Searching for public space: A small chapel in the city of Chania,Crete
Personal Info
Name: Georgios Dionysios Lountzis
Nationality: Greek
Institution / Company: DE|ATH|FORMATION
Instagram: glountzis
Facebook: George Lountzis
LinkedIn: Georgios Dionysios Lountzis
Name: Galini Nikolaidi
Nationality: Greek
Institution / Company: DE|ATH|FORMATION
Instagram: nikol_gal_
Facebook: Γαλήνη Νικολ
-FINALIST of Non Architecture Award 2022 Competition | Category: Urban & Landscape
The study area is located southwest of the Venetian fortifications of the old city of Chania and is a focal point between the old and the new city. The aim of the intervention is the creation of a network of public spaces combined with the redefinition of the entrance from the new to the old town and vice versa. Thus, the construction of a bridge is proposed with the aim of continuing the moat and restoring the continuity of the city so that the Lando bastion functions as an articulation and not as a perceptual boundary. In addition, the entrance of the school is redesigned and nodes – platforms are created that channel you into a single flowing public space. In the Lando bastion it was decided to install an underground space. It is a chapel that is not dedicated to any particular religion, it is essentially a sanctuary where visitors come for contemplation, meditation, prayer and contemplation. The design is based on a path that gradually leads from shadow to light offering a series of atmospheres. The parallel walls of the entrance procession maintain a distant connection with the tomb of Atreus at Mycenae. In the central space, the use of water combined with light magnetizes the visitor to create a spiritual map until he reaches the end and is rewarded by what he discovers. Essentially, the infinite reflection of light in water signals memory that has no limits. The operation respects the historical palimpsest of the area by seeking mild forms of design and wall decoration. <<…The circle is related to god: A simple circle from ancient times represented eternity, since it itself has neither beginning nor end.>> Bruno Munari
Project Type:
Urban design,Chapel
