Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center

As one of Athens’ earliest seaports on Faliro Bay, Kallithea has always had a strong relationship with the water. However, despite its proximity, views to the sea were non-existent and physical connections were limited. To restore this, the building is imagined as an artificial hill with a peak at the south (seaward) end of the site. The gently sloping park conceals the cultural center beneath and ensures that the totality of the site is a vast publicly accessible space culminating with spectacular views towards the sea and back towards the center of the city. The focus on the relationship to the city and providing accessible public green space contributes, with the cultural programming to attracting over 6 million visitors per year.

Both opera and library are combined in one building, with a public space, the Agora, providing access and connection between the two main facilities. The opera wing is composed of two auditoriums, one (1,400 seats) dedicated to classic ballets, symphonic music and traditional operas and the other (450 seats) for more experimental performances, ballet, opera for children, theatre, music.

Greece did not previously have a purpose-built national library, the new facility has a capacity for up to 2 million volumes and provides spaces for education, researchers, preservation and digitization labs. The library is intended not only as a place for learning and preserving culture, but also as a public resource, a space where culture is truly accessible to share and enjoy by all.

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 sea water fed canal that runs along a north–south, main pedestrian axis that spans over the road to the waterfront. The water feature, in combination with the park, plays an important environmental role by reducing the urban heat island effect.

The canopy roof provides essential shade and has been topped with 10.000 sq m of photovoltaic cells, enough to generate 1.5 megawatts 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. The project was awarded LEED Platinum in 2016, a first in Europe for a cultural facility of this scale.