BIG designs Park Rise as a vertical extension in Athens

Modern residential architecture in dense urban environments is increasingly shifting toward designs that merge living spaces with surrounding nature. A prime example is Park Rise, a project by the renowned architecture studio Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) located in the Little Athens neighborhood of The Ellinikon development in Athens, Greece. Hanna Johansson, Associate in Charge at BIG, reflects on the studio's design philosophy and ambitions for housing in the Greek capital during an interview with designboom.

The conceptual foundation of the project stems from its site, which lies between two distinct geographical features: the Aegean Sea on one side and the mountains of Attica on the other. The architects translated this natural duality into a stepped building silhouette, creating a cascading arrangement of homes where each residence is accompanied by its own private outdoor garden space.

Stock photo for illustration only, not from the actual event

The architecture steps and opens outward toward the surroundings, utilizing floor-to-ceiling glazing to connect interiors with expansive views of the sea, park, and mountains. Furthermore, the concave curved facade draws inspiration from the geometry of classical Greek columns, softening the conventional aesthetic of residential high-rises.

The architecture acts almost like a vertical extension of the landscape, stepping, cascading, and opening itself to those views