Tag: athens | ArchDaily

Stitching Edges: Marinas as Instruments of Reconnection between City and Water

Camilla Ghisleni — Thu, 18 Jun 2026 04:00:00 +0000

The land-water interface has always played a fundamental role in the formation and development of cities. From ancient commercial ports to today's multifunctional waterfronts, maritime and riverfront areas represent spaces of immense economic and social potential. Within this context, contemporary nautical complexes increasingly serve as strategic urban amenities capable of integrating diverse activities, fostering a reconnection between city and water, and revitalizing often underutilized landscapes.

First Look at the Serpentine Pavilion and Getty Center Modernization Plans Revealed: This Week’s Review

Reyyan Dogan — Thu, 04 Jun 2026 06:30:00 +0000

This week, architecture's cultural dimension took center stage through a series of new platforms, institutional developments, and public-facing projects that expand how the discipline is discussed, preserved, and experienced. From the announcement of participants for the inaugural Pan-African Biennale in Nairobi and the unveiling of Concéntrico Festival's urban interventions across Logroño, to the opening of La Biennale di Venezia's new archival headquarters at the Arsenale, architecture emerged as a vehicle for research, exchange, and collective reflection. Alongside these initiatives, projects such as the expansion of Crystal Bridges Museum in Arkansas and the opening of the 2026 Serpentine Pavilion demonstrate how cultural institutions continue to invest in new spaces for gathering and engagement. This week's selection spans Kenya, Spain, Albania, Saudi Arabia, Italy, Lebanon, the United Kingdom, and the United States, reflecting the diverse contexts in which cultural institutions, public events, and architectural initiatives continue to evolve.

Art 1 Office / Neiheiser Argyros

Hadir Al Koshta — Mon, 09 Feb 2026 07:00:00 +0000

An existing 40-year-old office building is stripped back to its structure and completely reimagined for the present. The original massing logics are recovered and emphasized. What used to be a confusing and run-down muddle of geometric clashes is now untangled and rearticulated as if the building is composed of twelve separate buildings, each with its own cladding logic and interior atmosphere.

Plaka House / Local Local

Valeria Silva — Mon, 22 Dec 2025 10:00:00 +0000

Positioned on a narrow stone-paved alley in Plaka, one of Athens' oldest and most atmospheric neighbourhoods, architecture studio Local Local has completed the renovation of a listed neoclassical townhouse dating back to the 1800s.

Housing Affordability Drives New Limits on Short-Term Rentals Across European Cities

Reyyan Dogan — Mon, 22 Dec 2025 06:30:00 +0000

Across Europe's major tourist cities, housing affordability has increasingly emerged as one of the most pressing urban challenges, prompting governments to reassess the role of short-term rentals within residential neighborhoods. In Barcelona, Mayor Jaume Collboni recently announced plans to phase out tourist short-term rentals entirely by 2028, framing the decision as part of a broader effort to protect residents' right to remain in the city. The announcement coincides with a €64 million fine imposed by the Spanish government on Airbnb for advertising unlicensed properties, placing Spain at the center of an intensifying debate over how tourism-driven accommodation models intersect with housing access, inequality, and urban stability.

New National Museum in Abu Dhabi and The Nomadic Library: This Week’s Review

Reyyan Dogan — Thu, 04 Dec 2025 06:30:00 +0000

As cultural institutions advanced major preservation projects and new demographic data reframed understandings of urban growth, this week's architectural discussions centred on how cities and museums adapt to evolving social, environmental, and infrastructural conditions. Efforts to safeguard modern heritage, developments in long-term urban planning, and reflections on architectural legacy intersect with global observances such as the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, highlighting the ongoing need for more inclusive and accessible environments within the built landscape.

Athens Architecture City Guide: 26 Architectural Works From Ancient Grandeur to Modern Innovation

Nour Fakharany — Thu, 04 Dec 2025 05:00:00 +0000

Athens stands as a city where the legacy of Antiquity is woven into its modern and vibrant urban landscape. World-renowned landmarks of Ancient Greece like the Acropolis and the Parthenon stand as enduring symbols of classical architecture and the city's storied past. These structures reflect the foundational principles of symmetry and balance that have influenced generations of architects and continue to attract scholars from around the world. Yet, Athens is also a thriving metropolis where contemporary architecture coexists with its historical counterparts. Recent developments, led by international firms and local architects, focus on sustainability and innovation while respecting Athens' rich cultural heritage. This duality—preserving the old while embracing the new—reflects Greece's broader urban aspirations, making Athens a focal point in global architectural discourse. The city's architectural evolution also extends to its contemporary architecture and interior design scene, which is gaining international recognition.

Urban Regeneration in Greece: The Ellinikon Master Plan and Beyond

Reyyan Dogan — Tue, 02 Dec 2025 06:30:00 +0000

Greece's built environment is shaped by the coexistence of multiple architectural layers, where historic structures, modern interventions, and evolving urban systems intersect. Classical landmarks and their surrounding urban fabrics continue to inform the spatial character of cities, while postwar developments, infrastructural upgrades, and contemporary projects add new dimensions to the country's architectural landscape. This continuity between past and present provides the foundation for current design approaches, which increasingly focus on balancing heritage, environmental considerations, and contemporary urban needs.

From Tirana to Monterrey: 8 Unbuilt Housing Projects Reimagining Collective Living

Nour Fakharany — Tue, 02 Dec 2025 04:00:00 +0000

Collective housing remains one of the most active areas for unbuilt architectural exploration, revealing how architects are rethinking domestic life, density, and shared living across different cultural and environmental contexts. In this curated Unbuilt edition, submitted by the ArchDaily community, the selected proposals investigate new forms of dwelling that span mobile units, vertical developments, adaptive reuse, and landscape-driven residential clusters. Rather than treating housing as a purely functional container, these projects position it as a social and spatial framework that shapes everyday life, community ties, and long-term urban resilience.

From Bangkok to Florence: 6 Unbuilt Public Space Projects Rethinking Community, Ecology, and Urban Identity

Nour Fakharany — Wed, 19 Nov 2025 04:00:00 +0000

Public spaces remain some of the most dynamic sites for unbuilt architectural experimentation, revealing how cities and architects can imagine accessibility, gathering, and civic identity. In this curated Unbuilt edition, submitted by the ArchDaily community, the selected proposals examine parks, pedestrian corridors, cultural landscapes, and open-access urban environments that invite people to meet, move, rest, and participate in collective life. Rather than treating public space as leftover terrain, these projects position it as essential infrastructure—shaping urban health, memory, and social interaction.

Vedalia Salon / Nysa

Hadir Al Koshta — Sat, 01 Nov 2025 05:00:00 +0000

On a busy street in Ampelokipoi, Vedalia Beauty Salon is conceived as a space of pause and retreat from the city's rhythms. The architectural proposal reimagines the ritual of care, framing it not as a commercial transaction but as a process closer to a therapeutic retreat. Entering the space, the visitor is invited into an environment where architecture and self-care converge, cultivating an atmosphere of calmness and renewal.

From Abu Dhabi to Oklahoma City: Architecture Now and New Announcements by Heatherwick Studio, MANICA, Kengo Kuma, and More

Nour Fakharany — Fri, 25 Jul 2025 04:00:00 +0000

As cities around the world respond to shifting environmental, cultural, and social dynamics, new architectural proposals are reshaping how we think about public life, community engagement, and the built environment. From Aldar's coastal wellness destination on Fahid Island in Abu Dhabi, to a flexible scaffolding-based office concept in Athens by Georges Batzios Architects, this edition of Architecture Now features diverse projects that reinterpret architecture as both infrastructure and interface. In Seoul, Heatherwick Studio is leading a resident-initiated redevelopment model for a housing complex near the Han River, while Toronto's College Park is set for a major transformation balancing heritage restoration with vertical intensification. In Oklahoma City, MANICA and TVS are designing a new sports arena that anchors an emerging entertainment district through material, landscape, and civic gestures. Together, these diverse yet interconnected efforts signal a broader shift toward integrated, future-oriented urban design.

Art House / Kallos Turin

Hadir Al Koshta — Fri, 03 Jan 2025 10:00:00 +0000

Art House is built within the green oasis of Filothei, a leafy neighbourhood nestled within the bustling metropolis of Athens. Filothei was developed in the 1920s as a garden oasis and preserved by strict codes constraining what could be built. These codes were at once the limitation and inspiration for the concept that Kallos Turin developed. The client needed enough square footage to house their world-class art collection in a gallery format as well as space for their extended families to converge.

Astir Marina Landscape / Neiheiser Argyros

Pilar Caballero — Mon, 23 Dec 2024 08:00:00 +0000

The site for the Astir Marina is the Vouliagmeni Peninsula, a lush pine forest along the south coast of Athens, Greece. However, since it's a marina, the actual site is also the new engineered ground that is being constructed in the sea. The concept for the project emerges out of the unique challenge of designing a landscape where there is currently no land. One way of thinking about this lack of land is that it's a blank site – a void – a tabula rasa. But of course, this isn't the case. The sea makes invisible the complex and dynamic ecosystems of the sea bed which is continuous with the visible ground. We started by looking at ways of representing this sea landscape; the nautical charts and maps that use elevation marks, contours, wind vectors, gradients of color, and hatches to represent the territory that is both above and below the water line. We were particularly inspired by the aesthetic of topographic contours, traces of the ground projected onto a flat 2d surface.

Athens’ Urban Regeneration: The Ellinikon Development Takes Shape in Greece

Nour Fakharany — Mon, 09 Dec 2024 05:30:00 +0000

As Athens hosts The Architect Show (TAS) 2024, the event brings together global and local voices to highlight the latest innovations in architecture and design. Against this backdrop, the city's evolving urban narrative is exemplified by The Ellinikon, Europe's largest urban regeneration project. Encompassing 6.2 million square meters, this €8 billion development has already attracted globally renowned architects such as Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG), Kengo Kuma, Foster + Partners, and Aedas. Together, they are shaping the smart city that integrates sustainability, connectivity, and community-focused design into the heart of Athens.

Architecture in Focus: 16 Global Events between September and December 2024

Maria-Cristina Florian — Thu, 19 Sep 2024 07:30:00 +0000

As the architectural landscape continues to evolve in response to pressing global challenges, events such as biennales, design weeks, and fairs play an instrumental role in shaping the profession's future. These gatherings facilitate the exchange of innovative ideas, the exploration of sustainable practices, and the fostering of collaboration among architects, designers, and urban planners. They serve not only as platforms for showcasing cutting-edge designs but also as forums for critical dialogue about the built environment's impact on society and the planet.

Reimagining an Abandoned Urban Landmark: The Story Behind the Piraeus Tower in Athens, Greece

Camilla Ghisleni — Wed, 31 Jul 2024 07:30:00 +0000

The landmark of Piraeus, located in the heart of the largest passenger port in Europe, began construction in 1972 but remained unfinished and vacant for decades. Finally completed in 2023, after an international competition, it now stands as Greece's first green and digital skyscraper. The architectural firm PILA took on the design of the facades, while the office ASPA-KST designed the commercial spaces, and the new general architectural study was entrusted to Betaplan. After over four years of renovation, Piraeus Tower officially opened its doors to tenants and visitors on June 4th with a night of celebrations, establishing itself as a bustling hub and injecting vitality into the area.

Coping with Extreme Heat: How Cities are Confronting the Heatwave in Eastern and Southern Europe

Maria-Cristina Florian — Mon, 22 Jul 2024 06:30:00 +0000

Eastern and Southern Europe is enduring a severe heatwave, with temperatures reaching over 40 degrees Celsius in many countries including Greece, Croatia, Macedonia, and Romania. Driven by hot air from North Africa, this prolonged heatwave has raised significant threats for residents and has strained the cities’ mechanisms for protection and climate mitigation. As the heatwaves expose the vulnerabilities of urban infrastructures, cities across Europe are striving to implement measures to address these challenges.