Arcadeuropea
Architectural Competition for Czech. President Vaclav Havel, 2003, Czech Republic
Architects: Constantinos Kalisperas / George Katodrytis
The project is generated by three linear axes and strips that start from the landscape, gradually gain programmatic characteristics, and become three distinct architectural spaces: public / private / theme (or subject-matter) domain. The strips turn from landform to interior surfaces, sometimes horizontal, vertical or diagonal. The shift from the park to the interior artificial tectonics is central to the concept, with references to duality in coexistence and in opposition, of the interior and the exterior, of the here and there, of Cyprus and of the Czech Republic. The interior forms become are related to the spectacle of public movement and curiosity, of the artist’s work, of image projection. The three axes are also extended into the park and further towards the city. The strength of the line, and the resulting linear spaces, are established as three parallel lines, which may also divert and overlap. In reverse, from within the container, these axes become centers of vision for selected views, which can be experienced from different heights within the volume. These selected views are instrumental in the
experience of the space, as visitors are engaged into continues and unpredictable compression of space (folds of skins) and expansion (openings on skins). The link to Prague is therefore established.
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