CONCOURS – Onassis Foundation – "Re-think-Athens: un projet de revitalisation urbaine"
“The Onassis Foundation is organizing and funding a European Architectural Competition for the creation of a new city centre, a project centered around Panepistimiou Street.
The “Re-think-Athens” project is a multifaceted intervention centered on Panepistimiou Street, extending from Amalias Avenue to Patission Street and ending at a brand new Omonoia Square. Looking for sustainable mobility, the project includes the extension of the tram line and allows for the roadside circulation of private cars and public means of transportation, while the centre becomes exceptionally pedestrian and bicycle friendly.
This project aims to:
– Make the city centre a destination for people instead of a traffic area for automobiles
– Functionally, aesthetically and environmentally upgrade the city centre
– Reinforce the commercial, administrative and financial activities of the city
– Re-inhabit the city centre
– Highlight the historical and cultural profile of the capital
– Offer quality of life to all citizens
The new design of the public space will be the result of a European Architectural Competition organized and funded by the Onassis Foundation. The Competition will start soon. More details will be announced on this website.
The project will be funded with European funds designed for the support of European cities and their incorporation into networks and cultural galaxies. The project will be completed by 2015.”
De la part d’Anne Boisvert, Coordonnatrice d’opérations, École d’architecture de l’Université Laval:
“Il faudrait savoir que malgré sa “dénomination” d’européen, ce concours est ouvert aux architectes québécois (nord-américains en général) car il existe des accords bilatéraux entre la Grèce, le Canada et les États-Unis.”
(Source: Anne Boisvert, Coordonnatrice d’opérations, École d’architecture de l’Université Laval via Helene Haniotou, Assistant Professor, National Technical University of Athens, School of Architecture, Department of Urban and Regional Planning)