The Breathing Slope | Medical School of Athens

NTUA

Project idea

The proposal for the Medical School in the center of Athens is born from the necessity of creating a green decompression space that functionally integrates with every level of the building. The primary gesture is a tilting ground plane. This sharp, inclined surface pierces the building, acting as the main organizing mechanism to provide dynamic circulation and diagonal sightlines. At the urban scale, the plaza serves as a connective tissue bridging the city with academia. This transition zone establishes a powerful spatial dichotomy, contrasting a solid, introverted volume for public programs against an extroverted, transparent wing dedicated to education.

Project description

The proposed Medical School in the center of Athens is organized as a composition of two complementary buildings connected by a metal bridge. The primary building contains the educational and research facilities, while the second building accommodates the restaurant, exhibition spaces, and auditorium, strengthening the public character of the complex. The green slope, rather than acting only as an exterior landscape, becomes an internal organizing element, guiding movement through the building, linking the plaza with the academic spaces, and creating continuous visual and physical relationships across different floors.

At the same time, the inclined plane divides the primary building into two distinct programmatic zones. Below the slope, the building remains more open and accessible, hosting the main entrances, reception areas, the library, and classrooms. This lower zone connects directly with the plaza and functions as the public and academic threshold of the school. Above the slope, the program becomes more controlled. The upper part of the building contains mainly research areas, which require restricted access and greater security. In this way, the section of the building expresses a clear hierarchy between public educational spaces and protected scientific functions.

Technical information

The primary structural system of the main building consists of exposed reinforced concrete cast in metal formwork to achieve a sleek, raw finish. The structural logic employs slender, circular columns along the perimeter, while the shear walls providing the necessary seismic resistance are strategically concentrated at the core. The floors are constructed using Zoellner ribbed slabs. To preserve the raw, tactile sensation of the material, an inverted insulation system was applied in the intermediate space between the inclined ground and the classrooms above, leaving the concrete soffit fully exposed. The building's envelope is essentially a curtain wall system, supplemented by metal louvers strategically placed to control solar gain based on the orientation. The volume is crowned by a steel canopy clad in a "concrete skin", which integrates solar panels to ensure the building's energy autonomy.

The main structure connects to the smaller, adjacent building via a 30-meter steel bridge, engineered as a space frame and elegantly clad in the same concrete skin. In stark contrast, this secondary building which houses the restaurant, exhibition spaces, and auditorium, exhibits a highly introverted character. While its primary frame is also made of concrete, it is enveloped by a thick, suspended secondary framework. This depth allows for architectural "subtractions" or carved-out voids, which form the building's limited, carefully curated openings. Finished with stone cladding, this volume exudes a robust and heavy presence. Ultimately, the dialogue between the two buildings is powerfully articulated not only through their distinct geometries but also through their opposing materialities and construction logic.

Documentation

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