ECOWEEK 2016 in Agios Nikolaos Crete: Public Space & Tourism at One Planet

The Municipality of Agios Nikolaos in Crete marked the start of this year's tourist season with an environmental message. In collaboration with NGO ECOWEEK, the A & G Mamidakis Foundation, Bluegr Hotels & Resorts and the Region of Crete Regional Unit Lassithi, the mayor of Agios Nikolaos Anthonios Zervos and the President of the A & G Mamidakis Foundation Gina Mamidakis, hosted a week rich with activity around sustainable design, environmental awareness, and interventions in public spaces and schools titled 'Public Space and Tourism in One Planet.’

Between 4/7 and 9/7, the city of Agios Nikolaos hosted the ECOWEEK international conference and sustainable design workshops, an event that takes place in more than 15 countries around the world since 2008. The ECOWEEK workshops were led by experts from Greece and abroad - Canada, Italy, United Kingdom, Israel and Turkey – and attended by students in architecture and engineering from universities in Greece and abroad.

The ECOWEEK 2016 workshops at Agios Nikolaos:

W1      Workshop Leaders: Nasrin Mohiti Asli and Margherita Manfra (Orizzontale, Italy)

Team: Antonia Apostolakis, Eugenia Efthimiadou, Maria Kriou, Elli Ntaountaki, Eirini

Syka, Sophia Tsiteli and Andreana Ephimia Tzeka.

Location: Municipal Park.

Theme: The objective was to unify public space, giving an identity to the Park, so that

the local community will use it in a different way. To formulate the design approach, the

group worked with the local community in order to identify their needs and how to use

a space in the city center, which, although it is adjacent to shops, cafes, houses, office

buildings and a hotel, remains unused and could be an integral spacefor city life.

Presentation of project - here

Photographs: here

Video: [1] – here | [2] - here

W2      Workshop Leaders: Jorge Martín Sainz Terreros (Marko & Placemakers, England) and

Leyla Mehtap Turanalp (Turkey / USA)

Team: Betul Bas, Naida Kibaroglu, Cansu Aybuke Taskin and Anastasia Printziou.

Location: Seafront of Sissi.

Theme: The aim of the group was to seek the public space, which is occupied by parked

cars and restaurant tables and chairs. The group spent time discussing these issues with

the local community, restaurateurs and tourists in search of information on local history

- such as the Locust tree - and how the early storage rooms have shaped the seafront.

In particular, the group searched for ways to raise awareness among local residents for

the reuse of public space by pedestrians,  sought ways to sensitize people about the reuse of public space for pedestrians - including creating a path through parked cars. The group called its intervention 'Sissi-mou' (‘my Sissi), thus urging ownership - not alienation – of the public space by pedestrians and visitors.

Presentation of project - here

Photographs: here

W3     

Workshop Leaders: Chris Doray and Pooya Khaliliaraghi (Chris Doray Studio, Canada)

Team: Ming Rang (David) Bai, Blackbeard Maria, Maria Eleni Manika, Alexia

Stavropoulou, Imge Esmer. With the participation of Ewa and Piotr Sroczynska

Pasierbinski (Poland) and Despina Kouinoglou (Greece).

Location: Seafront of Agios Nikolaos.

Theme: With the project titled 'Symbiotic Urban Reef' the team studied the seafront and

proposed an intervention which would turn the seafront as the new facade of the city,

aiming to unite the city with the sea and give order to the city. The team created a

temporary space which forms the transition between the city and the sea and creates

new spaces for the enrichment of public space in the city waterfront. The proposed

structure is based on the (sea-front vacation) ‘cabana’ multiplied, while remaining

transparent and porous. The proposal includes pedestrian promenade, increasing the

width of the waterfront for pedestrians.

Presentation of project - here

Photographs: here

W4      Workshop Leaders: Galia Hanoch Roe (Environmental Protection Society, Israel) and

Elias Messinas (ECOAMA / ECOWEEK). With the cooperation of Thanos Stasinopoulos

architect (Turkey).

Team: Anna Bampaitou, Zaklyn Maroukian, Calliope Dokolianidou, Eda Kale, Suna Irem

Oker, Foteini-Ioanna Tsoumpou-Andriopoulou, Stavros Avramakis, Michail Gounalakis,

Evangelos Papadakis and Georgia Tzanopoulou.

Location: 3^rd Primary School of Agios Nikolaos.

Theme: Titled "Reviewing the green school’ the team launched the design process with

two interactive workshops with schoolchildren at the Children's Festival in June and

with parents and schoolchildren in July. Recognizing the multitude of problems facing

the school and because of the limited time, the group focused its attention on two main

directions: (a) To create new spaces for schoolchildren (placemaking) using the 'Smaller, Quicker, and Cheaper' approach. (b) To take advantage of the participation of parents, teachers and schoolchildren, and launch an empowering process which will reveal the potential and possibilities, and ensure commitment for the continuation of collective work after the ECOWEEK week is over. The group focused on four strategic areas in school: (a) The waiting area next to the school main entrance gate (b) The front courtyard mainly used by younger pupils, which had no place to sit in the shade. (c) The internal court under an existing skylight, which was abandoned and filled with garbage, and finally (d) The herb garden in the backyard, which was also abandoned. Within an intense four-day collective work, supported by two skilled workers and a bobcat operator and thanks to the generous offer of materials by local hotels, the workshop team, along with parents, schoolchildren and teachers, transformed these areas. The group created new shaded sitting areas in the front yard and by the front gate, using gabions - metal boxes filled with rocks and recycled plastic bottles; shaped the herb garden with 6 planting beds - one for each class - and access corridor using reused wooden deck tiles, and installing a composter, seating and a watering pot to attract birds; in the inner courtyard, the team planted new plants, and created a ‘Zen’ garden using stones and pebbles.

Materials: The interventions were made possible thanks to the generous offer of

materials and tools by Bluegr Hotels and Resorts, Ch. Iosifelis SA, Tsagkarakis,

and PLEKTAM SA.

Presentation of project - here

Photographs: here

W5      Workshop Leaders: Dora Kyriafini and Foteini Lymperiadou (euZen Architecture,

Greece). With the participation of Nikos Protogeros (computer simulations) and

Benjamin Gill (One Planet Living guidelines).

Team: Stefania Adamaki, Androniki Cheimonaki, Antigoni Drosouni, Konstantina

Photopoulou, Georgia Pantidou, Evangelia Siskaki, Christina Sophiou, and Magdalini

Stiakaki Tzavla.

Location: 5^th Primary School of Agios Nikolaos.

Theme: Titled 'Bioclimatic and ecological renovation of the 5^th Primary School Courtyard’ the team began the planning process in cooperation with parents and teachers, and a workshop where students were asked to draw how they envision the courtyard of their school. Living daily in a bare open space covered in concrete without shading or places to play, the children dreamed of trees and green in their school yard. This was precisely the approach of the proposal: a gentle, low-cost approach, which will convert the existing yard into a green oasis. The cement will be removed and replaced with earth and shrubs. The yard will be planted with local deciduous trees, and a few evergreen climbing bushes to create green walls on the facades and fences. Places are delineated for relaxation and play. Rainwater is partly collected for educational purposes. The team managed through planting of trees to achieve an improvement of the microclimate of the school. A series of simulations showed that the ground temperature was reduced by 13 degrees Centigrade in the summer, and a 7% drop in energy consumption of the school buildings. These were achieved only through planting trees and creating shaded areas in the school yard. Upon completion of the ECOWEEK workshop and the public presentation of the project, the Municipality of Agios Nikolaos

considering the implementation of the proposal.

Presentation of project - here

Photographs: here

Video: here

W6      Workshop Leaders: Panos Parthenios and Anna Karagianni (Digital Media Lab,

Technical University of Crete, Greece). With the participation of Nikoletta Chatzopoulou, Nikos Bolanaki, Thomas Pouliassis and George Hatzidakis.

Team: Chara Aidoni, Antigoni Ioannou, Areti Kotsoni, Maria Pachniotou, Dimitra

Papadami, Konstantina Perivolari, Alexandra Psimada and Zissis Vomvas.

Location: Steps of Agios Nicholaos.

Theme: The team took measurements at two points in the center of town, focusing on the visitor experience on noise pollution, light and shading, moisture and carbon emissions. Through observation and the above parameters, the group proposed two structures which would create the conditions for a different experience in these sites. According to the first proposal, interesting sites that frame views and provide sitting places exist in the city. Flexible gardens enable the visitor to get familiarized with the site, or walk down through an experiential path, that addresses the harsh environmental conditions (temperature, light, sound pollution) with structures. In the second proposal, there is a structure that filters the existing sounds, changing sounds, so the space can obtain harmony and become more welcoming and accommodating.

Presentation of project - here

Photographs: here

Video: here

W7      Workshop Leaders: Kristell VanHove and Andreas Gorani (LIMNI, Greece).

Team: Constantina Boumpoulaki, Paraskevi Landou, Anastasia Naki, Michail Nikoloudakis and Iliana Pediaditi.

Location: LIMNI, Agios Nikolaos.

Theme: In a site of natural beauty that hosts agro tourist activities, the group focused on the construction of two small structures: an external oven and an outdoor seating area. The group learned the use of natural materials - earth, clay, straw, wood and stone - and construction techniques based on these materials.

Presentation of project - here

Photographs: here

W8      Workshop Leaders: George Sakellaris (Natural Building of Crete).

Team: Dimitrios Athanasakis, Emmanouil Athanassakis, Flora-Maria Vletsi, Dorothea Mitrou, Rafaela Logari and Androniki Tsagkaraki.

Location: Located outside of Agios Nikolaos.

Theme: In a site of natural beauty that hosts ecological activities, the group focused on

learning how to build with natural materials - earthbags, earth, clay, wood and stone –

and construction techniques based on these materials.

Presentation of project - here

Photographs: here

ECOWEEK is a non-governmental organization established in Greece in 2005 by architect and environmental consultant Dr. Elias Messinas, with the mission to raise environmental awareness and to promote the principles of sustainability. ECOWEEK is active in 15 countries and has developed a members network in 54 countries.

ECOWEEK in Agios Nikolaos was the first one-week event for 2016, to be followed by similar events in Kosovo, Israel, Romania and Thessaloniki, Greece. In 2017 ECOWEEK is planning to expand its outreach to Holland, Singapore, and to return to Turkey and London.

More about ECOWEEK:

ECOWEEK website:                                         www.ecoweek.org 

ECOWEEK 2016 in Agios Nikolaos:                 click

ECOWEEK in Wikipedia:                                 click

ECOWEEK in Facebook:                                  click

ECOWEEK in the press:                                   Greek and English

ECOWEEK Photo album:                                 click

The ECOWEEK Book#1: 50 Voices for Sustainability read online

ECOWEEK Catalogue in Kosovo 2014 & 2015: read online

ECOWEEK Workshops Catalogue 2013:         read online

ECOWEEK 2012 in Belgrade:                          read online

ECOWEEK Videos:                                          click

ECOWEEK Contact:                                        ecoweek@ecoweek.org

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