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hotel greece

S. E. A. L.

Seaside Ephemeral Accommodation Laboratory

Design Studio Project

University of Thessaly

Zissis Kotionis

Padelis Kyriakou 

Volos, Greece

February 2017

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S.E.A.L. describes a new condition of labor and accommodating around maritime activities in the gulf of Pefkakia, which is part of the port of Volos. The project constitutes part of a greater effort to redefine tourism conditions in Greece by reinventing and boosting alternative forms of tourism. 

Visitors of S.E.A.L. are on the same time tourists and workers. Trying to define this demanding statement of the new hybrid between these two conditions, it offers a combination of accommodation and  labor under the nature of a workshop atmosphere. S.E.A.L. offers the minimum of symbiotic living in an educational and social co-working environment. Therefore it addresses to amateurs and willing-to-learn people of all ages and sexes, who are looking for a different way of capturing the essence of the place. On the first day of arrival -after a quick tour among the facilities and the site- the guest will be able to choose between participating in the “shipyard” workshop or in the “fishing’’ one. The tutors and the staff will then indicate the program, the necessary things to do, and how the whole site area works. The activities of these workshops are really important to the local history and economy, but they have dramatically declined because of the economic crisis and new technologies. 

As far as the spatial organization of the site is concerned, the division of the gulf into two main parts is adopted, one focused on the shipyard activities and one focused on fishing and accommodation. Each part is characterized by a long platform on the edge. They are meant to trigger all the intermediate space while using the least built interventions needed. As a result comes the gentle sideway path that connects the two ends. On the east platform is located the accommodation building, the public restaurant while the fishing activities take place underneath. Accordingly at the east platform, all the shipyard facilities and a public info point are placed. 

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