Since September 2015, the plastic surgery practice of Dr. Vassilios Papageorgiou is located on the first floor of a class listed building, dating back to 1912, in the centre of Rhodes. Aiming to preserve and emphasize the new from within the old, the interior space was renovated with subtlety to be transformed into a contemporary, functional medical practice with all the necessary equipment but without losing its historic charm and character.
The practice is bisected by a wide airy corridor that houses the reception and lounge area, and ends in a balcony at one end. From it branch the entrance, two offices, an operating room, a kitchen and a bathroom. The perfectly symmetrical arrangement of the old doors and windows reveals the Italian origin of the architecture of the building.
Through the old tall windows, the dazzling natural sunlight of the island lights the space. The white color of the walls radiates a sense of cleanliness and sterility. Simultaneously, it stands in contrast to the colorful variety and the geometric patterns of the old floor tiles, highlighting the floor’s uniqueness and warmth. A smooth and uniform cement mortar layer fills the voids of the floor, where the tiles are missing.
All the furniture, except for the office desks and chairs, is custom- designed by the studio. The dARCHstudio light (design dARCHstudio, 2008) is also placed in the office spaces.
The design of the furniture is inspired by various aspects of the human anatomy. The black metal grid pattern of the new bookcases act as an outer perforated shell of the solid form of white laquer wood, representing the structural relationship of internal organs and fibrous connective tissue.
In the operating room, a section line “cuts like a scalpel” the elements of the space (walls and floor) in two different colors.
The entrance, circulation and waiting area have been intentionally left with empty walls, for the purpose of temporary future art displays, suggesting a more open and experiential plan than the conventional medical practice’s one.

STATUS: Completed
PROJECT: Plastic Surgery practice
PROGRAM: 100 sqm, medical practice
LOCATION: 44 Ionos Dragoumi str, Rhodes, Greece
CLIENT: Vassilios Papageorgiou, www.vassiliospapageorgiou.com
DESIGN: Elina Drossou
PROJECT MAGEMENT: Elina Drossou
ARCHITECTURE OFFICE: dARCHstudio, www.darchstudio.com
DATE OF COMPLETION: September 2015
PHOTOGRAPHY: Evangelos Hatzikelis