The Competition brief asked for the redevelopment of the coastal front of Hersonisos, Crete, a highly touristic small port. Our aim was to reconceive the contemporary identity of the typical Greek urban coastal landscape, focusing at the key point where the setlements' edge meet with the sea. Sea: space, routes, sounds, awaiting, grief, food, wealth, delight, fear...
Our proposal tries to reconstruct the desire of a "beach". The existing row of resturants, cafes and bar tents were problematic as spaces for enjoying the view of the sea, obstructing the access to it. We make a spectacle out of them, placing them along a new floating platform in the midst of the port, freeing the coast and permitting the actual access to the water, thus creating a series of new, multivalent coastal micro-landscapes.
The existing water's edge, once freed, is sculpted as an artificial rocky coast which allows one to descend near the water and dive into. The coastal promenade is widened and freed from obstacles, open to the horizon, and also doubled by a new boardwalk along the floating platform at sea level. The hill of "Kastri" (small castle) and the Roman port ruins are incorporated into the design as key features.
© griik architects 2020