Food Truck Park PTL
Sector
Leisure
Location
Ptolemaida, Greece
Year
2024
Design Team
Kallirroi Tzimika
Maria Avramidou
Grammatiki Promogianni
Eleutheria Moura
Photographer
Shoot it by Stefanos Karavanis
Stathis Gavriilidis
Food Park Truck PTL is an outdoor dining space located in the “Old Park” of Ptolemaida. It is a continuation of the successful project—the first food truck park in Greece—created in the spring of 2021 in Pylaia, Thessaloniki. The Vanners, entrepreneurs in the mobile food service sector, are establishing their second permanent location in their hometown, Ptolemaida.
The selected site for the Food Park Truck PTL project is the abandoned municipal refreshment building in the city’s central park. The facility includes a small 32 m² building and 285 m² of paved outdoor seating areas arranged on both sides of pedestrian pathways. The building is clad in Swedish wood panels and features a pitched roof with tile covering.
The project builds on the pop & fun aesthetic of the original Food Park Truck SKG, incorporating vibrant colors, street art, geometric forms, fluidity, and freedom. Unlike the previous project located on private land, this one takes place in a public urban park, requiring approval from the Kozani Regional Architectural Council. The key goal is to revitalize the neglected refreshment building into a popular dining hub for residents who frequent the park for leisure, close to two playgrounds and green areas where many children gather.
The design centers on creating an enclosed “square” — a public, organized outdoor all-day bar with seating as its heart, surrounded by two wooden canopies sheltering seating zones and vintage-style food trucks. A modular bench-table structure completes the space, forming a welcoming “embrace” around the square.
Wooden canopies with circular supports echo surrounding tree trunks, topped with transparent polycarbonate sheets to maximize sunlight. In summer, colorful shade sails provide comfort.
The building is divided into three colorful trapezoidal “kiosks” resembling independent pavilions with different functions, breaking down the original form and enhancing the street aesthetic with movable wooden and metal elements. The original tiled roof is retained but visually softened by a low canopy.
Color is a key design tool, creating dynamic identities for each kiosk and enriching the user experience with playful, emotional, and social qualities.
Completed in August 2024, Food Park Truck PTL quickly became a popular, vibrant gathering place, embodying fun, freedom, mobility, coexistence, and social interaction.
