SAY Hotel

Τhe transformation of a 50's building into a new hotelexperience by A&M.

The Yfantis Group invited A&M to design and build a new hotel experience by transforming an existing 1950’s 5-story building into SAY hotel. Located next to Alsos Kefalariou, in a leafy Athens suburb, the hotel’s new architecture is characterized by its rhythmic geometric facade, giving it a strong exterior form, and a contrasting interior of rich, colorful, textured materials used to create a variety of social spaces and guest rooms. The challenge in redesigning the existing building revolved around keeping solely the structural framing while stripping away the façade in its entirety, something that gave limitless options in creating a new identity suitable for its prestigious location.

The new hotel’s strong character is communicated through black and white elements, creating a timeless first impression. The size and orientation of the site give way to an intentional blend of vertical whitewashed slender louvers contrasted by dark portrait balconies in repetition across the façade while imitating patterns of their lush surroundings. The façade’s vertical geometry visually lifts the building’s mass, while the transparent ground floor presents an approachable street front to outside passersby.

Project details

Architectural and interior design, construction: A&M Architects

A&M Architects: Michael Mavroleon, Esta Georgala, Marika Mavroleon, Anastasia Choli,Maria Kaliora, Melina Tsagkareli, Samare Perdikogianni

A&M Interior Designers: Lee Zygouras, Olivia Stathi, Maria Laura Santillo

E/M design: PG Kamarinos Consulting Engineers

Structural Engineer: Alexopoulos & Partners

Landscape Design: Angeliki Peppa

Permitting Consultant: George Georgopoulos

A&M Graphic Designers: Natassa Polizou, Nektarios Stergiopoulos

A&M Visualizers: Xenia Liodi, Katerina Papamichail

Special Consultant: Tsabikos PetrasLighting design: Site Specific, MP Illumination

Acoustic Consultant: Alpha Acoustics, A. Argoudelis

Construction: A&M Architects

A&M Project Management, Supervision: Christos Vaboulas, Errikos Varfis, Lee Zygouras

Photos: Giorgos Sfakianakis