THE GREEN HUB: a resilient vision for thessaloniki

2nd Prize at International Architecture Competition ArXellence 2

The international architectural competition ArXellence 2 organized by ALUMIL and endorsed by the UIA, concerned the urban redevelopment of Thessaloniki’s western coast and resulted in 173 submissions from 90 different countries. The Green Hub by Sofia Nikolaidou & Angeliki Tzifa was awarded the 2nd prize. The project envisioned a synergy between architecture and landscape, using the site’s strategic location to set an example of sustainable coastal activation while protecting the area from sea level rise.

Thessaloniki is one of the cities most vulnerable to climate change in the Mediterranean. The competition site is exposed to severe flood risks due to its proximity to the Thermaic Gulf, the Dendropotamos river and a highly urban environment. Once a land of dense vegetation, streams, and a popular waterfront park, the site today is neglected and separated from the city, with many underused industrial buildings and polluted soils. The Green Hub is a contemporary take on the site’s natural past, creating a continuous multi-level open space framework that enhances a sense of community and well-being while raising environmental awareness. The project proposes a series of short-term and long-term resilience strategies that aim to protect the environment by mitigating coastal food risks, filtering and detaining stormwater, restoring native ecosystems, remediating polluted areas, prioritizing cyclists and pedestrians and promoting renewable energy. The Green Hub echoes the natural landscapes of Greece and prioritizes contextual integration, by creating a hybrid between architecture, open space, and flood infrastructure. The proposal creates a new vibrant destination for Thessaloniki - a sustainable and resilient Green Hub that functions both as civic space and as flood infrastructure, protecting a much larger area of the city from the rising waters.

International Architecture Competition / ArXellence 2 / 2nd Prize / in collaboration with Angeliki Tzifa