PEOPLE‘s “Metamorphosis” project focuses on the redesign of an old existing building in Metamorfosi, Athens, which is now being transformed into a contemporary space that creates the feeling of a nest and a safe place to the visitors of IVF Serum Clinic.
The design process of the transformation was holistic. PEOPLE’S design team created a landmark for the area in the exterior, while accommodating the spatial needs for the clinic’s operations in the interior. In keeping with the principles of sustainable design, architects kept the existing building’s structural elements, including the staircase, lifts and steel window frames, and turned its challenges to its greatest features.
“On initial inspection, the staircase seemed to sever each floor’s space into two separate areas”.
The design approach takes advantage of this feature to connect and yet keep the various functions of each floor discrete. The ground floor hosts the lobby, café and small restaurant, as well as the operational surgeries, labs and offices.
The first floor combines office space and consultation rooms in its main part, with marketing and accounting services in a secondary part. Support services and facilities can be found in the rest of the building. The labs, prep rooms, gym and wellness center lie in the basement, while admin and management offices are on the second floor.
“To make the most of the floor areas, architects designed two cells in the heart of the first and second floors’ main areas”.
The transparent cellon the first floor accommodates consultation rooms and organizes the circulation and offices around it. The second floor’s cell is semi-transparent, and hosts the management’s conference room.
The façade’s cladding, comprised of aluminium beams and wooden slats, encloses part of the building and its outdoor space, while providing shading in the formerly sun exposed glass facades. Its curves create a form that flows into space and are reflected in the landscape and water feature, thus completing the transformation with the landscape, external installations and planting.