The Public Private House
September 2018 – ‘The Public Private House’, edited by Prof. Dr. Richard Woditsch and published by Park Books, Zurich (CH), examines the building typology of simple apartments blocks, the ‘Polykatoikia’, that define Athen's signature housing structure. On 272 pages multiple essays by various authors, detailed maps of the metropolitan region of Athens, and more than 260 drawings, images, and graphics illustrate the Greek variety of modern urban development.
The blind embossing on the linen cover depicts a bin packing of various Polykatoikies from different building periods. Starting with a gradual approach on the unique ‘sea of white cubes’ the book slowly drags the reader into the intriguing diversity of this multifunctional building type. Twelve studies allow a closer look on different variations of the Polykatoikia: four examples each from the city center, the semiperiphery, and the periphery, ranging from the 1950s to the 1970s. The vivid mix of architectural drawings and photographs offers both analytical and insightful impressions of this high-rise residential building type that evolved from a luxury item in its early days to a criticised ‘cause of urban malaise’.
On the shortlist for ‘Die schönsten Deutschen Bücher 2019’& nominated as ‘Een goed boek 2018’ by OPA.
