The L-shape, which gave the new building its name, was already defined in the brief: eLement. The LEED-certified office building in Athens surrounds a Mediterranean garden and is very close to nature with its green roof terraces. The high energy efficiency of the surrounding glass façades is ensured by insulating glazing with the warm edge spacer bar Swisspacer Ultimate.
The name says it all: the newly constructed eLement office building is shaped like an L on the almost square plot in the Marousi district in the northern suburbs of Athens. An existing building in the centre of the site made the L-shape the only practical solution. It was therefore already specified in the competition, which the architect Rena Sakellaridou won with her dynamic design.
Unique entrance
The basic idea of the design is revealed from a bird's eye view: the two wings of the transparent new office building frame the green inner courtyard in an inviting way. The entrance to the eLement is located deep in the corner of the L and is accessed by a diagonal footpath that pierces the green area like an arrow. The path passes a glass pavilion, which houses a restaurant under its white concrete roof, breaks through the lower section of the office building and thus opens up a free passageway to the rear of the block. By keeping the ground floor open at this point, the architect achieved two design objectives at once: to create a public passageway and to effectively emphasise the actual main entrance area.
Moving façade
With her design, the architect pursued the vision of an ethereal façade that opens onto the inner courtyard. The composition of the bright white concrete slabs, which mark the floor levels and whose projections take on a different shape on each floor, creates a lively façade. The impression of movement is supported by vertical sun protection slats that follow the course of the sun and conjure up light reflections on the façade with their perforated aluminium skin.
Green office close to nature
Energy efficiency, resource conservation, functionality and a first-class ecological infrastructure are key aspects of the architectural design. The eLement has been awarded the LEED Platinum sustainability certificate. Highly efficient building technology and the selection of building products and solutions used are aimed at efficiency and sustainability down to the smallest detail. The landscape architects from H. Pangalou and Associates created a valuable ecosystem of native Mediterranean plants for the public courtyard and the roof gardens used by the tenants.
Optimum glass solution
The façades are transparent throughout. The large openings in the building provide plenty of natural light in the interior and at the workstations. The floor-to-ceiling glazing made of COOL-LITE® XTREME from Saint-Gobain, a highly selective solar control glass with an optimum ratio of daylight gain to thermal insulation, ensures excellent daylight yield. The STADIP SILENCE® laminated safety glass also guarantees effective sound insulation from the busy main road. In order to avoid thermal bridges at the glass edge and further increase energy efficiency, the architects opted for the technically and visually impressive warm edge spacer bar Ultimate from Swisspacer for the insulating glazing. It is one of the best warm edge spacer bars in the world and ensures excellent energy efficiency for windows and façades. This reduces CO2 emissions and has a positive effect on the CO2 footprint of the building. It also significantly minimises the risk of condensation and mould formation. In addition to their functional performance, the spacer bars impress with their elegant matt surface. With their understated appearance, they blend harmoniously into the most modern architectural designs - combining outstanding energy efficiency with exquisite aesthetics.
