Designed by Renzo Piano Building Workshop 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 sqm 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.
Courtesy of SNFCC.
As one of Athens? earliest seaports on Faliro Bay, Kallithea has always had a strong relationship with the water. At present, however, despite its, 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 culminates in the cultural center building, giving it spectacular views towards the sea. Photography: Michel Denancé
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, space where culture is truly accessible to share and enjoy.
Renzo Piano Building Workshop
The entirely glass-walled library reading room sits ...