konstantinos’ blog

The New Acropolis Museum is almost ready. Designed by Bernard Tschumi (Bernard Tschumi Architects), the museum will break ground this summer in Athens, Greece. Sited only 800 feet from the famous Parthenon, it will be the most audacious building ever erected so close to the ancient.

According to the architecture of the museum, “three concepts turn the constraints of the site into an architectural opportunity, offering a simple and precise museum with the mathematical and conceptual clarity of ancient Greece.”

A concept of light

“More than in the regularity of museum, the New Acropolis Museum has special light. Not only because daylight in Athens London, Berlin or even Bilbao (Hmm, Guggenheim), the need of lighting the sculpture is different from painting or drawings. You can say that the museum is an anti-Bilbao. A key feature of Tschumi’s offering is the incorporation of natural light into the building, providing pleasant lighting for viewing the curvy details of the Parthenon sculptures.”

A movement concept

“The visitor’s circulation forms a three-dimension loop, affording an architectural promenade with a rich spatial experience extending from the archeological excavations to the Parthenon Marbles and back through the Roman period. It gives time journey sensation as dimension of architecture and of this museum in particular. With over 10,000 visitors daily, exploring the museum and examining the artifacts is conceived to be of prior clarity.”

Tectonic and Programmatic

“The museum’s first floor has an auditorium and lobby between which a wide ramp levels up to the second floor. Transparent sections in the ramp’s floor allow visitors to look carefully at the exposed archaeological remains below. Along the sides of the ramp and as freestanding installations there will be artifacts collected from the Sanctuary of the Nymphs, the Sanctuary of Asklepios, and somewhere on the slopes of the Acropolis, also there are temporary exhibition spaces, retail, and all support facilities.”

“The second is a large, double-height trapezoidal plate that holds the finds of the Archaic Period, from 800-500 B.C., in a 21,100 square feet area characterized by architectural columns. A mezzanine welcomes a bar and restaurant with views towards the Acropolis, and a multimedia auditorium, with a large terrace spanning northward offers panoramic views of the Acropolis and the city of Athens.”

“The third floor will be devoted to space anticipating the return of the treasures Elgin took, many which date back to the Parthenon’s beginning. It is a rectangular gallery, enclosed in glass to ensure the proper air and light controls for these objects from ancienity and a direct view of the Acropolis above, with the exact geometry and harmonious dimensions of the columned Parthenon, providing an appropiate context for understanding the accomplishments of the Parthenon complex itself.”

[extracts from Architectook]

More photos and discussion: link 1 | link 2

Photo taken at Brighton, UK.
Editing was done in Photoshop.

for commentary visit “Sea Game” @ deviantART

Make: Canon
Model: Canon PowerShot S70
Shutter Speed: 1/501 second
F Number: F/2.8
Focal Length: 6 mm
Date Picture Taken: May 26, 2007, 5:38:24 PM

Yesterday I went to Brighton, UK with my friends Sarah, Eleni and Dimitris or James as he prefers.

This was my first trip to a coastal place since I moved to London and I really enjoyed that. The weather was not the best but at least it wasn’t raining (like in London). The best thing is that I shot several great photos. After all, dramatic clouds and skies are one of my favourites elements in a photo.

Here there is a link to a few of the “non artistic” photos I took yesterday for my friends (or anyone else interested) to see.

I hope I’ll edit a few of the more “artistic” photos in the next days and I’ll upload them here and to my “deviantART” page for advanced commentary.

A new photograph from the “Carte Postal” series.

This time from LONDON, UK; the city where I live since last September.

As always, post production (manipulation) was done in Photoshop.

Hellooooo! Konstantinos speaking!

This is my first post on my blog! Millions of many others posts will follow… Stay tuned