The new city hall of Ioannina: that seems like a straightforward, maybe even borderline boring subject for a diploma where you have the possibility to choose your subject freely.

In the first part we present a diary like presentation which follows our journey to choose a subject for our diploma. We try to understand how unfinished ideas and thoughts can be reinterpreted into something that seems completely different: What Exodus by Rem Koolhaas has to do with the new city hall of Ioannina?

In the main part we, firstly, present some data about the site and the city center of Ioannina which lacks many of the urban qualities that a city should have.

The new city hall, which is placed in a problematic site tries to resolve many of the complex urban problems Ioannina has and hopes to create a new urbanity. Our design is based in three main concepts:

1. A level skyline is shared by the city hall and other administrative buildings - that creates a new invisible but important upper square.

2. Transparency: the transparency is used both as a means to create new views for the lake and as a symbol of democracy.

3. The Athens trilogy is used as a paradigm of urban quality: we try to create a similar language by making a new axis which connects the city hall with other important buildings.

The city hall stiches the urban fabric and creates a new urbanity.