Konstantina Stella Tsagkaratou Is Honored with the Silver A' Design Award for Minion Mixed Use Development in Architecture, Building and Structure Design

Konstantina Stella Tsagkaratou honored for architecture, building and structure design by the international grand jury of the 2022 - 2023 A' Design Award & Competition

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

COMO, Italy, April 20, 2023 /DesignNewswire/ A' Design Award & Competition has announced that Minion Mixed Use Development by Konstantina Stella Tsagkaratou, designed for Dimand S.A., has been granted the Silver A' Design Award in the Architecture, Building and Structure Design category. The recognition forms part of the 2022 - 2023 A' Design Award & Competition and was reached through blind peer review by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members, who scored anonymized entries against predetermined criteria.

What the Silver A' Design Award Means

The Silver A' Design Award celebrates top-tier designs that embody excellence and innovation. This award acknowledges creations that are not only aesthetically pleasing but also highly functional, reflecting the designer's deep understanding and skill. Silver A' Design Award recipients are recognized for their contribution to raising industry standards and advancing the practice of design. Their work often incorporates original innovations and elicits a strong emotional response, making a notable impact on the improvement of everyday life.

Regarding Minion Mixed Use Development

The project is the redesign of an abandoned iconic retail building in Athens. The proposal is a mix use development, comprising of retail, office and residential functions. Each use has its own special feature. The retail has the iconic entrance and a fully glazed façade on street level, the offices have the protruding glass cube meeting room with views of the Parthenon and an emblematic glass cube corner entrance while the residential entrance is located in the central courtyard as a continuation of the adjacent pedestrian street, in line with the overall urban planning logic of the area.

About Konstantina Stella Tsagkaratou

Aspa Kst architecture design planning was established in 1990 in Athens, by a group of professionals with expertise in architectural design and urban planning in both public and private sectors. For the past thirty years, ASPA KST has grown to become an international office with projects in Greece and abroad and one of the largest architecture and design practices in Greece. In 2020, ASPA KST opened its UK branch, in London. The company’s work extends to all scales, from urban planning to architecture, to interior design, with expertise in large-scale retail design and office design.

Award Record

This recognition makes Konstantina Stella Tsagkaratou a winner of 1 A' Design Award.

About the A' Architecture, Building and Structure Design Award

The A' Architecture Design Award is an international architectural design competition recognizing good architectural designs by best architects worldwide. The competition is organized within the A' Design Award & Competition and is open to architectural design studios, building contractors, structural engineering firms and architecture and design consultants from all countries. Entries typically include skyscrapers, museums, residential buildings, commercial complexes, educational institutions and religious structures. Awarded architectural projects are published at https://dezigners.org/design-category/architecture

About A' Design Award & Competition

A' Design Award & Competition is an international, juried design accolade organized annually since 2008. The competition is open to entries from all countries. The A' Design Award has a philanthropic mission to advance society through good design by recognizing and promoting superior products, projects and services that benefit society, and by creating a global awareness and appreciation for good design practices and principles. Entries are peer reviewed and anonymously evaluated by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members against predetermined criteria such as functionality, ergonomics, engineering, presentation, innovation, usability, sustainability and technology, with score normalization applied to remove biases. Awards are conferred at Platinum, Gold, Silver, Bronze and Iron levels. The A' Design Prize granted to eligible laureates includes the award trophy, the certificate of design excellence, the hardcover yearbook, a lifetime license to use the A' Design Award winner logo, exhibition of awarded works, an invitation to the gala night and award ceremony in Italy, inclusion in the World Design Rankings and Designer Rankings, and public relations and publicity services. Registration, the upload of a work and the preliminary score are free of charge, and Professional and Digital Edition laureates are not contractually obliged to pay further fees to claim the A' Design Prize. Further information is available at https://competition.adesignaward.com

Press Resources

Winner Page: https://dezigners.org/146190
A' Design Award Page: https://competition.adesignaward.com/146190
Media Showcase: https://www.designnewsroom.com/!146190
Laureate Profile: https://dezigners.org/d/338805
Further Information from the Laureate: https://www.aspa-kst.com/projects/minion/

Media Contact

Giulia Ferrari, Press Office
Designers.Org
Via Leone Leoni 32, 22100 Como, Italy
press@designers.org
+39 031 4491953

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Fact Sheet

The Work

Project: Minion Mixed Use Development
Function: Mixed Use Development
Category: Architecture, Building and Structure Design
Discipline: Spatial Design
Industry: Architecture
Colors: Dark Gray, Light Gray, Gray, Black and Silver
Images: 5
Client: Dimand S.A.

The Recognition

Laureate: Konstantina Stella Tsagkaratou
Country: Great Britain
Recognition: Silver A' Design Award
Edition: 2022 - 2023
Design ID: #146190

Credits

Image Credits: All images credit ASPA KST architecture design planning. Photographer's credit Giorgos Sfakianakis Photography.

Design Details

Unique Properties: Redevelopment of an abandoned retail building in Athens. The proposal is a mix of retail, office and residential units. Each use has its own special feature. The retail has the iconic entrance, the offices have the protruding glass cube meeting room with views of the Parthenon and the residential entrance is located in the central courtyard as a continuation of the adjacent pedestrian street.
Inspiration: Urban redevelopment of the centre of Athens with emphasis on Patision street that is the only street that visually leads to the Acropolis and some of the most important buildings of Athens are located along its length. The building itself was the most famous shopping mall in Greece before it was destroyed by fire in the 1980s.
Research: The design of Minion is part of the architect's research on mixed use developments and the co-existence of different functions. The complexity of the brief resides on the seemingly contradicting needs of retail, offices and residential uses. The architect argues that once the potential issues arising from the mix of these uses are tackled, the above mentioned mix of uses is actually beneficial to the life of the neighbourhood, as it provides life on the urban block during the day and the night.
Challenge: The biggest challenge during the development of this project was the history of the building and its conversion to a mixed use development, which is a different approach to the original design. The building comprises of 4 independent buildings, one of which has been more damaged by the fire that destroyed it and its structure has been severely compromised. Also, the slabs in one of the buildings are on different heights than the other three, which presented creative challenges that had to be overcome.
Realization and Technology: The structural elements of the building are Concrete and the Glazing is triple for energy efficiency and noise control. The horizontal louvers of the façade are metallic. On the roof and the balconies, there is designated space for vegetation and photovoltaic panels that improve the energy efficiency of the building.
Operation and Interaction: The building comprises of 3 distinct functions, commercial, residential, offices. Even though they are distinct, the full height open atrium creates homogeneity. To optimise the operation of the different functions, there are three different entrances to the building, one per function. The design of the atrium is meant to provide privacy, without cutting off the visual connectivity.
Project Duration and Location: The project is located in the centre of Athens, Greece, with breath-taking views of the Acropolis.
Specifications: The dimensions of the building are: 58,025m*25,550m*44,622m GBA: 14,977sqm, GLA: 13,657 sqm. Retail and F&B: 6,658 sqm Offices: 4,828 sqm Residential: 3,491 sqm Secondary functions/ back of house: 713 sqm
Keywords: RETAIL, OFFICE, RESIDENTIAL, COMMERCIAL, COURTYARD, REUSE, MIXED USE DEVELOPMENT