Maybe, as it turned out, the “hanging” balcony in the hotel on Syngrow Avenue was ultimately the result of poor workmanship, but the incident provided an opportunity to reopen the discussion about the capital’s aging building stock – and not only about it. If neoclassical and interwar buildings are (often) tended to use, the same cannot be said for the “vernacular” apartment buildings of the 1950s and 1960s that make up the main residential building in large areas of the city. center and districts of the capital.

But there are many problems. There are many hurdles to overcome when developing an overhaul strategy, some of which seem insurmountable. “K” highlights the most basic of them, asking for the opinion of experts.

“The most important thing is to make sure that the building is statically safe,” says Giorgos Stasinos, President of the Technical Chamber. “Today, technology allows you to “scan” concrete without digging it to see how much piece of iron is there and where they are. Thus, this problem has been technically solved. If we see that the building is statically sound, with simple interventions it can stand for another 40-50 years, then it makes sense to renovate it. Otherwise, we must find a solution for demolition.”

“The apartment buildings of the 1950s and 1960s may seem ugly to most people, but this is not a bad building (as you often see, for example, in Egypt or Turkey). The profit that existed at that time for the contractor was high, the cost of raw materials such as iron was low, he had no reason to “steal” and get involved. That’s why we can’t talk about the need for static reinforcement of apartment buildings from the 50s and 60s,” says Michalis Daktylides, President of the Panhellenic Association of Certified Public Works Contractor Engineers (PEDMEDE). “On the other hand, many construction projects were carried out in a hurry, at the request of the contractor to “finish before the arrival of people.” That is why some buildings of that period are of poor quality. Therefore, in my opinion, it is necessary to act on a case-by-case basis, and not a horizontal program, for example, for all apartment buildings of the 50s.

“Buildings of that period, especially those built after the first seismic order in 1959, had many columns, one every 3.5 meters, and good masonry. This is why there were no “losses” in the 1981 or 1999 earthquake, unless some major intervention was made, ie. poles were cut. The problem with apartment buildings from that period is that you don’t know what interventions they received and how they were affected by earthquakes,” says Christos Zeris, director of the Concrete Laboratory and Structural Engineering Division at NTUA Civil. Engineering department. “In contrast to the 70s, when we leave the center for the suburbs, such as Nea Ionia, Peristeri, Chalandri, Egaleo, Agia Paraskevi, buildings are built with large “openings” (that is, with fewer columns) and piloted like car parks. . In addition, it was during this period that the first ready-made beta versions began to be used. The technology was new, the contractors were unfamiliar with it, and as a result, the concrete was not always of such good quality. In my experience, we face more problems in these houses than in houses of the 50s and 60s, although we cannot consider the apartment buildings of the 70s to be old. Therefore, this discussion cannot be started only with age criteria.”

“In the European Union, a debate has begun in recent years regarding the European strategy “Renewal Wave”, a policy within the framework of the Green Deal,” says Mr. Daktylides, President of PEDMEDE. “FIEC (European Federation of Manufacturers), of which we are a member, has emphasized the need for a holistic approach that will not be limited to the modernization of the energy supply (as is done today), but will include monitoring and strengthening static efficiency and improving its functionality. We agree with this point of view, however we know that from the moment when static reinforcement operations are required, the cost will be much more important.”

“There should be a large pan-European renovation program, which is not limited to the modernization of the energy sector,” says Mr. Stasinos. “The government has announced a youth repair program that will also subsidize a small percentage of additional work. We need to move in this direction, but more massively. More active involvement of municipalities is also possible, as is done in a number of European countries. If, for example, an apartment building is in poor condition and does not need to be repaired, there should be a model for its demolition and rebuilding. Can the municipality expropriate some of the land and give the buildings a building factor corresponding to them so that a taller building can be built and the new reward “went out” financially.”

“The cost issue is complex and also involves multiple owners. It is unrealistic, I think, to talk about a broad program of renovation of private houses,” says Mr. Daktylides. “The main problem is that in order to statically strengthen the building, it is necessary to dismantle it, so it is necessary to figure out what to do with its inhabitants and how they will cope with high costs. Perhaps the addition of floors was a solution to stimulate the private sector. In my opinion, it would be easier to systematically deal with public buildings and monument buildings, those that we want to preserve for historical and architectural reasons.”

The “problem”, according to Antonis Karabatzos, professor of civil law at the EKPA Faculty of Law, “is found, among other things, in the rules of apartment buildings and in an increased majority (for example, 2/3 of the co-owners) or even unanimity in the decision that they can foresee. The problem may be exacerbated by the fact that when an apartment is inherited, its ownership can be divided by virtue of joint inheritance and, in particular, in connection with the institution of legal fate, which imposes joint ownership on each separate property of the deceased. . This situation can make it even more difficult to make a decision on the whole apartment building.” “However,” as Mr. Karabatsos then points out, “the Supreme Court (see, for example, decisions no. , stairwells, facades, etc.), repair, renovation, modification or addition, provided that the rights of other owners are not violated, no risks are created for the static adequacy of the building or its apartments, there are no changes in the aesthetics of the building and its safety does not suffer. Of course, in practice, the question will arise which of the co-owners will bear the cost of repairing and updating some common areas: legally, yes, one of the co-owners can take the initiative to finance the work himself. and then collect the corresponding costs from other co-owners (there are legal grounds for such a claim for reimbursement of expenses), but in practice this is a financial risk that is difficult to take on, unless it is an emergency or urgent need (for example, the risk of a wall collapsing, etc.). d.). The economic crisis and the poverty of recent years have clearly had a negative impact on the whole situation, especially in the old quarters of the center of Athens. State intervention is needed here with bold subsidy programs, especially for the renovation of the facades of apartment buildings, programs that will involve as few bureaucratic procedures as possible (as opposed to what was before).”

“Often there is a “trap” in that there is nothing worthwhile between antiquity and modernity. However, the experience of the city is not limited to proclaimed monuments and archaeological sites, but also extends to other historical stages of the city that are gradually being lost, such as apartment buildings from the 1950s,” says architect Maria Wasenhofen. Engineer of the Ministry of Culture. “This does not necessarily come about by declaring such buildings on a list, but perhaps through a program that restores them to their former glory so that the citizen has a sense of continuity. Thus, the criterion for the possibility of an updater might be to select sections as “keys” in this effort and use them as case studies. Not just a residential building or just a certain period, but evidence that emphasizes the continuity that the city is a palimpsest. I believe more in pinpoint interventions than horizontal arrangements.”