The construction of the Olympic Sailing Center intended to contribute to the formation of the sea front along the coastal zone of the – under study – “Metropolitan Park of Hellinikon”.
The first zone, parallel to the arranged coastline, concerned the construction of a breakwater, vehicle circulation areas and a docking marina. The Administration and Control Center (ISAF, VIP, race insurance, and weather offices), the Press Center and the open-air Amphitheatre for Medal Ceremonies, were sited in this zone, in relation to the area of the Olympic Flame. The strategic position of this location had to do with the bilateral visibility towards the sea and the olympic port.
The second design zone, perpendicular to the coastline, was defined by the position and the level of the rain-water sewer, and served as a connecting axis between the coastal interventions and the breakwater. On the level of the pier, commercial shops were lined along with spaces for other services (banks, post office, restaurants, buildings for technical support, sailing administration, catering and supplies, volunteer areas and auxiliary uses). On the higher level, a linear plaza was created, as an open-air promenade, which leads to the Amphitheatre for Medal Ceremonies, providing unrestricted view to the horizon and the sports grounds.
The land facilities, that make the third design zone, consisted of the docking pier, vessel launching areas and staying areas for the athletes. Entrance-control areas for the Olympic Facilities were planned in the broader area, as well as a vehicle parking area.
The dynamic form of the curve, which anyway includes the notion of water motion, marks the three-dimensional expression of the roofs, either solid or perforated (pergolas), and is imprinted on the plans outline, as an additional reference point for the design. At the entrance and exit point of the vessels to the marina, a mild curve was shaped in the coastal zone, a sea passage in the form of a fin, between the breakwater termination and a silt deposit field.
