The ancient temple was a place that relates entirely (in the sense of what we like to call “genius loci“ today) to its environment. The direct reference to the environment, and the orientation of the building, render special places such as the valley at Delphi and additional temples and sanctuaries of ancient time mesmerizing because they are so enmeshed with the landscape. Nothing seems to be left to coincidence. The site of so many sanctuaries are deeply interwoven with the actual building through myth. The design of the protection roof for an Apollo temple in Kalapodi, which is North of Athens, cares diligently about the incorporated motives of the ancient temple. The volumes of the ancient temples are reflected through elevated and suspended elements. During antiquity this sanctuary was majorly rebuilt in different epochs. All of those four given time layers inform us how differently the specific zeitgeist dealt with the same building tasks. So tries this contemporary design approach to create a place for a modern pilgrim. In this case the tourist coming to this special place.
