A diploma thesis exploring how the historical urban fabric of Thessaloniki could be reconstructed and transformed into the setting of a steampunk mystery game.
Context
2020 | Architecture Diploma Thesis | Collaborative Project
Technologies
Rhino · Twinmotion · Unreal Engine 4
Roles
Historical Research/ Worldbuilding
Environment/ Level Design
3D Modelling
01 | Project Overview
Overview
The project investigates the design of a video game environment based on Thessaloniki during the late 19th century. Historical research, urban analysis, architectural references and elements of steampunk and mystery fiction were combined to reconstruct part of the city as a setting for exploration and investigation.
Design Challenge
How can a historically grounded urban environment be reconstructed while remaining suitable for exploration, interaction and a mystery-driven game?
Design Direction
The environment combines documented elements of 19th-century Thessaloniki with fictional steampunk additions, using the city's urban structure, architectural character and historical events as the foundation for a fictional game world.
02 | Reading the Historical City
A crucial part of the project was an examination of Thessaloniki during the late 19th century, focusing on the social, cultural, political and technological transformations that shaped the city. Historical sources including maps, photographs, travellers' accounts, sketches and written descriptions were studied to establish a broader understanding of the period.
Historical events were organised into thematic categories such as politics, technology, industry, society and public works, providing a framework for understanding the city's transformation over time.
At the same time, different historical maps were compared and combined to reconstruct the city's topography, urban boundaries and major areas. The urban fabric was also examined through the distribution of its main religious communities, with Jewish, Muslim and Greek Orthodox populations forming distinct areas within the city.
03 | Introducing the Game Framework
Αdditional elements were introduced based on technological, cultural, and artistic developments that were taking place in Europe during the period under study. Their inclusion was intended to remain compatible with the historical context while allowing the reconstructed environment to support the atmosphere and requirements of the proposed game.
BioShock Infinite and Dishonored were studied as references for transforming historically grounded cities through speculative technology and fictional worldbuilding. Their approaches informed the introduction of steampunk elements into the Thessaloniki environment, combining historical architectural language with imagined technological development.
The project also examined the emergence of modern detective fiction during the same broader period. The transition from crime as a relatively straightforward act to a more complex intellectual problem of investigation and deduction provided a suitable narrative framework for turning the historical city into a setting for exploration and mystery.
04 | From History to Mystery
Combining the historical context with the conventions of mystery fiction allowed us to identify specific events in Thessaloniki that could serve as narrative foundations for a game. Three incidents were selected because of their investigative potential, their spatial complexity and their connection to the changing city.
Each event was further analysed through timelines, character relationships and spatial movements in order to understand how the historical material could be translated into an investigative game structure.
05 | Focusing on the district
For the development of the environment, the project focused on a single historical event: the removal of the Incantadas in 1864. Limiting the scope to one area made the reconstruction more manageable while providing a sufficiently complex setting for exploration and investigation.
The Rogos district was selected because the events surrounding the Incantadas unfold across several locations within the area, providing a natural spatial basis for an investigative experience.
The district was also particularly suitable because of its cultural diversity, bringing Jewish, Muslim and Greek Orthodox communities into close proximity. Its central location and the presence of important landmarks, including Panagia Chalkeon and Bey Hamam, further increased its potential as a game environment.
06 | Reconstructing the Environment
With the area defined, the environment was developed through a combination of historical references, architectural interpretation and 3D modelling. The process began with the most important documented buildings and landmarks before expanding to the surrounding urban fabric.
A | Landmark Buildings
The first models focused on the major landmarks that established the spatial identity of the area, including historically documented buildings and locations directly connected to the selected narrative.
3D Representation of monument "Las Incantadas"
B | Building the Urban Fabric
The surrounding environment was then populated with residential buildings, shops, cafés, synagogues and other structures. Their forms and details were derived from a combination of historical photographs, travellers' sketches, written descriptions and visual references from the period.
C | From Reference to Environment
Each model was developed as an interpretation of available evidence rather than as a direct reconstruction from a single source. References were compared and adapted to produce a coherent environment while preserving the visual characteristics of the period.
D | Construction Details and Ornament
Historical architectural drawings were also used to guide the reconstruction of smaller building details, from timber structures and roof edges to window grilles and decorative elements. These references helped ensure that the models reflected not only the architectural character of the period, but also the construction techniques and craftsmanship behind it, adding greater historical plausibility and visual detail to the final environment.
07 | Designing for Play
The final environment was not intended to reproduce the historical district with complete accuracy. Instead, the reconstruction was deliberately adapted to create a more coherent and engaging space for exploration.
A | Increasing Spatial Density
Buildings were placed closer together and the distances between important locations were reduced in order to create a more continuous and navigable environment.
B | Designing for Interest
Historical accuracy therefore remained the foundation rather than the final objective. The environment was selectively adjusted to increase spatial variety, strengthen contrasts and ensure that the reconstructed district could function as an engaging game space.
C | Strengthening Cultural Contrast
The architectural and visual differences between the city's main religious communities were intentionally emphasised. Variations in building form, height, materials and construction quality were used to make these distinctions more immediately legible within the game space.
08 | Final Environment
The final environment was not intended to reproduce the historical district with complete accuracy. Instead, the reconstruction was deliberately adapted to create a more coherent and engaging space for exploration.
