a glen in the centre of the city June 2007
The city of Thessaloniki used to have plenty of glens, which led pluvial water from the nearby hills to the sea. However, as the city expanded, most of those glens were filled and covered. When a special duct for pluvial water was constructed around the city to avoid flooding, the remaining glens lost its role. No water passes through them anymore, hence its physical environmental conditions have changed dramatically. Furthermore, now they are underestimated, shapeless, lifeless and non-approachable places rather than respectful natural attractions of the city.
The project of the Landscape Studio aimed at designing and rehabilitating a glen along with a group of open spaces set in the urban grid of Thessaloniki. This group consists of roads, pavements, pedestrian roads, frontages, empty plots without use etc. The surrounding area is mainly a housing area, with shops, services and a primary school.In order that different uses can be accommodated and have a positive social meaning in people’s everyday life, the reshape of the glen and defining of its margins, the restoration of the continuity into the city’s grid and the remedy of the its ecology are essential.
One of the main ideas was the reintroduction of the water to the glen. A ribbon runs through the glen, upon the old mineral traces and act both as a water canal and a main pedestrian passage.Squares, places were people can meet, communicate and different actions can take place are located in the higher levels of the banks. Vegetation is kept where it is found, while new trees and bushes are used to shape the space. Many ways of entering and traverse the glen are designed, therefore the space is welcoming and approachable.
The project of the Landscape Studio aimed at designing and rehabilitating a glen along with a group of open spaces set in the urban grid of Thessaloniki. This group consists of roads, pavements, pedestrian roads, frontages, empty plots without use etc. The surrounding area is mainly a housing area, with shops, services and a primary school.In order that different uses can be accommodated and have a positive social meaning in people’s everyday life, the reshape of the glen and defining of its margins, the restoration of the continuity into the city’s grid and the remedy of the its ecology are essential.
One of the main ideas was the reintroduction of the water to the glen. A ribbon runs through the glen, upon the old mineral traces and act both as a water canal and a main pedestrian passage.Squares, places were people can meet, communicate and different actions can take place are located in the higher levels of the banks. Vegetation is kept where it is found, while new trees and bushes are used to shape the space. Many ways of entering and traverse the glen are designed, therefore the space is welcoming and approachable.
Landscape Design Studio * Aristotle University Thessaloniki * project team: Maria Avramidou, Despina Papadopoulou, Elena Papantoniou