On the eastern end of Thessaloniki's historic center and the junction of two major and highly congested vehicular movement axes, a vacant lot lies underutilized.

Adjacent to many cultural and recreational spaces (Royal Theater, State Theater of Northern Greece, Alexandrian Theater, White Tower, Expo, Central Municipal Library), this piece of unbuilt land is the last "breath" of public open space on a vibrant commercial street, abound with storefronts of any kind.

In collaboration with the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki's Department of Theater and Cultural Studies, this project seeks to create a micro-nucleus of cultural commons for the city, students and residents. With this notion as a starting point, the compositional values are ones of 'introversion' but 'publicness' at the same time.

Two monolithic volumes on the ground floor circumscribe a cultural courtyard, open to the public: this is where students, faculty, and performers of any kind work and rehearse in public, in adjacency to the indoor theater stage.

As the user proceeds to the upper levels, the spaces are dedicated to the various needs of the Theater Department, as seen on the plans and axonometric. However, the aforementioned 'publicness' can be encountered again in the form of "Floor 1 and 1/2": between the first and second floor, this open-air promenade can be used in a flexible way (exhibition, outdoor cinema, performance and rehearsal spaces etc), while also offering views of Thessaloniki's urban center.