This study explores the evolving relationship between the city of Volos and its waterfront, focusing on the area of Anavros as a site where historical, social, urban, and environmental processes intersect. Although the sea has long been a defining element of Volos’s identity, recent environmental pressures and extreme natural events have rendered it increasingly inaccessible for everyday use. The loss of the possibility of swimming within the urban fabric highlights proximity to clean and safe waters as a critical concern of contemporary urban and coastal planning.  The research situates the emergence of sea bathing in Greece from the late nineteenth century onward, approaching the bath not merely as a recreational or hygienic practice but as a socially constructed ritual embedded in regulations, gender norms, and spatial control. The transition from strictly segregated bathing facilities to mixed beaches (bains mixtes) reflects broader transformations in public space, social interaction, and the visibility of the body. Architecture plays a central role in this process, as bathing infrastructures organize movement, access, and sightlines, shaping both bodily practices and social relations.  Anavros is examined as a representative case of these dynamics. In the early twentieth century, its wooden bathing installations, piers, and cabins formed a regulated and enclosed coastal landscape. Over time, structural decay, post-earthquake reconstruction, and urban expansion dissolved this controlled system, leading to the formation of an open public park and beach integrated into the city. Yet contemporary environmental degradation, intensified by flooding and water pollution, has once again disrupted the everyday relationship between the city and the sea.  The study concludes with a design-oriented proposition that reconsiders water as an active spatial and social agent rather than a passive backdrop. Through the introduction of public bathing infrastructures, water-based spatial interventions, and ecological strategies, the proposal seeks to restore an inclusive, resilient, and sustainable relationship between the urban environment of Volos and its coastal landscape, reframing the shoreline as a shared civic space shaped by both memory and contemporary ecological challenges.

Key Words: Bath, Swimming, Plage, Park, Water

Supervisors: Gavrilou Evelyn, Bourdakis Vassilis

Reference Number: 1204

 This thesis attempts to address one of the most urgent and complex issues of modern society: the hosting of refugees and migrants not as a temporary crisis management, but as an act of responsibility, care, and long-term planning. At the heart of this proposal lies the human being and their need for safety, dignity, and participation, through an architecture that is not imposed, but rather converses with the place, the environment, and society. The choice of the Ammoudara area in Heraklion, Crete, is based on geographical, social, and symbolic criteria. Its proximity to the city center, the port, and the airport, as well as its adjacency to Nea Alikarnassos - a historic refugee settlement - bestows a character of continuity and memory upon the project. In a location that daily receives moving populations yet lacks organized reception structures, this proposal fills an essential void by offering a spatial response that integrates rather than isolates.The design of the proposal is built upon three fundamental pillars: sustainability, ease and speed of implementation, and long-term structural durability, always in conjunction with social inclusion.Environmental Sustainability: The primary objective is eco-friendly design. The residences are constructed from wood - a renewable, natural, and environmentally friendly material with excellent thermal insulation properties. Its use significantly reduces the carbon footprint of the buildings, contributing to energy savings during both construction and operation. Simultaneously, the integration of passive bioclimatic strategies, such as cross-ventilation, natural lighting, solar collectors, and rainwater harvesting systems, enhances the energy autonomy and self-sufficiency of the complex. Furthermore, the structures are elevated and follow the natural terrain, preserving the existing vegetation, thus acting as an extension of the Mediterranean landscape. Ease and Speed of Construction: The wooden residences are designed as simple, flexible, and repetitive systems that can be assembled quickly with minimal specialized equipment or labor. The structural elements can be disassembled and reused without significant wear, allowing the structures to adapt to changing needs. The potential for the refugees themselves to participate in the construction process fosters autonomy, a sense of ownership, and collectivity, transforming architecture from a static product into a dynamic social process. Durability and Long-term Functionality: Despite their lightweight and flexible nature, the structures are resilient, cost-effective to maintain, and adapted to the climatic conditions of Crete. At the same time, the design is based on the principles of Universal Design, ensuring full accessibility for people with mobility difficulties and disabilities through a continuous network of ramps. The vision is completed with the integration of a school-skill center, which promotes social inclusion, empowerment, education, and creative expression. Architecture serves here as a means of "restarting," offering not just shelter, but a space for life, coexistence, and future prospects. This thesis does not merely propose a solution; it articulates a position: that hospitality can be sustainable, resilient, inclusive, and, above all, human.

Keywords: Inclusion, Sustainability, Resilience ,Social empowerment, Hospitality 

Supervisor: Kosma Anthi

Reference Number: 1222

 This thesis explores the architectural design of a palliative care unit organized around an open, community-accessible garden. The garden is not treated as a mere outdoor space but as an active element of care and social interaction, capable of connecting the building with the city and integrating everyday life into the therapeutic environment.

 The proposal seeks to redefine the concept of palliative care, moving away from its traditional perception as isolated and marginalized. Instead, care is approached as part of a continuous journey that accompanies individuals through different stages of life, emphasizing the quality of daily life, emotional support, and the preservation of dignity.

 The study is framed within the context of the limited provision of palliative care in Greece, where the lack of organized structures and minimal institutional integration often result in hospital-centered patient management. Through architectural design, the work critiques the tendency of modern healthcare facilities to operate as closed, detached systems, disconnected from the urban fabric and collective experience of the city. Here, care is reinterpreted as a spatial and social condition, capable of coexisting with public space, fostering visibility, interaction, and gentle social engagement, without compromising the need for privacy, calm, and protection for patients and their families.

 Particular attention is given to the relationship between the building and the landscape, the management of transitions between public and private realms, and the creation of spaces that support different everyday activities: staying, caring, waiting, reflection, and gathering. Through layered spatial experiences, the building functions as an intermediary place between the city and the individual, moving away from a strictly institutional character and adopting qualities that evoke habitation and lived experience.

Keywords: Publicspace, Treatment, Quality of life, Urban Green Space, Social Integration

Supervisors: Gavrilou Evelyn, Phokaides Petros

Reference Number: 1201

 How can one live in a swimsuit? Through this project, we wanted to answer this question by creating a holiday home on the island of Tinos. In a place that has already been altered, such as the Aegean islands, our residence does not seek to reinforce this type of architecture, but to coexist with it, proposing a new place of presence within the landscape and a central axis for the promotion of experiential simplicity. The design methodology focuses on the area of Kardiani, choosing a sloping, south-west facing plot between Ormos Kardiani and Kalyvia beach. The architectural composition is governed by the principles of functional rationalism and bioclimatic adaptation, transforming climatic and topographical data into clear design gestures. The residence was developed in parallel with the topography of the land, and climatic data also contributed to its design.

 The spatial organization prioritizes the development of outdoor and semi-outdoor spaces, which function as an organic continuation of the interior, ensuring transparency and natural ventilation. Through a minimalist approach that rejects unnecessary information, the geometric volumes and materiality of the construction are highlighted. The use of local aggregates, such as stone, ensures morphological consistency with the environment and the sustainability of the structure, while harmoniously integrating it into the Cycladic landscape. The final result is a functionally self-contained residence that blends in with the natural terrain, offering an authentic living experience in direct contact with the seafront, where you can live simply in your swimsuit.

Tinos, house, swuimsuit,sustainability, landscape

Supervisor: Paniyiris Costis

Reference Number: 1200

 Following on from the theoretical exploration of my research, which dealt with the way in which humans experience and limit hypothetically infinite spaces, taking the sea as a field of analysis, the synthetic and final part of my thesis is: Experimental synthetic research on the coordination of a scenario for the habitation and organization of an entirely floating community in a changing aquatic non-place.

 My decision to engage with this topic came as a natural consequence of my research work, not only bringing together the floating character and the relationship with water, but mainly my need to understand design without specific boundaries, with many horizons.

Supervisor: Trova Vasso

Reference Number: 1205

 This diploma project explores the design of a residential complex in Valletta, Malta, investigating how contemporary housing can reinterpret the fundamental principles of traditional Maltese architecture. Rather than reproducing historical forms, the project focuses on translating the spatial logic of the local architectural tradition into a contemporary urban context, shaped by high density, Mediterranean climate conditions, and the lack of public green spaces.

 The proposal is structured around a system of internal courtyards and atria that serve as spatial and social cores, ensuring natural light, ventilation, and gradual transitions between public, semi-public, and private spaces. Emphasis is placed on the reinterpretation of erkers (gallarija) as contemporary living filters that mediate the relationship between the dwelling and the street, as well as on the use of circular staircases conceived as active architectural elements that organize movement and enhance spatial experience.

 Beyond the architectural object, the project integrates a landscape strategy, introducing a new park and green areas within a densely built neighborhood that lacks such infrastructure. Landscape is treated as an integral component of housing, contributing to social interaction, environmental quality, and microclimatic improvement.

 Overall, the project proposes a collective, context-sensitive model of housing that seeks to bridge tradition and contemporary living, contributing to the broader discourse on sustainable and socially responsive housing in the Mediterranean city.

Key words: Malta, mediterranean housing, collective living, courtyard architecture, landscape integration

Supervisor: Manolidis Kostas

Reference Number: 1209

The aim of the present thesis is the study and application of the practice of availability-based design, proposing the creation of a laboratory of study and growth of seeds at the Agricultural School of Volos through the use of local, reclaimed building components.

The thesis is structured in two parts, a theoretical and a practical one. More specifically, the first part initially draws upon the research project “The Materials’ Biography in Construction through Examples of Linear, Recycle, Circular and Bio-Based Design Logic”, carried out in collaboration with my fellow student Dimitris Zaras. A concise overview is provided of the environmental crisis, the share of responsibility attributed to the construction sector, as well as of the circular economy and its associated strategies, as a response to this issue. Subsequently, participation in the theoretical workshop Circu/ability (BIP) [Antwerp, July 2023] served as a foundation for mapping the process followed in the practice of availability-based design in European countries such as Belgium and the Netherlands. In addition, the corresponding process as implemented within the framework of the Layers of Permanence (LoP) workshop [Volos, April 2024] is presented, based on the experience gained through participation in its support team.

The second part concerns the application of this design practice in the city of Volos. More specifically, selected building components reclaimed within the framework of the LoP were studied through observation, measurements and experimentation at 1:1 and 1:20 scales. Subsequently, based on the identified potentials and weaknesses of these elements, as well as following a meeting and proposal by Eythymia Levizou—Associate Professor at the Agricultural School of Volos—the design of a small passive greenhouse was decided, in order to cover the needs of the school’s relevant courses. This was followed by a design exploration phase, during which principles and strategies of the circular economy were applied, such as design for disassembly, layering, and the R-strategies, aiming at the most effective possible design outcome.

The final proposal concerns a rectangular, semi-open structure, with a wooden load-bearing system and predominantly reclaimed infill components, along the perimeter of which four distinct zones of use are organized. The objective is the creation of a central circulation space, enabling the internal use of the structure as laboratory of study and growth of seeds by members of the academic community (introverted character). At the same time, the structure allows for use from its exterior side as well, serving both academic purposes and outreach activities aimed at raising public awareness, through the distribution of produced seedlings, the organization of workshops, the presentation of related research, and exhibitions highlighting the importance of seeds. Finally, provision has been made for the future expansion of the structure in order to address potential emerging needs.

Keywords: Circular Economy, Reuse, Design for Disassembly, Reclaimed Building Components, Pavilion-Scale Structure

Supervisor: Vrontissi Maria

Reference Number: 1214

 The proposed thesis focuses on the Temple of Apollo Epicurius and the archaeological site at Bassae, Phigalia. Through an investigation of the area's historical past and current condition, a comprehensive design intervention is proposed. This intervention aims to enhance the observer-visitor experience within the site while simultaneously preserving its archaeological integrity. Key elements of this proposal include the design of a museum, which will comprise laboratory and monument conservation units, a ticket office, a gift shop, and exhibition areas featuring an information centre for the archaeological site. More specifically, the museum building will function not only as a repository for selected monumental ensembles but also as a bridge between the detachment and the recontextualisation of the area’s findings. By housing these artefacts within this museum space, the proposal aims to deepen the understanding of the site’s history through the reintegration of its findings in close proximity to the original monument.

Key Words: Temple of Apollo Epicurius at Bassae, Archaeological findings, Contextualization and decontextualization of monuments, Subterranean building, Exhibition space

Supervisor: Kanarelis Theoklis

Reference Number: 1218