Unsung heroes of Athens cityscape
The unassuming apartment buildings that proliferated in the Greek capital after the Second World War represented a new idea of modern life and Greek identity 20th century city , Athens, 1957." />Man contemplating the expansion of the 20th century city , Athens, 1957. Credit: Benaki Museum, Costas Megalokonomou Archives Builders, Housewives and the Construction of Modern Athens is a book for those of us who, blinded by the classical wonders of the Acropolis, have never given much thought to the nondescript cityscape below. This is not about architect- led building design but an effort to understand the positives of Athens’ 20th century urbanism, warts and all. The heroes of the book are the polykatoikia – the prolific post- war apartment buildings that were built at impressive pace using reinforced concrete frames with masonry infill. While their white facades, flat roofs and horizontal lines bore some similarities to the forms of modern architecture, these were, as autho...