The unveiling of the National Memory Ark is held today in the surrounding area of Ministry of National Defensein honor of 121,692 fallen of the National Games of Greece. This is a work of the leading sculptor and professor of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Kostas Varotsouwhile for the first time a work of contemporary Greek art is settled in a military space.
The National Memory Ark is part of a reference point in the overall redevelopment of the face and environment of the Ministry of National Defense, which includes the new bioclimatic facade (donation by Mr. Evangelos Mytilineos), the under construction of the Epiphany and the Donation already completed (donated by Mr. George Peristeris/ GEK TERNA).
The Ark of the National Memory is framed by 2 almonds with 25 and 28 olive trees, symbolizing March 25, 1821 and October 28, 1940 respectively.
In addition, the planting program of 400 trees in Papagou camp, symbolizing the 400 years of Ottoman yoke, which will also form a green lung for the area, is underway.
Finally, the design of a 1,232 -seat underground garage has begun, which will allow the underground space to be used as an additional green space.
Mr. Varotsos’s note on the project:
‘Removal of the environment of the Ministry of Education
This is the overall treatment of the building and the surrounding area of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as a single aesthetic. There are two key elements, the evolution of the monument of the Nation’s immortal and the new appearance of the building facilities.
The monument consists of vertical glass columns on which the names of the fallen are presented in the battlefields of Greece from 1830 to 1974. The construction that starts from the ground rises to six meters.
It is a large maze where the names of the fallen float in the space and have a rise to heaven creating a sense of swing in a void that becomes eternal. The monument embraces the visitors without hiding the view, letting the space be expressed and the light pass through it. The monument will also have an interior lighting that will pass through the glasses enabling it to have a different, imposing image in the evening.
The addition of a shell, consisting of vertical white shades to the exterior of the building, gives a modern and elegant aesthetic. These shades are part of a bioclimatic design aimed at improving the energy efficiency of the building. In particular, they help reduce the solar radiation that enters the interior, thus limiting the need for air conditioning during the summer months and saving energy. In addition, shades help create a more comfortable and cool interior environment for the users of the building, improving their quality of life in it and promoting viability. The height of the shell is structured in the base of the base, which corresponds to the height of the glass monument of the fallen, and to three more zones. From bottom to top, the elements in them thicken, gradually hiding the existing appearance. In the three zones, above that of the base. The three branches of the Armed Forces are displayed. “