The city is a field of constant change. The economic data, the everyday practices and social conditions, are dynamically shaping urban environments, which are undergoing a continuous transformation process.

 In this changing condition, one of the elements that seems to remain constant in the urban reality of Greek cities, is that of the ‘polykatoikia’ (a term referring to the greek apart- ment building). From its appearance to the present day, the model of the polykatoikia constitutes the basic core of habitation, which with small variations, repeats and composes the formation of the urban fabric.

 The city of Athens is the main representative of this building model. It is often referred to as a cement town, a term that identifies an entire city with the materiality of its buildings. The subjects seem disappointed in a city accused of the excessive densification and spreading, the lack or abandonment of public open spaces, while ‘polykatoikia’ itself is re- ferred to as a problematic element, with a lack of functionality and aesthetics. And while the city is changing, at the rate indicated by the current era, ‘polykatoikia’ remains the same.

 This diploma thesis aims to reformulate the elements that compose the athenian polykatoikia, attempting to replace this old and rigid model by a new residential model, which will produce new spatial qualities and atmospheres. Through the consolidation and remodeling of two typical buildings in the Kypseli area, a spatial ratio of vacuum and solid is being studied, which will allow the existence of open common spaces, will reinforce the contact with the outside and the meeting of the inhabitants, forming a more sustainable core of habitation, capable of adapting to the needs of its users. A porous structure, which gives basis to openness, alternation, connections and interpenetration, while main- taining the diversity of the city.