SIEMENS HEADQUARTERS

ATHENS, GREECE

A single building, consisting of two separate but “interlocking” parts, houses the several departments of the company. The superstructure floors are not evenly spread over the ground floor footprint. The resulting interplay of volumes becomes the defining element of the volumetric concept. The “irregular” external contours of the building soften its impact on the neighbourhood, vindicating the design decision not to have a monolithic building. Part of the ground floor is left unused making for a distinctive, open on three sides, covered area close to the main entrance.

For energy-saving reasons, all the façade openings have been kept small but providing, nonetheless, adequate lighting under the climatic conditions prevailing in Athens. This was in stark contrast to the common, at the time, curtain wall designs for office buildings.

Office areas, conference rooms and meeting rooms constitute the bulk of the usable space. At ground and basement floor levels are located ancillary facilities including a high-security I.T. Centre. The total building area is 10565m².

All external solid surfaces have been kept white. Thus the turquoise signature logo of the company, placed inter alia on the topmost part of the building, easily stands out.

In order to allow for future expansion, the building has been sited on one side of the property. This rendered feasible the extensive external parking areas which were necessary in addition to the enclosed basement parking.

Considerable land was free to be landscaped. A large unbroken lawn contrasts with the densely planted other parts of the external spaces.