There are so many places to go in Athens. When you go to the Acropolis, Herodes Atticus Theater may think that you are visiting and performing a stage or from the Acropolis you can look at the city landscape and feel very good. Athens is a city smelling history. We do not want to direct you to the sensation of these places that have been preserved for centuries. We need to go and explore … But there is no place in Athens that we want to direct; Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center (SNFCC). Modern architecture in this city surrounded by history is a complete work.
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SFNCC, a world-famous shipowner in the name of Stavros Niarchos’un foundation is a gift of culture given to the country.
The construction period of the project corresponds to Greece’s economic crisis. In such a crisis environment it is appreciated that such a large budget is allocated for culture and art … Moreover, the foundation requires the state to grant to the state and be free for everyone.
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The complex, designed by the world-famous Italian architect Renzo Piano, is located in Kallithea, 4 km north of Athens. Kallithea has a strong relationship with Faliro Bay, one of the first ports in Athens. The architectural team is creating an artificial hill on the sea side of the land, in order to maintain this strong relationship for the design process. The panoramic terrace is placed on the top of the sloping park to open the sea view. In the middle of the terrace there is a room covered with glass walls. They call it The Lighthouse. As it can be understood from the wooden bookshelves of the room, it is used as a library. The library, called the National Library of Greece, addresses people of all ages. The study areas are reserved for children, young people, students and academics. The roof at the top of the library, which is covered with glass walls, is situated beneath an eaves. This unit, which can be compared to a transparent box as a result of this transparency, offers a 360 degree view of Athens.
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You can reach the view by elevator or on foot. The wide fringed roof of the building creates a large shadow area. The roof is made of concrete and is 2.5 cm thick. The carrier structure consists of thin precast steel-concrete columns and beams. As you can see from the photos, the carrier problem is solved with fine and elegant details. For a fringe of this size, perhaps one of the best things to do is to make it sustainable. Photovoltaic units spread over an area of 10,000 square meters meet the energy needs of both the library and the opera. Another nature-friendly approach is to use natural ventilation in the building as much as possible. In addition, the green roofs used in the project absorb the rain water and keep the water under control and create an insulation effect, protects the library from cold in winter and heat during the summer months.
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Established on an area of 170 thousand square meters, the complex hosts the National Library of Greece and the Greek National Opera. Two basic functions of the building; opera and library … These different functions combined with public space. This public space is also called -Agora-.
Complex parks; it has a football, basketball, tennis and cricket courts; a swimming pool, sailing pool, panoramic terrace, art workshops, canal, cafeterias and relaxation areas. Even Renzo Piano, the project architect, says he saw the park as the lead role. He believes that the positive effect of nature brings people closer to art. Even when Renzo Piano wanted to dynamize its relationship with the water, the design team built a canal along the north-south axis.
In this work, Renzo Piano invites the Athenians to use the power of aesthetics in combating the problems of the era.