My Portfolio

MARO IO BOTSIOUARCHITECT ENGINEER

PO RTFO LIO

_CV

_ FINAL DESIGN THESIS : RE_FORM “THE STATE OF THE THINGS” AT METAXOURGEIO

_ACADEMIC NTUA : BUILDING WITH COMPLEX FUNCTIONS - DANCE CENTRE AT EXARHIA

URBAN PLANNING - REFORMATIONS AT PERISSOS / RIZOUPOLI

_ACADEMIC UoE : INTRODUCTION TO DESIGN MEDIA - STEAMPUNK PROJECTOR

DIGITAL MEDIA STUDIO PROJECT - “THE CODE UNKNOWN”

_PROFESSIONAL WORK_PROFESSIONAL WORK : OPTICIAN’S STORE AT PLATANIAS, CHANIA

_COMPETITIONS : ATHENS BENCHMARK 2010_FUTURE BENCH TEN IMAGES FOR ITHACA 2010 : “LABELS”

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Optician’s store at Platanias, Chania (Greece), with the collaboration of Maria Mousteraki.EngagementEngagement with the design and su-pervision of the construction of the in-terior space and showcase of the store and in particular designing in detail the parts made by plexiglass along with their placement inside the store and the showcase.

Edra Techniki Technical OfficePreparation of drawings for planning applications of: residence at Perissos(2005), office complex at Kolonaki(2005), residence at Nea Ionia(2006), residence at Halandri(2007).LiaisingLiaising with the local authorities and achieving permission for the imple-mentation of the projects.

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This is an attempt to record the current state of the things in Metaxourgeio, result-ing in a proposal for the smooth develop-ment of the region. The proposal does not contain a policy of relocation of activities – legal and illegal – but is driven by the ex-isting networks: social, cultural, economic. Moreover, a theatre festival is proposed and through its existence a cultural net-work is created resulting in the mild “tran-sition” of the region. Within the frame of the proposed drama festival, the Avdi Square is formed as a large “scene” for the residents, while information stands are designed and placed throughout the area.The German director, Wim Wenders, through the spatial selections on his movies and his opinion on the cities, has influenced my view for Athens, making me seek places that he would choose to “restructure” in a film. The “presence” of Wim Wenders’ view in the project is made throughthrough his film “The State of The Things” which has also inspired the title of the project.

ACADEMIC NTUA July 2009

Supervisor: Prof. D. Sevastakis

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LOCATING THE AREA INSIDE THE CITY OF ATHENS

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ANALYZING METAXOURGEIO

TO ITS INGREDIENTS

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New uses, such as theatres, have been in-troduced to the region of Metaxourgeio. This was the result of multiple facts that have defined the development of the area. Firstly, the main reason, in my opin-ion, is the de-industrialization of the axis of Peiraios Avenue. The former, heavy, industrial uses have been moved at the west limits of the city of Athens, leaving free space that could have new and dif-ferent uses. The location, thus, of cultural and academic uses in the wider area of research created a more “welcome” cli-mate for more changes in uses, in the same frame, which were expected to use the existing building stock. Old factories, workshops, warehouses consisted the core of the change and gave shelter to theatres that were in search of low rent spaces.

modelling the diversitites

Because of the fact that the empty spaces were not organized but spotted inside the region of Metaxourgeio, the “spectacle” of theatres being surrounded by parking lots, gypsies’ neighborhoods or brothels has become a characteristic of the area.Highlighting this cultural iden-titytity that the area is about to acquire, the old factory of silk (“Metaxourgeio”), the former hegemonic element of the indus-trial network, is gaining a new use; it is being reused and transformed into the Municipal Art Gallery of Athens. The al-teration, thus, into a cultural hegemonic element underlines the transition of the area.

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network of theatres

de-industrialization

existing building stock

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current condition

Avdi square

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Within the frame of the Drama festival, we also introduce the function of the street theatre. Having theatre in an open space gives the residents the opportunity to build a connection with it as it becomes a more “tangible” activity. Beside the fact that street theatre is result of improvisa-tions,tions, Avdi Square, the main open space of the whole area, seems to be a perfect spot for the conjunction of between resi-dents and theatre. The activities that al-ready take place at the square (celebrations of the immigrants, play of children, “home” of homeless) have attributed the identity of a “stage” to it; a stage for the society itself. What is more, the opening of the Municipal Art Gallery in the building of the old silk factory, causes a simultaneous change at the open space that surrounds it: Avdi Square.

Finally, for the good function of the drama festi-val, the presence of a way to inform visitors about the program of the festival, to give direc-tions about the location of the theatres or event give information about Metaxourgeio was judged as needed. The design of a simple form is proposed, with location at fatal for the territory spots.The stand suggested will inform residents and visi-tors about the schedule , the performances, lo-cation of the theatres and includes space for placement of maps that could show the city of Athens, the ways of transportation and the ways of connection with nearby, or not, areas.

information stand

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The integration and the balance in the urban space, as formed at the centre of Athens, of indoor and outdoor space, always under the direction of complex functional problems, was the main aim of this course. The plot is situ-ated at the boarders between Exarhia andand Kolonaki, estimating the balance of the building between the two re-gions, as essential. During the first semester, decisions were taken on the basic routes and design of indoor and outdoor space. The simple structure of the three volumes, with dif-ferences on the materials of construc-tion and filling, and on heights, fits in with the fronts of the surrounding buildings, while it creates open space within the plot.During the second semester, the con-struction detail of a part of the buildings was examined. The study was based on the structure of the events room, where we had to deal with issues of sound, lighting and view, while the co – exis-tence of the materials that we had already selected during the past semes-ter, was another aspect to examine.

ACADEMIC NTUA July 2006Collaborator: Maria MousterakiSupervisors: N. Marda K. Moraitis

The reconstruction takes place at the site which is situated opposite the train station of Perissos. Till this moment, it is used for the “temporal” installation of earthquake victims. Characteristic fea-ture of the region is the existence of the trace of the river Podoniftis, which at this spot is full of debris.this spot is full of debris.The basic aims were the enrichment of the area with new uses (residence, trade, offices, entertainment), and the establishment of a connection be-tween the train station of Perissos and the area of the court of AEK at Nea Phil-adelphia through a system of spaces which support a variety of uses and identities (motion, stop, plants, urban voids).The selection of a single shape, gives the opportunity to create free spaces with different identities and qualities, which are structured on this shape. The trade, office and entertainment com-plex frame the public free space, since the residences spread along the rest of the buildings.the buildings.The “opening” and the reuse of the river of Podoniftis gives a different perspec-tive on the urban landscape and con-sists an intervention which emphasizes on the presence of more green and natural element in the urban fabric.

ACADEMIC NTUA June 2007Collaborators: Christos Ellinas Markella PsorraSupervisors: T. Kosmaki A. Kourkoulas M. Mpampalou

the formed scenery

proposed buildings’ complex

typology of residences

Copying from the project brief: “The year is 2020. As predicted, electricity and radio waves have taken second place to a revival of light, wind, water vapour, kinetic energy and biome-chanical processes as safe, inexpensive energy sources and communications media.media. It looks as though the Victorian visionaries such as Charles Babbage (1791-1871), Jules Verne (1828-1905), and H. G. Wells (1866-1946) were on to something.Designers, inventors and developers are now re-purposing and customizing their products in response to the scarcity of resources, the build up of decades of obsolete equipment, and society’s re-action against the uniformity of mass production.Steamware Ltd have commissioned you to adapt an item of scrap as a device for projecting 2D pictures, videos and sounds onto any suitable screen-like sur-face. You have been given an item of scrappage carefully selected and ready for repurposing as a desktop media projector.media projector.”

*all the 3D images presented are cre-ated with Blender

ACADEMIC UoE November 2010

Tutors: J. Rawlinson T. Deniozou

This is an audio-visual algorithmic art piece generated by human interaction trying to explore the aesthetic potential of audiovisual re-syntheticising. Frac-tions of sounds and nodes are granu-lated and manipulated, recomposing a visual and acoustic synthesis.The evolution of technologies and the introduction of digital media broaden the options and the potentials for ex-pression through art. The notions of agency, emergence and multi-sensory experiences and the will for creation of complex systems, are assigned to con-temporary art and lead to artworks that promote the using of terms such as "user" and "participation".Code Unknown tries to introduce those ideas in its concept and structure in order to create an artwork of here and now. Firstly, we had to combine two dif-ferent conditions: the exclusion of the viewer, as we started building a system consisted of audio and visual parts, whichwhich could run autonomously and then the inclusion of the viewer and his transformation from observer to user. The user is allowed and expected to ex-plore and inhabit the constructed envi-ronment and then contribute to the final result. The feedback that the individual gets from his decisions and ac-tions, and from other users as well, define the frame of emergence that can be indeterminate and have differ-ent interpretations. Consequently these attribute the notion of time to the proj-ect: impossible to reproduce the same result, it is only for now.

*technologies/softwares used: Process-ing, Max/MSP

ACADEMIC UoE April 2011Collaborators: Stephen Chaloner Peter Caulfield Loukia Goni Zafeira Kampouri Rui ZouSupervisors: J. RawlinsonSupervisors: J. Rawlinson M. Parker

The user, thus, through the use of the joystick, the se-lected interface, is able to define and control the sound which then controls the visual result and form the whole. A 3D sphere is thethe main component of the visual part and grains of audio, outcomes of the granular synthesis tool used for sound. The interplay of the audio and the visual is obvious through the use of notionsnotions that are same for both: position of the sphere on the digital space and position of the export of the sound through speakers in the real space. The environ-ment is formed by multiple users (four) and it can be lo-cated in any space, where there are speakers and pro-jector.

It is about the design of the interior dec-oration and showcase of an optician’s store at Platanias. Platanias is located at the suburbs of Chania and consists one of the most tourist areas. Simple lines were selected and empha-sis was put on color, only on transparent materials. Moreover, the selected ma-terials are wood, plexiglass and stainless steel for the stands of the glasses. The separation between the main store and the laboratory was made by wood, on the whole. Our aim was the creation of a simple environment which would be, at the same time, attractive to inhabit-ants and tourists.

PROFESSIONAL WORK Spring - Summer 2008

Collaborator: Maria Mousteraki

COMPETITION April 2010Collaborator: Adrianna Voutsina

A label is any kind of tag attached to something so as to identify the object or its content. Labeling means naming. It is human instinct to group things with what they are most similar and name them as a whole. We live in a world filled with labels antagonising each other to win our preference.other to win our preference.

Our goal was to identify the labels that have to do with the character, the per-sonality and the body of a person.

COMPETITION May 2010Collaborators: Markella Psorra Adrianna Voutsina