The document proposes an urban intervention called IRIS, which would revitalize 1 km of waterfront in Agios Nikolaos, Greece. IRIS is a hybrid infrastructure and public art proposal shaped like an "urban reef" made of porous armatures in different colors. It would stitch the city to the sea, providing access from streets to the water's edge and housing amenities like cafes, pools, and a theater. The reef would also generate renewable energy and feature art galleries and workshops along the street level promenade.

1. A SYMBIOTIC URBAN REEF
PHASE I - IRIS
E C O W E E K C R E T E 2016
Agios Nikolaos, Crete. Greece
Workshop Leaders: Chris Doray + Pooya Khalili
Workshop Team Members:
Ming Rang Bai, Maria Mavrogeni, Maria Eleni Manika,
Alexia Stavropoulou, Imge Esmer
Guest Team Members: Ewa Sroczynska + Piotr Pasierbinski
W3
W3 took on the challenge to explore an urban
intervention that would revitalize one kilometre of
waterfront in the City of Agios Nikolaos. Presently,
the elevated Akti Koundourou (approx 9m
above sea level) presents itself as a hostile strip
of thoroughfare, restricting access to the City’s
greatest recreational amenity - the crystal waters
of the Aegean Sea.
In concert with the Urban Reef Proposal, W3 has explored a Phase I scenario to this ambitious proposal. We call it ‘IRIS’
after the legendary Greek Goddess of the Rainbow. IRIS is a hybrid proposal between infrastructure and public art. We have
chosen to adopt the reef metaphor and tame it to a seductive series of urban armatures of rhythm and colour. The portals
collectively form a new gateway to the city centre and the subtle colours on its interior faces contribute positively to the
‘cheer and delight’ of the white-washed facades often found in Cretan architecture. By night, IRIS will transform into an
elegant luminous necklace instead of the otherwise dark tedious waterfront of Agios Nikolaos.
Our proposal is a bold and symbiotic approach
to stitch the city to the sea. Borrowing from the
marine geography of coral reefs in the Aegean
Sea, we have adopted to choreograph a skeleton
structure along this ‘vehicular-stricken’ shoreline.
An urban reef fashioned after the ascending
vernacular of the hillside cityscape and the Cretan
mountain range that forms the rugged backdrop
to this tranquil seaside resort.
We also inherited an architectural archetype
often found in beach resorts, i.e. a ‘cabana’ as a
precedent to this multi-tiered assemblage. It was
paramount that we maintained transparency at all
times and hence the decision to keep this ‘urban
reef’ as porous as possible.
The skeleton assemblage builds itself to higher elevations that
allows the reef to stitch into the hinterland of Agios Nikolaos.
The organic structure blends and merges into the city’s
street grid and its topology providing access to residents in
their hillside homes to descend easily to the water’s edge
for endless recreational amenities. These connecting bridges
shall house renewable energy devices to harvest both the
abundant solar and wind energies that this coastal city is
blessed with. The ‘urban reef’ shall sustain its own energy
requirements without having to plug into the city power grid.
The roadway (Akti Koundourou) is maintained but re-
finished with traditional cobblestone pavers which will act
as a traffic dampener. The reef will enable the expansion
of the pedestrian realm at the street level and even permit
pedestrians on wheels, i.e. cyclists and skateboarders
to inhabit the street level promenade. The street level
promenade will also house arts and crafts galleries, artist
workshops and selective urban herbal farms for the food and
beverage outlets in the reef.
The primary objective of this infrastructural intervention
is to provide new accessibility for residents and tourist to
the water’s edge. The ‘reef’ is highly permeable so access
from the street to the water’s edge is made available along
the entire stretch of Akti Koundourou. The water’s edge is
designed as a strictly pedestrian promenade - a generous
broad-walk that enables active engagement with the sea for
the tourist and residents. This new waterside promenade is
lined with cafes, wine bars, an open-air reading room beside
a piazza filled with hammocks for a lazy afternoon siesta. In
addition, a diving and sailing club with storage for sailboats
and kayaks, multiple infinity edge ‘ocean-fed’ swimming
pools and even an open-air ‘theatre-in-the-round’ for musical
recitals.
Water’s Edge Amenities
Street Edge Culture + Arts
Renewable Energy