Kozani Square

Nikis square, the most important public space and a neuralgic spot of the city of Kozani, accumulates the most significant public buildings of the city. It is the place where most of the public activities if the citizens take place, including parades and festivals. At its current state, its fragmentation with various dissociated elements hinders its function as an open space. Therefore, what the design mainly seeks to accomplish is the reunification of the square with the limitation of the conservation of the existing trees.

Proposal

The proposal is based in the idea of the osmotic integration of the natural and the artificial elements within a public space. Ιt seeks to allow for the natural elements to flow within an artificial ambience.

The restoration of the unity

One of the main objectives is the restoration of the unity, so that the square, together with the adjacent pedestrian roads, will constitute a coherent whole for movement, rest and recreation. For this reason, the square and the pedestrian roads are designed as a whole, organised with stripes showing the Nourth-South direction, except for the sitting areas where they seem to deform. The main goal is the perceptual, spatial unification with punctuation given at the direction of the buildings of high public and architectural value. Steps or other obstacles are excluded from the design, except for the sitting areas, which are located at the periphery of the square and at the areas with the higher concentration of the existing trees.

The spatial organization of the square aims at the unobstructed pedestrian movement and at the formation of unified perceptually areas of movement and rest.
Two main sitting areas, and others with less coverage turn their front at the civic building and the church, while at the same time look at the centre of the square.
Aiming at the activation and the support of public activities, outdoor demonstrations and festivals, the sitting areas point at the same direction, the centre of the square.
They function as a fragmented outdoor amphitheatre, while at the same time they don’t propose a major gesture that would fragment the square. They appear as coherent components of the artificial ground applied at the whole area of the square and the adjacent streets.

The spatial format in stripes intends to favour the main pedestrian direction of North-South and to highlight the eye direction towards the civic building, the church and the building currently housing the National Bank. At the same time, this ground format regulates the sitting area in front of Hermionio hotel. The marble stairs of Pandora street are preserved and ramps are added at both sides.