Evangelia Moschou

ABSTRACT

“METECHO” is an architectural narrative that takes place in an abandoned monastic property in the countryside of Epanomi. This abandoned fortress building was created in 1530 and its use implies its occupation by monks and farmers who cultivate and manage agricultural land owned by a monastery. This site is out of time and has been frozen in a dormant state, tending towards ‘disuse’. Abandonment, however, is not a static condition but rather advocates a transition between two different situations. The image of an unfinished and partially damaged building awakens the desire of two friends to reuse it and revitalize it, using the chidori, a wooden construction based on three elements that create a joint that does not require any screws. This dynamically developing system, comes to complement in a creative way the existing form and to create an architecture that promotes the commune in itself, promotes people to participate in its creation, to participate in its evolution and to participate in its functioning, thus participating in their association with each other. The narrative of this architectural story is ultimately about the revival of an abandoned building and the spirit of this place, through references to the history of this place and interpretations of the communal monastic ritual, whose dynamic evolution eventually prevents anything alive from becoming static.