Warscape: An Aesthetics of Disappearance

The project discusses the regeneration of the cape of ‘Megalo Emvolo’, a former naval fort, currently under the command of the Hellenic Navy, southeast of Thessaloniki, Greece. The location bears significant historical and cultural value due to its prominence, overlooking the mouth of Thermaikos Gulf. The cape hosts an Ottoman Fortress, dating to 1883, a Lighthouse - a monument of industrial heritage, a bunker used during World War II, as well as additional artillery infrastructure. The proposal builds upon the raw nature of the landscape, formed by the force of the waves into a plateau outlined by sharp cliffs descending to the sea. The project location is considered as a “War Landscape”: the design organises historic buildings and military complexes – the war machines - as spatial/cultural agents, synthesized through the medium of a sharp landscape formation to allow for a public cultural open space. An “Aesthetics of Disappearance” is employed in the design of the proposed War Museum, its angular subterranean nature juxtaposing historic structures, while merging into the environment, building upon the aesthetics of a contemporary fortress. The proposal emphasises the importance of this strategic location, allowing it to function as a cultural agent for the financial regeneration of the greater area of ‘Megalo Emvolo’ as a war museum that utilizes historic, abandoned war machines to make a declaration in reference to modern warfare.