight alteration of already defined spaces was imposed in order to avoid excessive demolition of divisions. Built-in equipment in varnished larch wood and lacquered MDF was designed particularly for this space and produced in collaboration with a local carpenter, thus contributing to the district economy. Terrazzo that covers multi-purpose unit in communal space was realised in a workshop and brought to the site. Cement mortar covered existing stone and ceramic tiles floors, uniting thereby outdoor and indoor areas, while black aluminium frames were harmoniously juxtaposed to the existing wooden ones.
Newly created sloped landscape-like greenery pots on the roof, filled with a variety of Mediterranean herbs, encourage Users for closer contact with Nature in a suburban environment. Moreover, the outdoor living is enriched by movies projections screen and hummock for the distant observation of Argo-Saronic Gulf.

Location_ Athens, Voula/Greece
Typology_ Refurbishment of the Residential Space
Status_ Completed
Floor space_ 150m2
Photography_ Athina Souli, Athens/Greece

Author_ Ivana Lukovic, Architect, Athens/Greece
Collaborators_ Alexandra Arampatzi, Architect, Athens/Greece
Stanford Rabbit by Kostas Geranios and Orestis Mpormpantonakis, Architects, Athens/Greece
Contractor_ ELER AE by Dr Andronikos Theocharis

Luminous Minimal Refurbishment by Ivana Lukovic in Greece won the WA Award Cycle 41. Please find below the WA Award poster for this project.