A SCENARIO FOR THE OUTDOOR LIVING| Hiking facilities in Ancient Lissos

ARTICLES

09DEC 2018
# TITLE: A SCENARIO FOR THE OUTDOOR LIVING| Hiking facilities in Ancient Lissos
# STUDENTS: Eva Lavranou
# SUPERVISOR: Costis Panigiris
# DATE: 2018
# COURSE: Diploma Design Thesis
# SCHOOL / DEPARTMENT: University of Thessaly, Department of Architecture

How does the land motivate us to inhabit it? This diploma thesis deals with the issue of temporary outdoor living and more specifically talks about outdoor living in the area of ​​Ancient Lissos in Crete. Lissos is a stopover for walkers following the E4 European path and is only accessible by hiking or by boat. It is therefore a place inaccessible, but due to this feature, it attracts travelers who seek to reconnect with nature, the minimum habitation within it and their spirituality. In order to achieve this, they have accepted the fact that they will miss a significant part of their comforts. The subject of the research is the traveler who through walking, will try to uncover the meanings that connect man to the environment and urge him to become a resident. Architecture is the means to allow it to live and shape its life by providing it with orientation elements and means of meeting its needs. But how can architecture approach a place that carries memories and ruins of the past, wounding and altering the character of the landscape as little as possible? During this exploration, a lot of the conventional architecture practices in hospitality were rejected and a new condition for habitation has been created. The new structures stand free to the landscape, losing their identity as buildings and offering travelers a minimum coverage of their habitation needs.

The facilities include a place to prepare food with a tap and fire. The food preparation takes place in a seated position, as if it was in the soil. The structure for the food has been placed here in order to serve as a stopover also walkers who do not want to explore Lissos but they want to continue the hiking path. There are also flat surfaces with a wall that stops the wind where the person can sleep by setting up his tent or hanging on hammocks from one wall to the opposite or even completely free on the ground. The pier consists of concrete volumes that seem to descend like a ladder leading to the water. In the toilet, man can enjoy the view and have privacy. The bath is poured into a rock near the beach. The structure for the fire is placed at a on a strong slope so that the resident can have a view of the whole area from above.

In summary, the study in the landscape has shown that each landscape requires different means to become habitable. The intervention in Lissos, which is an archeological site, is inspired by the technique of time montage and in that way creates a new stratigraphy in the existing territory where man will be able to return to today. Outdoor habitation structures promote collective life. They only provide a minimum comfort and help to meet a basic need. And the question remains: Could the architecture of the tourist habitation get rid of the current consumption patterns and come back to the minimum without being poor?