Τίτλος: Στο όριο
Υπότιτλος: Μουσείο σύγχρονης ιστορίας του Ισθμού της Κορίνθου
Φοιτητές: Ελευθέριος Καρύδης, Άγγελος Ευθύμιος Χατζάτογλου
Επιβλέπουσα καθηγήτρια: Έβελυν Γαβρήλου
Πανεπιστήμιο Θεσσαλίας, Τμήμα Αρχιτεκτόνων Μηχανικών
Ιούνιος 2017
Ο Ισθμός της Κορίνθου αποτελεί ορόσημο στον ελληνικό χώρο ήδη από την αρχαιότητα. Η διάνοιξή του απασχόλησε τους μηχανικούς από την κλασική περίοδο μέχρι και το τέλος του 19ου αιώνα. Οι όποιες προσπάθειες για τη διάνοιξη του Ισθμού κατά την αρχαιότητα ήταν ατελέσφορες λόγω έλλειψης τεχνογνωσίας. Τελικά τον 19ο αιώνα επιτυχγάνεται η θαλάσσια ένωση των δύο κόλπων με ένα εκπληκτικό για την εποχή εγχείρημα, στο οποίο συνέβαλαν μηχανικοί παγκοσμίου φήμης. Η ένωση του Κορινθιακού και του Σαρωνικού κόλπου με τη Δίωλκο άλλαξε τα δεδομένα για τη ναυτιλία αντικαθιστώντας τον απόπλου ολόκληρης της Πελοποννήσου. Το αποτέλεσμα είναι η διάνοιξη του Ισθμού να αποτελεί ορόσημο για την περιοχή, παράκαμψη για τα εμπορικά πλοία και τουριστικό πόλο έλξης για τους περαστικούς.
Πλέον η χερσαία ένωση της Στερεάς Ελλάδας και της Πελοπονήσου γίνεται με δύο κεντρικές αρτηρίες, με σιδηροδρομικές γραμμές και πεζογέφυρα, που γεφυρώνουν το χάσμα που δημιούργησε ο Ισθμός. Επιπλέον στις δύο άκρες του Ισθμού υπάρχουν αναδυώμενες γέφυρες για οχήματα και πεζούς.
Στην περιοχή, λόγω της συνεχούς διέλευσης οχημάτων υπάρχουν αρκετά κτίρια που εξυπηρετούν τους σταθμευμένους οδηγούς, ενώ λειτουργεί και στάση ΚΤΕΛ δίπλα στην παλαιά εθνική με αρκετά συχνούς ρυθμούς διέλευσης λεωφορείων. Οι στάσεις έχουν και τουριστικό χαρακτήρα πουλώντας ενθύμια του Ισθμού και της αρχαίας Διώλκου. Η πολιτισμική αξία της περιοχής και το ορόσημο του Ισθμού έδωσαν ώθηση για τουριστική ανάπτυξη στην περιοχή. Η απόσταση όμως της περιοχής από τα αστικά κέντρα δε βοήθησε τις όποιες απόπειρες με αποτέλεσμα αρκετά κτίρια ξενοδοχειακού και εμπορικού χαρακτήρα να εγκαταλειφθούν ή ακόμα και να μείνουν ημιτελή.
Παράλληλα, η ταχεία διέλευση από τις εθνικές και τις σιδηροδρομικές γραμμές δεν επιτρέπει τη θέαση του Ισθμού παρά για λίγα δευτερόλεπτα μέσα από το όχημα. Η πεζογέφυρα απέχει αρκετά από τους χώρους στάθμευσης και έτσι η όποια δυνατότητα παρατήρησής του γίνεται από τη γέφυρα της παλαιάς εθνικής, κάτω από την οποία γίνονται και δραστηριότητες με extreme sports. Ο διαμήκης περίπατος του Ισθμού κατά μήκος των παριών του γίνεται τμηματικά και με χωματόδρομους.
Επιπλεόν τα σωζώμενα τμήματα της αρχαίας Διώλκου έχουν αφεθεί απροστάτευτα χωρίς να αναδεικνύονται με κάποιον τρόπο για τους επισκέπτες, ενώ το μουσείο που έχει δημιουργηθεί για το μνημείο απέχει από αυτό υποβαθμίζοντάς το ακόμα περισσότερο.
Η ανάγκη λοιπόν για την τουριστική ανάδειξη της περιοχής, οι απαιτήσεις για τη στέγαση του πολιτισμικού υλικού που αφορά τα ορόσημα μνημεία του Ισθμού και της Διώλκου, η ανάγκη για στέγαση των σταθμευμένων επιβατών των λεωφορείων και των περαστικών οχημάτων και η απουσιά πολιτισμικών κέντρων στις περιοχές της Ποσειδωνίας και των Ισθμίων οδήγησε στην εκπόνηση της μελέτης με τίτλο «Στο όριο- Μουσείο σύγχρονης ιστορίας του Ισθμού της Κορίνθου» για την ικανοποίηση όλων αυτών των προϋποθέσεων.
Εμπνεόμενοι από τις τοπογραφικές ιδιαιτερότητες της περιοχής και τις ανθρώπινες παρεμβάσεις που εξυπηρετούν τη ναυτική και χερσαία μετακίνηση, οι φοιτητές κατέληξαν σε ένα κτίριο πολιτισμικού χαρακτήρα, μεταβαλλόμενο ανάλογα με το χαρακτήρα των λειτουργιών που παροδικά στεγάζει, αλλάζει το σχήμα του για να ανταποκριθεί στις καιρικές συνθήκες και στις ανάγκες των χρηστών του και τελικά είναι ζωντανό καθ' όλη τη διάρκεια του χρόνου.
At the limit- Museum of modern history of Istmus of Corinth
Students: Aggelos Efthemios Chatzatoglou , Eleftherios Karydis
Supervisor: Gavrilou Evelyn
University of Thessaly, Volos, Greece Department of Architecture
The Isthmus of Corinth has been a landmark in Greece since ancient times. Its opening occupied engineers from the Classical period until the end of the 19th century. Any attempts to open the Isthmus in antiquity were ineffective due to lack of know-how. Finally, in the 19th century, the junction of the two bays was succeeded by an amazing project for that period of time, with the help of world-class engineers. The junction of the Corinthian and the Saronic Gulf with Diolcos changed the data on shipping, replacing the departure from the entire Peloponnese, saving time for crews and resources for merchants to transport their products. At the same time, thanks to the "tolls" that merchants were called upon to pay for the use of Diolkos, Corinth became a center of commercial control and hence a prominent city state. The result is the opening of the Isthmus became a landmark for the area, a detour for merchant ships and a tourist attraction for all passengers.
Location
The choice of location on the slopes of the Isthmus concerned us from the very beginning to the implementation of the study.
Target
The primary concern of our research ,was to creat paths along it.
At the same time, knowing the traffic difficulties of the area, we tried to integrate into the study ,programs that meet the needs of the visitors and of the residents of the surrounding areas. We are pleased that,our creation of a multiprogramm building, is in use throughout the year.
Additionally, being inspired by the characteristics of the natural environment and human interventions in the area, we have tried to harmonize the building with the space.
Finally, knowing that the main use of the building will be cultural, we have tried to incorporate museology principles, interior lighting, and enough space between exhibits. Our aim is to create constant move. It is characterized by a multitude of meeting places, where the visitor is invited to choose different directions, creating a different course each time and a distinct experience of interaction with space, exhibits and functions.
The museum
The conclusion of the study, regarding the configuration of the museum's spaces and routes, was influenced by the characteristics of the Isthmus. The main source of inspiration was the ancient Diolcos. According to the archaeological studies drawn up on the ruins of the monument, and in combination with the topography of the area, the scientists have come to the conclusion that the ancient road followed two possible paths with uniquely preserved sections at its two ends, in the Posidonia area on the one side The Corinthian ,and Isthmia on the side of the Saronic Gulf. It is therefore at the discretion of the visitor-scholar to choose his own path and to follow it. By choosing one path, it discovers the second version and in order to follow it it will have to restart from the beginning, thus creating a totally new experience.
Another element that inspired us from Diolcow is that, its remains are scattered throughout its course and are not limited to a particular place. Other sections are visible to the visitor, while others remain buried or destroyed after later human interventions and natural disasters.
We attemted,this continuous shift between obvious and non-obvious , to integrate both in the visual and lighting levels. We created this alternative both with the use of roof openings as well as with the application of raising-sinking walls . Throughout the building, we create uncovered gardens that allow for visual interaction from and to the interior of the museum. This correlation is intensified by the use of sloping blinds on the roof above the central space, following the uncovered corridor of the entrance and in parallel with the large uncovered garden. These blinds limit the direct light passing through the central area, allowing the entrance to some beams of light. This creates a constantly changing shading that follows the course of the sun, producing a constant change of light and shadow that is depicted on the wall that separates the uncovered with the covered part of the central space, and marks the direction that the visitor will follow.
A third element that interested us ,is the submersible-emerging metal bridges that lie at the edges of the Isthmus in both Isthmia and Posidonia. These bridges have two roles. The first is the temporary exclusion of the channel for the ships by determining their passage every time. Their second role is the land union of the two sides for the needs of the locals, functioning as a detour of the two national arteries.
This logic is part of our design in the form of sinking walls and platforms. Floating walls and platforms allow or forbid the visual contact of indoor spaces by highlighting or hiding according to the needs of specific spaces. At the same time they create new associations, meeting points or obstacles defining the possible paths that a visitor can follow. In addition, the platforms provide a solution to the problem of movement of people with disabilities both inside and outside the museum and at different levels, and allow the immediate transfer of equipment and materials that the museum's occasional presentations may need.
In addition, the existence of metal structures to support the bridges has inspired us to use similar elements in a part of the museum that required a lighter and more transparent view.
The existence of natural cavities in the slopes because of landslides, as well as the cross section of the Isthmus itself, has prompted us to create cavities on the facade of the building, creating amphitheatrical spaces that function as stands for the observation of activities and performances.
The central area of the museum can be divided into three units. The central uncovered garden, the central theater and an enclosed area.
The central uncovered garden
The main garden is a conceivable continuation of the uncovered garden of the entrance. With a length of 48.40 meters and a width of 6.80 meters, it functions as an underground open space inside the museum connecting the internal and external boundaries. In the garden beyond the trees there is a water tank (35,50x 2,50) in side wall, and an outer radius of three levels totaling 1.65 m. Occupies the entire width of the garden and has a maximum distance of 6.05 m, from the wall that separates the two stairwells. The two lower levels have a pressure of 0.90 m while the third one is a platform as the staircase connects the garden with the main entrance. The garden level is at -3.40 m as does the rest of the central area. The garden connects with the interior of the museum and is isolated according to the needs, thanks to two sunken walls. While the second is on the other end of the garden and also has a length of 13.80 m. This wall has a thickness of 0.50 m as it is a support for the triangulation created by the application of a sloping wall. The inclined wall starts from the roof plate and ends up just above the height of the sinking walls. This triangulation is created so that the roof slab covers half the opening of the garden (3.40 m) ,and protects its bare part from weather phenomena, while creating an interesting shade game
Energy planning and lighting
Another issue that made us think,was the lighting in the museum . We knew from other museological studies that, exhibits and special photographs and paintings must be protected from direct sunlight. For this reason we decided to illuminate the area with indirect natural and artificial lighting.
Observing the movement of the sun above the Isthmus, we noticed that at the point of interest (the wall) is illuminated only in the early morning hours during the summer months. By placing a curtain all along the facade, we achieveD the desired daytime lighting levels by taking advantage of indirect natural lighting and minimizing craftsmanship.
Light is indirectly imported from the interior gardens at the bottom of the building, which can be restrained thanks to the sinking walls.
Finally, at the points where higher levels of lighting are required due to the concentration of visitors or because of other activities, the roof holes introduce direct natural lighting, which is limited by the use of shades (blinds in the central space) and panels, giving additional thickness to the roof slab .
