Asymmetrical glass buildings beside a river

Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Centre (Greece)

A new cultural and environmental icon in Athens

The Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Centre (SNFCC) in Kallithea, near Athens, Greece, is an urban cultural, educational, and recreational complex and encompasses the National Library of Greece, the Greek National Opera, as well as 20 hectares of park land with a gently rising, artificial hill – all designed by the famous Italian architect Renzo Piano. A 400-metre-long canal runs along the main pedestrian axis as an attractive landscape element that also hosts sailing and kayaking lessons.

Opera and library form one building complex connected by the Agora, a public space providing access and connections between the two institutions. The opera consists of two theatres with 1,400 seats and 450 seats. The library contains around 1,000,000 volumes, and the reading room atop the building is entirely glass-walled, offering breathtaking views of Athens and the sea. A delicate canopy roof provides shade in the reading room and is covered with 5,700 solar panels which generate up to 2.2 GWhs per year.

Design and construction of the centre, together the Stavros Niarchos Park, contributed significantly to the revitalisation of Kallithea, a neighbouring city of Athens, and the Faliro Delta waterfront area.

Heidelberg Materials' Greek subsidiary delivered 105,000 m³ of ready-mixed concrete for the SNFCC. The main challenge of this project was to supply concrete of the same quality and colour in all requested concrete strength classes.

Thanks to the good reputation of Heidelberg Materials, promoted by the large fleet of concrete mixer trucks and pumps, constant quality and outstanding know-how, the company has become a key supplier of ready-mixed concrete for major projects in the Attica region of Greece.

Designed and built to conform to LEED – Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design – standards, the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Centre has been rated PLATINUM, the highest LEED rating for energy-efficient and environmentally sustainable buildings.

Project Data

Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Centre S.A./Greece
Owner
Renzo Piano Building Workshop
Architect
2016
Completion

Greece

Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center, Greece. Heidelberg Materials' Greek subsidiary delivered 105,000 m³ of ready-mixed concrete for the SNFCC.

Photo by Yerolymbos/SNFCC

An aerial view of a formal garden with symmetrical layouts. There are neatly arranged hedges, pathways, and water features that create a patterned landscape design.

Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center, Greece. Heidelberg Materials' Greek subsidiary delivered 105,000 m³ of ready-mixed concrete for the SNFCC.

Photo by Yerolymbos/SNFCC

A large, open outdoor space with manicured green lawns and organized rows of trees. In the distance, there is a modern building with a unique, box-like roof structure that appears to be elevated above the ground on pillars or supports.

Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center, Greece. Heidelberg Materials' Greek subsidiary delivered 105,000 m³ of ready-mixed concrete for the SNFCC.

Photo by Yerolymbos/SNFCC

A modern architectural structure featuring a long, narrow water feature extending towards the horizon, flanked by walkways and green spaces. The building has a sleek design with clean lines and expansive glass panels, suggesting it may be a public or commercial space designed for leisure or business activities.

Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center, Greece. Heidelberg Materials' Greek subsidiary delivered 105,000 m³ of ready-mixed concrete for the SNFCC.

Photo by Yerolymbos/SNFCC

An interior view of a large, circular auditorium with multiple tiers of seating. The seats are arranged in a semi-circular pattern around a central stage area

Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center, Greece. Heidelberg Materials' Greek subsidiary delivered 105,000 m³ of ready-mixed concrete for the SNFCC.

Photo by Yerolymbos/SNFCC

An aerial view of a large, illuminated building during twilight.

Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center, Greece.

Photo by Yerolymbos/SNFCC

A modern architectural structure featuring a pathway flanked by two buildings with glass facades and geometric designs. The sky is clear, suggesting a bright sunny day.

Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center, Greece. Heidelberg Materials' Greek subsidiary delivered 105,000 m³ of ready-mixed concrete for the SNFCC.

Photo by Yerolymbos/SNFCC

A section of a building with a modern design, featuring a concrete wall with several rectangular recesses and a slightly ajar door on the right side. The play of light and shadow creates an interesting geometric pattern on the surfaces.

Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center, Greece. Heidelberg Materials' Greek subsidiary delivered 105,000 m³ of ready-mixed concrete for the SNFCC.

Photo by Yerolymbos/SNFCC

An interior space resembling a library or study area, featuring empty bookshelves, white tables with chairs, and a large skylight providing natural light. The architecture includes exposed beams and ductwork, giving the space an industrial yet modern feel.

Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center, Greece. Heidelberg Materials' Greek subsidiary delivered 105,000 m³ of ready-mixed concrete for the SNFCC.

Photo by Yerolymbos/SNFCC

A construction site during twilight with multiple cranes and buildings in the background. The foreground features an excavated area with visible concrete foundations and steel reinforcements, indicating an early stage of construction.

Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center, Greece. Heidelberg Materials' Greek subsidiary delivered 105,000 m³ of ready-mixed concrete for the SNFCC.

Photo by Yerolymbos/SNFCC

A large construction site during twilight or night, illuminated by artificial lighting. At the center is a circular structure, likely the foundation or lower levels of a building

Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center, Greece. Heidelberg Materials' Greek subsidiary delivered 105,000 m³ of ready-mixed concrete for the SNFCC.

Photo by Yerolymbos/SNFCC

A construction crane stands next to a building under construction during twilight; the foreground features a frozen construction site with tyre tracks.

Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center, Greece. Heidelberg Materials' Greek subsidiary delivered 105,000 m³ of ready-mixed concrete for the SNFCC.

Photo by Yerolymbos/SNFCC