The apartment building in Neo Psychiko, is a project that reinstates an urban identity. The architectural design rethinks the façade composition and material palette for this new residential apartment building. Furthermore, privacy and publicity were crucial design parameters, within an integrated whole. Moreover, designed articulations with the city on the ground level and skyline, add character.

The client, a building contractor, suggested a seven-story building with office space for his construction company on the ground level, and a 180m² premium duplex apartment on the top, with housing in-between. Therefore, the joint prerogative was to rethink the façade, for scaling down the imposing building volume.

The office explored the architectural potential of zoning the individual units with an open-air “room” extending in the façade, in lieu of the typical, linear balcony. As a result, the open-air rooms compose a separate layer, attached to the main apartment building volume. Individual apartment layouts, projected on the outer layer, add variety to its surface, without breaking its integrated appearance. Moreover, the use of vertical wooden shades, was crucial, due to the western orientation of the facade. Their position and density were decided rationally, using digital simulations. Integrated infrastructure for plants enhances the livability of the open-air rooms and endows the façade with a singular, natural feel. The same natural material palette, where wood features prominently, graces the apartment interiors. The projecting entrance canopy on the ground floor reaches the property limit, connecting to the city; the duplex apartment on the top completes the composition, negotiating the urban skyline.