Otto_cafe

Athens, Greece

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Otto_cafe

Athens, Greece

Firm

1to5 architects

Type

Hospitality + Sport › Bar/Nightclub

YEAR

2013

OTTO
café/bar/restaurant

1to5 architects
Location: Ag. Dimitriou Street 8, Kifissia, Athens-Greece
Architects: Theodora Galaziou, Klimis Katogas, Giannis Maroullakis

Synopsis:

The project is a cafe/bar–restaurant in Kifissia, Athens, in a highly commercial area consisted of many open and green public spaces. The design is carried out at a long, linear space, in an existing two storey building.

Diarthrosis:

- Basement: toilets, kitchen, cellar and storage room.
- Ground floor: main bar and sitting area, courtyard.
- Mezzanine: staff area, engine room.

Architectural Hypothesis:

The main idea focuses on unifying interior with exterior thus creating a space that eliminates the boundaries between open and closed, public and private.

Synthesis:

Initially it was decided to strip off the existing temporary structures and coatings revealing the structural grid. This specific, archetypal module, transforms, refolds generates new elements and gets reflected in the architectural proposal, fulfilling the idea of unification.

The courtyard refers to an urban garden defined by a planted steel framed structure that is associated with the traditional element of “pergola”.

The bare concrete structure forms a visually strong canvas in the interior. As the external plantation “comes in”, it fades and transforms in the steel pots that are attached on the vertical surfaces. A dominant, architectural element is the concrete bar, which runs along the whole length of the space, serving multifunctional purposes (bartending, music playing, socializing).
The elevation of the mezzanine follows the module with translucent and solid surfaces ensuring on one hand the privacy of its function, without isolating it from the rest of the space. The floor is constructed from a single and plane concrete surface that connects functionally and visually the interior with the exterior, something that is strengthened by the use of fully-opening glass doors.

All the structures and equipment were custom designed specifically for this project. They were constructed by local craftsmen and small industries in order to serve both the architectural needs and the low budget requirements.