Low-angle view of a modern building facade featuring a geometric pattern of protruding rectangular stone blocks and large, tinted glass windows, set against a clear sky.

Marathonos

Athens, Greece

2009

Client Oliaros

Buildings · Housing

This 18-unit student house project, an infill on Marathonos Street in Athens, brings a new sense of individual and adaptable space – largely accomplished through the building’s hardworking façade.

Architectural rendering of a modern multi-story building with a patterned facade, featuring geometric cutouts for windows. Two small figures walk on the sidewalk below, casting shadows on the street.

Sliding glass doors are set back from the brick frontage by 400-500mm, giving each unit a Juliette balcony and space for a small kitchen garden. These sheltered, passively-ventilated areas also provide space for clothes drying and storage; while balcony overhangs help to modulate light, and provide layers of texture and detail.

Diagram showing architectural design process and detailed interior layout featuring a bathroom, with architecture by MOXON Architects.

With reference to the local conditions of vacancy, rebuilding and re-occupation of buildings, the brick façade appears incomplete, with an intricate character. Materials used are low-key; the brick gives an unpolished, rough texture to the façade, with a surface quality that is almost textile in appearance. The irregular infill pattern exposes the process of construction – from vacated, empty frames to fully-bricked walls.