Anna Maria Vissilia, NDSU assistant professor of landscape architecture, recently earned fourth place in an architectural competition for a proposal titled “Study of Unification of points of Interest and Restoration of the Area of the Archaeological Museum of Patras, Greece.”
The competition was organized by the Regional Development Fund of the West Greece Region, which was seeking Panhellenic architectural design ideas.
Vissilia teamed with Dimitris Gogolos in preparing the award-winning proposal.
According to Vissilia, the study area is located at the northern entrance of the city of Patras, Greece, and covers an area of approximately 183 acres.The two main site features are the New National Road of Patras-Athens that bisects the area and the river Meliohos that serves as a physical boundary to the northern part of the area.
Vissilia’s design calls for the roadway to go underground for a significant distance to create a welcoming entrance to extensive walking landscape routes within a multi-themed park for visitors and residents. With the plan, pedestrians would be channeled to experience the main points of interest of the park through paths that engage the existing topography. A proposed secondary path would begin at the southeastern end of the park, cross the river Mielichos and lead to the Roman Bridge and the northern end of the park.
“The architectural and morphological elements of the proposal draw inspiration from the aesthetics of the Patras Archaeological Museum,” Vissilia explained. “A modern pliable structure is proposed, hosting a large amphitheater, a meeting place, which marks the entrance of the park, and is viewed as a landmark that filters the visitors from the center of the city, creating two converging paths leading to the central route. Also, a retaining planted wall of corrugated morphology is proposed as a landscape element to connect the northeastern part of the museum with the River Meilho.”
Vissilia, who joined the NDSU faculty in 2018, earned her diploma at the National Technical University of Athens. She earned her Master of Landscape Architecture, master’s degree in architecture and doctorate in the history and theory of landscape architecture from the University of Pennsylvania.
Her research interests include such topics as the history and theory of 20th and 21st century landscape architecture, cultural landscapes, and construction and detailing.
As a student-focused, land-grant, research university, we serve our citizens.
