Project by Shiki Xu @47_shiki
Located in Athens, this project reconfigures the Polykatoikia through a vertical “thermal spine"—a masonry kiln serving as a metabolic core. Domesticity is redefined as negative volumes carved into the composite wall or protruding appendages extending from the axis. These interventions manifest as heated masonry platforms, thermal bathtubs, and olfactory meditation voids. The architecture operates through a seasonal cycle: in winter, the core centers on pottery firing and building-wide heat utilization, where pyrolytic scent and radiant heat drive the interior climate. In summer, solar energy activates passive cooling via the stack effect, while the open kiln chamber resonates with communal music. Moving beyond kinship, the project establishes a "production-ship” of pottery and scent, mending the urban fabric through shared thermodynamic rituals.
