papalampropoulos syriopoulou

Status: Realised
Program: Municipal open-air theatre, sitting area & auxiliary functions

Year: 2023
Site area: 31.800 sqm
Built area: 80 sqm
Location: Tropaia, Arcadia, Greece

Architect: Leonidas Papalampropoulos, Georgia Syriopoulou

Structural engineer: Marinos Kattis

Mechanical engineer: Tasos Tsiampas, Elias Cosmatopoulos

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site

The project is located in Tropaia, a remote village in the mountainous province of Arcadia, with an altitude of 800m on the hillside overlooking the village from the east, hence the name “Koukoula” (hood).

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community

The scope of the project was to empower the local community with the introduction of a set of public functions, an open-air theatre for 300 people, a covered sitting area with a small cafeteria, a future small chapel and auxiliary spaces, that will function as a cultural hub for the wider area.

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typology

the design process is based on the hybridization of two distinct archetypes:

(ii) the remote churches scattered around the greek countryside that once a year host the festivities of the saint to who they devoted and the provincial festivals with folk music, dances and food.

(ii) the “informal” type of the ancient greek theater.

 

"The ancient theatre of Thorikon... has an unconventional plan and rough appearance, thus proving how easily greek architecture could adapt to the specific needs by averting from the monumental style. The orchestra here has a trapezoid shape with curved corners and the seating extends in a rather irregular manner… The crude carving of the seats, the imperfect lines and the massive retaining walls attribute a particular rural character to the monument."

Charalambos Mpouras, Lessons of the History of Architecture, 1999.

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frames

We introduced a set of stone walls in the form of a continuous undulating line which densifies and loosens along the boundary of the natural plateau and shapes the hillside by delimiting and organizing the central space into individual sections.

Three frames are gradually revealed to the visitor and correspond to the respective functional entities: the church, the sitting area and the theatre.

The project is marked by the 8m high wall which acts as a landmark (campanile) and reference point from the village while at the same time shaping the covered sitting area.