Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center, Cultural center in Kallithea, Greece
The Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center in Kallithea consists of a library and an opera house set on an artificial hill, with a 100x100 m photovoltaic roof and a flat white canopy on thin steel columns above the opera. The library roof is planted with native Greek plants, and a slender mast rises between the two volumes beside a dark reflecting pool.
The complex opened in August 2016 as a gift from the Stavros Niarchos Foundation to Greece during the economic crisis. The design came from Renzo Piano and relies on sustainable building techniques with solar energy and natural ventilation.
The center is named after the Stavros Niarchos Foundation, which funded the project with over €600 million and handed it to the Greek state on 23 February 2017. Its 210,000 m² Stavros Niarchos Park is planted with indigenous Greek species on an artificial hill. Excavations on the site from 2012, led by archaeologist Stella Chrysoulaki, uncovered tombs of the Faliro necropolis, including the mass graves of the "Prisoners of Faliro".
Guided tours through the buildings are available and the park remains open year-round for walks and sports. The outdoor areas work best in early morning or late afternoon when fewer visitors are around.
A solar canopy on top of the building generates more energy than the complex consumes, making it the first public building in Greece with a surplus. The gardens use only native plant species adapted to the Mediterranean climate and require little irrigation.
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