[gm2263]

Well, after a long absence fighting with inner and external demons the man is back!

This time we will visit a new small shopping centre which was recently on Kifissias Avenue, namely, the "Avenue Carrefour", shopping mall, or "Avenue" for short. The new mall is actually a extension of the old 20,000 sq-metre Carrefour supermarket that opened there in 1998. The recent extension includes another 6,500 sq metres of retail space and a much better layout arrangement of the whole establishment including the addition of new architecture elements, namely two arches vertical to each other, as well as new public spaces on the terraces and roofs of the building offering one of the best rooftop views of Kifissias Avenue as we will see, at one of its best parts in Paradissos Amarousiou, that is, in the famous suburb of Maroussi which is the closest lowrise equivalent of other modern business districts in Europe and elsewhere. Also notably, albeit minuscule compared to other gigantic malls built in the East and the West, this babe has its own character and a prominent position in Kifissias Avenue.

I took all the pics on Sat 6 October, 2007, so it's nothing but the latest stuff taken in this area at the time of this writing. At the end you will find a few bonus photos of Kifissias Avenue taken from the roof of this shopping centre.

-Partial view from across Kifissias Avenue of the southern arch, which is the most important since it, is also the main entrance of the building.

-View of the arch from an angle aligned to its longitudinal axis again from across Kifissias Avenue

-This is the northern arch which as we will see later leads to a promenade corridor to the north entrance of the building

-As seen from across Kifissias Avenue looking south. The size of the mall is not visible here, just the southern arch and part of the northern arch which, to the observant eye is an a perfect 90-dergee angle with the southern one.

-Geometric and perspective views of the main entrance. Some shop brands are visible including the H&M Swedish clothes chain.

-Some images of the main arch from the interior

-The Northern entrance with the arched promenade. As you can see parts of the complex are still under construction

-Various other architectural details some depicting unfinished parts of the complex, yet giving us a good idea of its new intended looks. Splendid!

-A classic view from the old "Carrefour", before the expansion.

-Excellent view of the south arch where, after some time and if the weather is good the roof opens and the sun come isn. I am not sure whether there is a glass on it but my guess is that it is not…

And now the bonus.

Views of Kifissias Avenue at one of its hottest spots with the Atrina Centre dominating the skyline, all of them taken from the yet unfinished but open to the public terrace of the complex. Enjoy!!!

…and a bonus view of the Babis Vovos Agora Centre where the "Antenna" TV Station offices are loicated…

Overall: We see an image of progress but still, the absence of tall and emblematic buildings in the area is notable, giving an image of incompleteness in an otherwise very modern neighborhood by any standards.

 

[krainer]

Excellent shots gm, thanks for posting them. Quite impressive building that new shopping centre.

 

[Megas Alexandros]

Impressive indeed.


Great shots thanks for sharing.

 

[Giorgio]

great interior!
I really love the first bonus pic too!

 

[gm2263]

First of all, thank you all very much for your kind words.

As already mentioned. this mall is still under development, especially its upper level as well as the terraces where a kids fun park and a swimming pool are expected to open in addition to some new terrace cafes etc.

The only disadvantage for my taste is that since this is a development of an older design, which has evolved from what originally was a very large Carrefour supermarket and a small shopping arcade to the side, still there are not many "anchor tenants" so to speak. Supermarkets are very much preferred for shopping centres although they need to be carefully positioned within the layout of a shopping complex as (and this is my experience), their character may not be compatible with the rest of the shops there. I wouldn't for instance imagine somebody going to Carrefour to shop and then take the shopping cart to go to H&M to buy fashionware. It is my view that the supermarket still dominates the place, although this may just be my idea.

Another fault, also for my taste, is related to the lack of bookshops and electronics stores. If at "the Mall" we have FNAC, Papasotiriou bookstores and a giant Dixons - Kotsovolos, not to mention the Multirama store, in this mall, probably Germanos might have opened a "Public" multistore like the one they are preparing for Syntagma square. This would have created a second attraction in the centre and split the impression of just a giant supermarket surrounded by other stores. But still, this is my personal view.

 

[Giorgio]

I know what you mean, we have the same thing in Australia where shopping centres are built around supermarkets or specific department stores.
It does not feel very authentic and feels just like its dominated by the original store.
Still, a good development here.

 

[AVassilios]

wow, cool, in the spring as i wanted to buy some things in the carrfour i wondered about the new building!! i was really impressed, it looked great. and now it does look much greather !!! i'm looking forward going shopping there for xmas bravo gm2263 for the great pics!
xeretismata apo zirichi
AVassilios

 

[gm2263]

Nasai kala kai esy file mas...

 

[pinoslios]

how many of these malls/shopping areas are they going to have in the wider kifissia/maroussi area? surely it's getting to the point of overkill now, with 2 or more scheduled for completion in the next 12-18 months? the

anyway, that design is ordinary really. nothing special. the colour scheme is dated for sure.

i definitely agree the whole area looks modern, but it hardly resembles the rest of the city now does it? having said that, it DOES look good, for sure. But the reason for my concern is that whenever we talk about how modern athens is, everyone posts pics of Kifissia ave and parts of the surrounding suburbs that are more upper class. it's not an accurate representation of the city at all.

GIORGIO: the shopping centres are not all built here for those reasons at all. you have been misinformed. if anything, it's the other way around.

 

[gm2263]

Regarding the Kifissias Avenue, allow me to say that as mentioned above, it plays the role of other modern districts in other European cities. I don't believe that overall Athens is "modern" in the same measure that other European cities also not "modern" too. What is posted here -and nobody doubts this, are images of the (few) modern parts of these cities without anybody claiming a full scale of modernism for instance in Paris, London, Istanbul or Madrid. All the forumers here, including us, post what we have in terms of modern aspects of Athens. Not much of course, but this is as far as it goes.

The moot question for Athens should be: Is this "modernism" enough?

The answer can only be answered it we put our hands in our hearts and visit the other national European forums. There the answer is crystal clear to those that can see it. And this answer, as you can imagine, is no pleasant at all.

The image of Kifissias is simply "sympathitiki", as we say in Greek, i.e. borderline satisfactory in other words.

 

[pinoslios]

^^well put. i figured that would be the answer. glad you confirmed it.

 

[SouthernEuropean]

amazing shots well done for one more time..i like the design..finally something new and fresh.

 

[skylinearth]

Well done gm :applause:

 

[Spartan_X]

amazing photos gm thank you very much

 

[ellis896]

iperoxo stolidi!!!
egkrinw kai epaf3anw!
na sai kala gm2263 kai s'efxaristw gia tis fotografies.

 

[Zorba]

I pass by this place so much I gotta give it a look sometime. Great pics GM!

 

[gm2263]

Thanks guys!!!


...Like I said, the place is not 100% ready yet, especially the rooftop cafes and the other exterior cafes and playgrounds for kids, etc. Now, given the fact that the winter is coming, I don't know what's gonna happen really but I expect at least the terrace, besides to be open for the public, to be ready for business - whatever this is. However, you can go to the terrace even now and see Kifisias Avenue, even if the works are still in progress.

Overall, not as grandiose as the Mall (no cinemas too) but still, a good place for shopping. And BTW, with 2000+ parking places free (at "the mall" you pay for the parking :bash: ) you will never have trouble with this matter too. Plus there is a post office open on weekdays from 9:00 to 17:00 even on Saturdays!

 

[KONSTANTINOUPOLIS]

Ωραίες φωτογραφίες, ευχαριστώ.

 

[Cerises]

Great pics!

 

[PeterMic]

Yperoxo ktisma. Stin Leukwsia to megalitero Mall einai ena orthogwnio ektroma