The fundamental question that inspired the concept behind the renovation of this second floor apartment in Athens was as simple as this: What is the role of architects and architecture in society? Should they be limited to simply designing functional spaces or should they also aim at challenging the tenants’ viewpoints on everyday life by setting design-related conceptual and psychological dilemmas?
A wall running on the central axis of the apartment divides the plan into two main living areas. On the one side are the communal spaces (living room, dining area, kitchen and a small study), while on the other side are the more private/intimate spaces, such as the bedroom, bathroom and shower room.
However, this is not an ordinary wall: at the click of a button, it can turn transparent, unifying the bedroom and the living room, the kitchen and the bathroom, and the shower room and the living room. As these spaces come together, they create a window to the inside that allows the tenants to experience two or more spaces concurrently, or switch back to privacy.
This is an apartment that does not suggest a new aesthetic approach by simply being contemporary or functional but rather allows for the tenants to define it themselves, according to their emotional state and personality.
