EVENTS

A terrace for social interaction and recreation on the sea side will become athe new deck project, which the Municipality of Thessaloniki plans to build on the old beach, from the White Tower to the harbour. The emblematic project of extending the pier, which will offer a breath of fresh air to the thousands of residents and tourists who visit the coastal front on a daily basis, is moving forward, as the announcement of the relevant tender is expected in the next few days.

The green light for the announcement of the tender, which concerns the award of studies for the construction of the deck on the old beach, was given today (28/06) at noon by the Economic Committee of the Municipality of Thessaloniki, approving the relevant procedure. The contract to be awarded includes all the studies related to the design and licensing of the project for the extension of the existing shelter of the old beach with the construction of a deck.

Balcony on the sea
"With the construction of the deck and a number of other emblematic interventions, such as the redevelopment of the Aristotelous monumental axis, Thessaloniki is changing category", is the comment of the Mayor of Thessaloniki Konstantinos Zervas. As he said, "Thessaloniki acquires a balcony on the sea and at the same time expands its horizons, dynamically entering the modern era".

According to the Mayor of Thessaloniki, the construction of the deck will also solve a number of operational problems, as the public space on the sea side will be enlarged.

"The currently small width of the old beach's shelter is unable to meet the needs of the thousands of visitors. With the deck, the problem of the limited space for pedestrians and cyclists is addressed and an enlarged balcony is created on the sea side", underlined the Deputy Mayor of Technical Works and Sustainable Mobility Ephraim Kyrizidis.

Along with the deck, the redesign of the wider surrounding area of Victory Avenue is planned, based on the modern requirements of art and science as well as the principles of bioclimatic - environmental design. The project is part of the strategic planning of the Municipality of Thessaloniki for the upgrading of the natural, cultural and urban environment of the city.

Competition of ideas
The Municipality of Thessaloniki launched an architectural design competition for the construction of a deck on the old beach, which was completed about a year ago. The first prize was awarded to the proposal signed by the architectural engineer Georgios Dimopoulos and the civil engineer Vasiliki Panagiotopoulou.

The designers proposed two spatial zones running parallel along the entire sea front of the old beach. The zone of the extension and the zone of the existing pier-walk are distinct, so that with their different qualitative characteristics they offer different experiences and emotions to their users.

The deck of the extension is placed at a level lower than that of the existing pier. At points where the deck intersects with major axes, such as Aristotelous Square and Agia Sophia Street, the deck will be provided with indentations.

At the same time, spatial compositions - units of different levels - are formed. The proposed lower-level configurations gently and discreetly separate the pedestrian movement-flow area from the area where pedestrians stop, meet and socialise.