Between the Limit and the Trench

The project is about the Corinth Canal, a great human achievement of the 19th century, which has significant cultural and geological value, but today it's falling into oblivion. Through a "3 axes" analysis of the landscape, we aim to create a social, scientific and cultural pole where the visitors face the Canal's real dimensions and history.

A "3 axes" analysis of the landscape was our basic tool in order to draw conclusions and give shape to our proposition. We considered as x axis the one parallel to the Canal axis and as y axis the transversal one which links the two banks. The z axis was very important, as well, because it's the one that links the upper ground level with the water level. Time, as a fourth dimension, is decoded and becomes the content of our intervention. Therefore, we aim to create a pole which concentrates a part of the unique experience of the Canal and gives the chance to the visitor to face its real dimensions and history. As a result, the visitor understands the essence of the landscape through an educative procedure based on observation and introspection. The proposition consists of three entities: a bridge as an exposition about the Canal (swing-link), a building as a museum about its history and geology (face to) and a tower as researchers' space (submersion-emersion). Each one confronts a different cartesian dimension of the three ones which are included in the canal. In this way, we create a network which allows people to experience the Canal's section on different levels and layers. This network is located at a critical spot in the Canal, at its highest point, and it has to face various constructional challenges linked to the Canal's particular morphology and geological consistence. At a larger scale, the project is anchored to existing uses and routes and it is part of a larger network which we design in the area in order to facilitate the access and to promote the exploration of the site and its surroundings. To conclude, this project proposes a strategic planning that does not concern only the local area. The past shows that Greece, despite facing an economic crisis, managed to co-ordinate with the revolutionary spirit of the industrial period and to cope with a great challenge, accomplishing both a great technical and economical feat. So, the proposal re-establishes the vision of a public project that could help Greek economy, while at the same time it would constitute a social, scientific and cultural pole.