Project description: The project consists of a series of small interventions aiming at revitalising Lotza Park in Neo Petritsi . The works were carried out by a team of architects directly following two days of explorations and movement-based design exercises. These initial steps led to the definition of design directions fitting within the flexible framework agreed upon with the local clients and then immediately to construction, which was completed within 1 week.

The interventions include a stage-like platform which works also as bench and can be used in different, more or less intimate configurations for larger or smaller audiences; a massive drystone fireplace which can be used for grilling, open fire and as heat storage; and a look-out platform with built-in seating which explores the relation with the river and the forest in a subtle but sophisticated way while engaging with the existing network of paths and trajectories in the park.

The capacity of all team members to collaborate tightly with one another, think and act spatially and constructively, and to improvise and adjust their trajectories when needed, was essential to the successful realization of the project. Additionally, all team members have excellent design and technical skills, as well as prior experience in construction. Nevertheless, these qualities and skills would have not been enough without the real and physical engagement of the local community through diverse specialized support groups.

This project is unique in its capacity to activate both the participating architects and the local community in a shared enterprise to revitalise an abandoned park, and in its experimental design modes that move directly from bodily interactions on-site to construction, without the use of projective drawings or models.

Type: Community construction workshop

Year: 2019

Location: neo Petritsi, Greece

Client: Cultural Federation of Sindiki, through Panagiotis Savvidis

Collaborators: Alberto Altes Arlandis, Arushree Mohanty Chhaya, Eva Koopal , Egle Rutkauskaite, Joshua Taylor, Leda Voutsina, Mantas Gypas, Maria Theofanous, Mirjam Drechler, Piotr Paczkowski , Rafaela Taylor, Rogier Rouwet, Sofia Musatti, Terezia Stevuliakova, Victor Berg