Port Silos of Greece as Physical and Symbolic Bridges
The Evangelistria Silo Case in Kalamata
G. Giakoumelou (TU Delft - Architecture and the Built Environment)
M. Tenzon – Mentor (TU Delft - Architecture and the Built Environment)
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Abstract
This history thesis investigates the historical, architectural, and socio-economic significance of port silos in Greece, with particular attention to their changing role in the country’s industrial and maritime development. While originally designed for the storage of grains and agricultural goods, silos have evolved into more complex infrastructural and spatial entities. Within urban and port contexts, they operate as intermediary objects that link agricultural production with industrial processes and maritime trade.
Positioned along waterfronts, port silos act as both spatial and symbolic thresholds between land and sea. They played a pivotal role in shaping the growth of Greek port cities, especially during the export-oriented economic expansion of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Their hybrid character, spanning the urban and rural, functional and architectural, reflects broader transformations in production and logistics.
At the core of this study is the conceptualization of silos as interfaces: physical and metaphorical points of convergence where trade, infrastructure, and urban life intersect. Drawing from architectural theory and urban history, the thesis explores how these structures organize spatial relationships within the port city and articulate connections between the rural economy and maritime networks.
The research also addresses the obsolescence and abandonment of many silos, as shifts in trade practices and port technologies have weakened their functional ties to the waterfront. In response, it examines possibilities for their adaptive reuse, assessing how these formerly industrial sites might be reintegrated into contemporary urban life through cultural and public programming.
Research questions:
How does the transformation of port silos reflect broader economic and socio-cultural shifts in Greece? What role do silos play in shaping the identity of port cities as spatial and functional interfaces? How can their maritime past inform strategies for future reuse and reintegration?