In the late 1950s, Constantinos Doxiadis, one of the leading figures of modern Greek architecture, was looking for a site to build his new company’s Athens offices. He selected a plot in the pine-clad foothills of Mount Lycabettus, a vantage point that afforded sweeping views of the city as far as the sea. Doxiadis calculated that his top-floor office would be the same height as the Parthenon, so the view would be not only phenomenal – it would be unique.
Doxiadis Associates’ headquarters expanded as the architectural practice grew. The complex eventually consisted of four wings built around an atrium. One wing was devoted to the first schools of design in Greece. Another wing housed the Graduate School of Ekistics, or the science of human settlement, a new concept in urban planning developed by Doxiadis.
Transparent, open, and engaging, the building was designed to integrate with the urban fabric. The courtyard was modelled on the traditional Greek village square to instil a sense of community among staff and students. A fountain marked the ancient source of the Iridanos River.
Beyond it was an emblem of the future: the first computer in Greece installed behind a glass screen. Poets and painters presented their work in a spectacular lecture hall on the ground floor. The building was a hub of creativity, a hotbed of ideas, a place where new theories took shape.
Constantinos Doxiadis was a man of extraordinary vision who changed the face of many 20th century cities, from Rio de Janeiro to Islamabad. His spirit lives on, in this iconic landmark in central Athens.
In 2008, Cyclamino S.A., a partnership between the Joannou family and Miltos Kambourides, acquired this landmark building, renamed it One Athens and transformed it to its current use by preserving its three key elements: the pixilation of the facade, the 4 stairways and the courtyard. The architect commissioned to deliver the vision of the new owners was Divercity Architects.
