PERAMA SKILL EXCHANGE

Perama is a small ship building town around 15km west of Athens that has a population of around 25,000 people. The ship building industry in Perama was struggling prior to the Greek downturn caused by the Global financial crisis in 2008. Greek shippers began aggressively cutting costs by outsourcing production abroad to gain a competitive edge. Greece’s economic downturn accelerated this trend further. In the 1970s, around 5,000 people worked in the shipyards of Perama daily and by 2010, 92% of shipyard workers had lost their jobs, leaving only 100 people still working. 

Most of the youth today leave Perama in search of jobs, often travelling to other countries to do so. Meanwhile, the older generation await new job opportunities while trying to make ends meet. In both cases, there is a plethora of skills being left unutilised.

Drawing on Perama’s skilled workforce and industrial and cultural heritage, the proposal for Perama Skill Exchange aims to facilitate the fostering and exchange of knowledge and skills. This will give the citizens a source to rebuild the town from the bottom up without leaving behind the rich history and traditions that have existed for years. In direct response to this, the Perama Skill Exchange is an informal, multi-disciplinary vocational training centre that will provide citizens with an opportunity to teach or be taught in an informal setting, allowing them to create a new identity for themselves. 

Ground Floor 

As you can see from the plans, the building intertwines itself through the existing fabric of the site, further cementing it into the community.