Potamianos Residence

1 Niovis & Vas. Pavlou Sts, Filothei, Attica, 1954-55

Architect
Dimitris Pikionis (1887-1968)
Associate architects
Alexandros Papageorgiou
Ino Papageorgiou



The residence of ship-owner Potamianos in Filothei is one of the most representative mature works by architect Dimitris Pinionis, whose major creation was the landscaping of the archaeological site around the Acropolis, Filopappou Hill and the Aghios Dimitrios Loumbardiaris church and refreshment pavilion. (11951-57). Here, as in his other postwar works, Pikionis’s main objective was the "harmonious synthesis" of the ecumenical spirit using the expressive means of the Greek tradition which he regarded as more closely akin to those of the East than to the West.
On the Potamianos residence, Pikionis extracted memories from the anonymous tradition and combined them with modern media and techniques and teachings from the Japanese garden tradition.
The building is two-storey and tile-roofed. On the ground floor are the kitchen, dining room, living room and bedrooms, and on the upper floors are the reception areas and office. The treatment of the building in terms of type and style is clearly influenced by the northern Greek architectural tradition.
The building combines the principles of modernism, such as clarity, functionality and honesty of materials, with borrowed traditional forms, types and materials.
The materials that shape the facades are the bare concrete of the structural elements, stone masonry, plastered walls, wood, and the terracotta tile roof. The intention to express the Greek spirit and continue the tradition are also demonstrated in the landscaping of the garden.

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