Ogarden Apartments

The OGARDEN is an adaptive reuse project converting a 1050m² old office building on Fivis & Lazaraki streets in Glyfada, into a mixed-use building featuring short term boutique apartments on top and office space on the ground level. Most of the exterior and interior building elements (other than the structural frame and circulation core) were removed. Cantilevered balconies were added on the 2nd, 3rd, 4th floors overlooking Fivis street. Faithful to materials and construction, the design features clean lines and aims to produce an outward looking building through the use of large openings that offer uninterrupted views towards the neighboring waterfront.

The design process also adhered to sustainability principles, formulating a context-appropriate strategy using technical innovation with the highest aesthetic standards. Bespoke vertical and horizontal shading elements mitigate heat gain wherever necessary, aided by the cross-ventilated penthouse, green roof, and planting on every level. One of the most prominent building components are the vertical white concrete louvers. These are made using Naxian and Tinian marble as coarse aggregate, thus creating a contemporary terrazzo shading feature of sculptural quality. These new fixed louvers create a second skin that ensures adequate shading and privacy. Their positioning angle, unique to each louver, is determined by the Fourier series, the mathematical sequence that describes a wave. Sunlight accentuates their curvature, as does the shifting shadow cast by the building overhang as the sun progresses from east to west, projecting live semitonal waves.

Finally, planting on exterior surfaces is also a strong element of the architectural design that aims to improve thermal comfort, reducing the energy consumption of the building and its environmental footprint.