Rehouse Athens: A Program for Spatial and Material Reform

François Mégret

/

Alexandros Trivizas

Athens is facing a deepening housing crisis. Homeownership is declining, evictions are rising, and many apartments remain vacant. Speculative practices—such as the Golden Visa program and the spread of short-term rentals—are distorting the housing market, pushing affordability beyond reach for many residents. Much of the city’s housing stock dates to the postwar reconstruction era. The polykatoikia, built quickly with reinforced concrete, are now reaching the end of their structural lifespan. Their deterioration raises urgent concerns about safety and seismic resilience in an earthquake-prone region. The need for repair is critical, yet the financial burden falls on a population facing economic precarity. The fragmented ownership model—where individuals are responsible for shared infrastructure—often results in neglect and inaction. These buildings also perform poorly in terms of energy efficiency and indoor comfort. Rehouse Athens proposes a bold reimagining of the polykatoikia. It aims to pool and redistribute apartments to address under-occupancy, renovate structures for seismic and environmental performance, and shift ownership toward cooperative models that ensure affordability and collective responsibility. The program promotes the use of sustainable, locally sourced materials, reviving circular economies and local industries. By addressing both physical and systemic issues, Rehouse Athens seeks to restore the polykatoikia as a resilient, equitable, and climate-adaptive typology—capable of meeting the needs of 21st-century Athenian urban life.

Files
Énoncé (PDF), Énoncé (PDF), Planche (PDF), Planche (PDF), Planche (PDF), Planche (PDF)
LINKS
Team
Teachers:
Pier Vittorio Aureli, Sophie Delhay, Theodora Giovanazzi, Capucine Legrand
Supervision team:
Delhay, Sophie (dir. pédagogique) ; Aureli, Pier Vittorio (prof.) ; Giovanazzi, Theodora (mentor·e) ; Leroux, Marlène (expert·e) ; Legrand, Capucine (autre soutien)
Professor in charge of the statement:
Aureli, Pier Vittorio (ENAC IA TPOD)
Unit:
ENAC-SAR, SAR-ENS
Infos
Year:
2025
Period:
Fall
Category:
Master Project
Copyright:
CC BY Licence
Theoretical statement

Gay Apocalypse: Making Art and Architecture in Vienna during the time of “The Man Without Qualities [énoncé F. Mégret avec PV Aureli] Tsimento: towards material agency [énoncé A. Trivizas avec S. Nichols]

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