Onassis AiR is the result of the conversion of an existing ground floor building of 148.50 sq.m. with an underground warehouse of 60 sq.m. into a meeting and creative work space directly related to the office building of Onassis Culture.

The location of the building with the Foundation’s offices served as a trigger to think of the project not only as a remodeling of the building, but also as a design of a new internal void in the urban fabric.

A warehouse is transformed into a filter building that leads from Leontiou Street, through an amphitheatrical courtyard, to the uncovered space of the office building. Going up to its roof, by a typical Athenian spiral staircase, one encounters a small urban vegetable garden defined by a metal structure that in turn crowns the entire volume. The metal structure gives the ground floor building a height development without creating a new structure, a new volume.

A change of the facades is foreseen on the main front on Leontiou Street and on the northeast side towards the uncovered space of the plot. On the main facade, the existing opening of the large garage door remains and in addition to this, a new one, of the same shape and size, is added in place of the old smaller entrance door. On the northeast side, one of the two existing ground floor windows and the door to the backyard are retained, while the second window is replaced with a larger one that also provides access to the uncovered space.

In general, the openings on the two sides are changed to achieve aesthetic harmony on the outside and greater functionality in relation to the new interior layout of the spaces. Folding door frames (bellows) are installed in the large openings that ensure maximum permeability of the building.

In the interior of the ground floor, the dividing walls of the former entrance are removed and a WC suitable for disabled people and a storage space are created in contact. The rest of the space is kept single and airy.

The interior spaces are simple, characterized by the mosaic floor, white plaster, air conditioning ducts and the exposed electrical network. Exposed ceiling systems allow for distribution variations without interventions.