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Repuring and restoring ancient warehouses into the urban fabric of the city of Alexandroupolis (Bachelor thesis)

Παπάζογλου, Ιωάννα/ Papazoglou, Ioanna

Greece is a country with a long history of industry that developed massively in 1920 and as a result, industrial architecture emerged in our country. Industrial architecture has specific and unique elements that are evident in the few examples that survive today. Even fewer examples of industrial architecture survive in good condition in the Greek provinces. One of these examples is found in the city of Alexandroupolis. It is a building that, although unused in recent years, survives in a fairly good condition. It is an industrial building that was used for several years as a grain warehouse. Its reuse and reintegration into the urban fabric of the city of Alexandroupolis is a social and architectural challenge. Initially, a key question is how much the architect can intervene with his design to preserve the necessary industrial elements of the building and how necessary it is to preserve the original architectural and structural elements. Can the architect completely alter the original form of the building or will this change the character of the building and the surrounding area. Furthermore, to what extent does the new use of the industrial building affect both the surrounding area and the city as a whole? Furthermore, another challenge that arises is the proper design and understanding of the existing shell and whether the new proposal will preserve its old character and combine it harmoniously with the new one that will be given to it after the reuse.