Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Centre / Renzo Piano Building Workshop

Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Centre / Renzo Piano Building Workshop

Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Centre  / Renzo Piano Building Workshop  - ShelvingStavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Centre  / Renzo Piano Building Workshop  - WaterfrontStavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Centre  / Renzo Piano Building Workshop  - Image 4 of 22Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Centre  / Renzo Piano Building Workshop  - WaterfrontStavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Centre  / Renzo Piano Building Workshop  - More Images+ 17

  • Design Team: G.Bianchi, V.Laffineur, S.Doerflinger, H.Houplain, A.Gallissian, A.Bercier, A.Boldrini, K.Doerr, S.Drouin, G.Dubreux, S.Giorgio-Marrano, C.Grispello, M.A.Maillard, E.Ntourlias, S.Pauletto, L.Piazza, M.Pimmel, L.Puech and B.Brady, C.Cavo, A. Kellyie, C.Menas Porras, C.Owens, R.Richardson; S.Moreau; O.Aubert, C.Colson, Y.Kyrkos
  • City: Athens
  • Country: Greece
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Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Centre  / Renzo Piano Building Workshop  - Cityscape
Courtesy of SNFCC

Text description provided by the architects. The Stavros Niarchos Cultural Centre is located in Kallithea, 4 km south of central Athens. An important cultural and educational project, the site will comprise the National Library of Greece and the Greek National Opera in a 170,000 sq m landscaped park. Currently a parking lot left over from the 2004 Olympic Games, once the site of a racetrack, the project restore the site’s lost connections with the city and the sea.

Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Centre  / Renzo Piano Building Workshop  - Waterfront
© Michel Denancé
Sketch
Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Centre  / Renzo Piano Building Workshop  - Cityscape
© Ruby On Thursdays

As one of Athens’ earliest seaports on Faliro Bay, Kallithea has always had a strong relationship with the water. At present, however, despite its proximity, there is no view of the sea from the site. To restore this, an artificial hill is being created at the south (seaward) end of the site. The sloping park culminate in the cultural center building, giving it spectacular views towards the sea.

Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Centre  / Renzo Piano Building Workshop  - Chair
Courtesy of SNFCC
Floor Plan
Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Centre  / Renzo Piano Building Workshop  - Shelving
Courtesy of SNFCC

Both opera and library are combined in one building, with a public space, known as the Agora, providing access and connections between the two main facilities. The opera wing is composed of two auditoria, one (450 seats) dedicated to traditional operas and ballets, the other (1.400 seats) for more experimental performances. The library is intended as not only a place for learning and preserving culture, but also as a public resource, a space where culture is truly accessible to share and enjoy.

Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Centre  / Renzo Piano Building Workshop  - Image 15 of 22
Courtesy of RPBW
Section
Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Centre  / Renzo Piano Building Workshop  - Image 7 of 22
© Michel Denancé

The entirely glass-walled library reading room sits on top of the building just underneath the canopy roof. A square horizontal transparent box, it enjoys 360-degree views of Athens and the sea. The site’s visual and physical connection with water continues in the park with a new canal that runs along a north–south, main pedestrian axis, the Esplanade. The canopy roof provides essential shade and has been topped with 10.000 sq m of photovoltaic cells, enough to generate 1.5 megawatt of power for the library and opera house. This field of cells should allow the building to be self-sufficient in energy terms during normal opening hours. Wherever possible, natural ventilation has been used.

Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Centre  / Renzo Piano Building Workshop  - Waterfront
© Michel Denancé

The visual connection with the water continues to the park, where it focus on a channel to the side of the Esplanade, the main pedestrian axis of the site, in the north-south direction.

Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Centre  / Renzo Piano Building Workshop  - Waterfront, Garden
© Michel Denancé

The complex is aiming for a LEED platinum rating.

Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Centre  / Renzo Piano Building Workshop  - Image 4 of 22
© Michel Denancé

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Project location

Address:Athens, Greece

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Location to be used only as a reference. It could indicate city/country but not exact address.
About this office
Cite: "Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Centre / Renzo Piano Building Workshop " 04 Jul 2016. ArchDaily. Accessed . <https://www.archdaily.com/790678/stavros-niarchos-foundation-cultural-centre-renzo-piano-building-workshop> ISSN 0719-8884

© Michel Denancé

希腊 Stavros Niarchos 基金会文化中心 / 伦佐皮亚诺建筑工作室

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