Apartment building

272 Kifissias Ave, Halandri, 1957-58

Architect
Nicos Valsamakis (1924-)



This was the first modern suburban apartment building in Attica. Designed by architect Nicos Valsamakis, it was the precursor of the generalised implementation of this type of building in the suburbs of Athens that began 10-12 years later.
This building was constructed on a totally free system. Its volume, an oblong cube, is situated with its narrow side parallel to the street.
It contains one- or two-floor apartments with open interiors that can be divided by sliding panels. Vertical circulation is by two staircases on the north side. The entire south side is distinguished by balconies with perforated panels for protection against the sun. A similar panel covers the façade of the floors overlooking the main street, and is suspended at a distance of one metre from it. The ground floor façade is set apart by a horizontal slab that creates an arcade leading to the building’s entrance at a level higher than that of the natural terrain. The façades are dominated by white stuccoed surfaces, white perforated shutters and wooden door and window frames.

TRANSPORTATION