"AVAX S.A." Headquarters - [Athens]

The office building of the construction company AVAX S.A. is one of the most sophisticated applications of Bio-climatic design principles in Athens. With the implementation of these principles, the architects sought to cover the building’s energy needs, to create a comfortable environment for its users, and to express the dynamism of the construction company.

It is situated in the center of Athens on the east-facing slope of Lycabettus hill. It comprises of three basement levels, ground floor and five levels above ground with a total of 2,950m2.

The forefront is dominated by 5 concrete columns with a height of 16 meters, that characterize the structure of the building along with the sunshades. Those are vertical glass draperies, with a shadow index of 70%. The draperies are controlled by the central system of energy management so as to rotate autonomously, according to temperature and light radiation.

All the main spaces are along the glass facade and are separated by the secondary ones with a traffic zone. Furthermore, inside the building there are openings, for natural ventilation. In the underground floor there are ice-buckets, that store "cooling" energy out of rush hours. The total consumption of energy is approximately 50% of a conventional building.

The building was finished in 1998, with a total construction cost of 1.200.000.000 drachmas (3.5 million €). The architect is the legendary Alexandros Tombazis.

Sources:
http://www.meletitiki.gr/39/article/english/39/85/index.html
http://www.culture2000.tee.gr/ATHENS/ENGLISH/main2.html
http://www.cres.gr/energy-saving/efarmoges_abax.htm
http://www.avax.com.gr/Greekpages/projects/avax.htm