Area. 54,000m2
National Competition. 5th Prize
The E.G.Ladopoulos Paper Mill (EGL) holds a strategic position within the urban fabric of Patras. Having once been the largest paper-producing factory in the country, the complex is currently abandoned, with most buildings being derelict and empty.
The coexistence of humans and machines was the driving force of EGL - this can be restored with the right uses. The central vision of the regeneration is to mend the broken factory links, enabling its transition into the 21st century. The vision is bi-fold:
- Understanding the factory’s original cycle and mending the broken ‘line of production’.
- Reversing the focus, not revolving around the machines any more but around the people.
EGL is formed into five new neighbourhoods. Each increases human interactions, provides ample public space and renders the factory into a recognizable beacon of local and supra-local value.
Most buildings are maintained, with building fabric carefully removed in key locations to allow for increased permeability. By making visible what has remained invisible, the heart of the neighbourhood is once again beating.
White is chosen as the colour of the interior interventions, reminiscent of sheets of paper.
In contrast to the interior, the implementation of the new exterior elements is based on the colours that the machines themselves had.
