3rd prize: Interview with Mogan Architecture
1) Please tell us a few words about you and what motivated you to participate in the competition of Arxellence 2. Did you ever undertake/design a similar project (CBD) in the past?
a. Tell us a few words about the team that worked on the proposal.
b. How were you informed about the competition of ArXellence 2?
c. Did you ever undertake/design a similar project in the past?
We are a design and research practice based in Amsterdam. We explore solutions for the built and natural habitat.
We are always interested in bringing creativity and innovation to spaces that inspire us and Thessaloniki’s new CBD was a beautiful challenge.
We designed successfully several projects of similar scale in diverse international environments. However, for each project the approach is unique and well tailored.
2) Could you give us a description of your proposal? How did you approach the project and what was the main idea of your design?
a. Describe in a few words the structure of the CBD you designed (the main characteristics of your synthesis).
b. Describe the main idea of your proposal.
c. What difficulties did you face?
d. What would you say is the most innovative feature of your proposal?
Our vision for Thessaloniki new entrepreneurial CBD is aiming to create a long-lasting positive outcome for the social, economic and natural environment close to the harbor. We considered carefully with state of the art solutions the masterplan building blocks: urban composition, mobility concept, landscaping, vistas for each building and round the clock programing.
The multifaceted character of the proposal becomes recognizable by designing 7 districts around the heritage buildings: New Businesses District, Brewery District, Start-ups Universe, Makers’ Space, Digital Tannery District, Porto Palace and Natural Tannery District. Each districts is catalyzed by the restauration of the heritage buildings and these are the primay seeds for urban renewal and development.
3) What do you think made your idea stand out and why? What are the experiences you gained from the competition of ArXellence 2?
The new built of the masterplan is organically growing around the heritage, is human scale, with a gradual height increment and interstitial social spaces. The height and orientation of the buildings is allowing for natural daylight and panoramic views. This sensible and balanced approach makes it a novel project.
We had a fruitful experience and all the discussions with the jury members, fellow competitors and city officials were an incredible learning curve that is very rare in architectural competitions.
