National Bank of Greece Branch

Praxitelous St, 1961-63

Architect
Anastasia E. Tzakou (1928-)



The NBG branch on Praxitelous St, with its masterfully laid out interiors, is one of the most worthwhile Greek works in the minimalist architecture of the 1960s. It was designed by the talented architect Anastasia Tzakou, the first woman to be elected to a chair of architecture at a Greek university.
The building consists of a basement, ground floor and four upper floors. For transactions with the public, the ground and first floors were used, while all the auxiliary areas were located in the basement. The upper floors were designed to provide office space.
In treating the two-storey main transaction hall, the principles of the "open plan" were utilised creatively, as was the minimalist stylistic code of the 1960s. The dominant feature of the main hall is the centrally placed void that unites its two levels visually but especially the well-designed stairway that links the ground floor with the upper one. The materials used were aluminium, wood and marble.
The façade that covers the structural elements is characterised by a calm and harmonious synthesis of solids and voids. The door and window frames were studied in such a way as to cover the air-conditioners on the floors above the bank.

TRANSPORTATION