Architects’ office attacked over Exarchia design
A group calling itself “Anarchist” claimed the attack that left broken windows at the Tense Architecture office in the Polygono district of Athens on February 5 in a post on the Athens Indymedia website at midnight Wednesday, denouncing it for undertaking the design of Exarchia Square above the new metro station that is being constructed.
Tense Architecture had won the competition for the design of Exarchia Square. The National Technical University of Athens (NTUA) School of Architecture and Engineering deplored the attack as being against all its members, while architects are sounding the alarm about the spread of violence in the city.
According to the authors of the post, the architecture office “is nothing more than an illustrative alibi for the various cops who have anchored in recent years in its corners, ensuring a smooth transition to the ‘new era.’”
The gentrification of Exarchia, long known as a hub for self-styled anarchists, was also cited as the reason behind an attack by unknown assailants against a flower shop in the district.
The NTUA issued a statement of support to the office and Tilemachos Andrianopoulos, NTUA assistant professor and founding member of the Tense Architecture office.
“We stand by and support our colleague. The attack and the threats against him are an attack against all members of the NTUA School of Architecture,” read the resolution issued on Thursday night following an emergency meeting of the school’s Dean’s Office.
