Athens | Αθήνα

[gm2263]

Mostly high end fashion and arts stores, gourmet restaurants and the like. NO fast food court, No cinemas, NO supermarkets.

[KONSTANTINOUPOLIS]

You are right about the NAT building, i was tricked from the "future" project description which bioter has in his website. They need to update their site.

As for the Golden hall, thank you very much for your photos

[gm2263]

By the way, how often do these companies update their websites?

Anyway, if you are interested about lots of pics from the new mall, click here --> http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=759160. New photos have been also added from a friend from flikr on top of mine .

[KONSTANTINOUPOLIS]

I will answer later Grigori

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Athens Heart















www.pasal.gr

[gm2263]

I may visit this one within next week.

Despite an otherwise "casual" appearance, the rumor is that it was well received by the public and has seen lots of customers during the Christmas holidays. I am happy to see that the restaurants on the top are all in business

[KONSTANTINOUPOLIS]

I was there 2 weeks ago and ate in one of those restaurants, nice place and nice food. Overall a nice, functional, local-type size shopping center.

[KONSTANTINOUPOLIS]

«Δεν κρίναμε επί της ουσίας»

Των ΚΩΣΤΑ ΜΑΝΩΛΙΟΥΔΑΚΗ και ΚΩΣΤΑ ΓΟΥΛΗ
Επειτα από ένα τριήμερο αρνητικών ειδήσεων στο θέμα του νέου γηπέδου του Παναθηναϊκού στον Βοτανικό (μετά την απόφαση του Συμβουλίου της Επικρατείας για συνέχιση της αναστολής των εργασιών στην περιοχή), χθες το μεσημέρι από το ΣτΕ προέκυψε μια μικρή αλλά σημαντική εξέλιξη, που αφήνει ελπίδες για την εκδίκαση της υπόθεσης στην Ολομέλεια την 6η Μαρτίου, αφού, όπως γνωστοποίησε το Συμβούλιο, η πρώτη απόφαση δεν έκρινε επί της ουσίας την υπόθεση.


Συγκεκριμένα, η Ενωση Δικαστικών Λειτουργών του ΣτΕ σε ανακοίνωσή της γνωστοποίησε ότι η απόφαση της Επιτροπής Αναστολών έπρεπε ούτως ή άλλως να παρθεί, προκειμένου να σταματήσουν τα έργα και να μη δημιουργηθούν τετελεσμένες καταστάσεις. Να μην προλάβει δηλαδή να «σηκωθεί» το Mall του Μπάμπη Βωβού. Κι αυτό διότι υπάρχει ήδη δικαστικό προηγούμενο με το Mall του Αμαρουσίου, το οποίο ενώ βρισκόταν σε εξέλιξη η διαδικασία συζήτησης των εναντίον του προσφυγών στην Ολομέλεια του ΣτΕ, «σηκώθηκε» κανονικά και αφού εκρίθη παράνομο, δεν μπορούσε μετά να κατεδαφιστεί.


«Η εκδοθείσα στις 19.1.2009 απόφαση της Επιτροπής Αναστολών δεν έκρινε επί της ουσίας της υποθέσεως, αλλά διέταξε να σταματήσουν προσωρινά οι οικοδομικές εργασίες, για να μη δημιουργηθούν τετελεσμένες καταστάσεις (η ανέγερση του εμπορικού κέντρου), οι οποίες θα καθιστούσαν ουσιαστικά άνευ αντικειμένου την κύρια δίκη, η εκδίκαση της οποίας έχει ορισθεί για τις 6.3.2009» ανέφερε χαρακτηριστικά η χθεσινή επισήμανση της Ενωσης Δικαστικών Λειτουργών, προκαλώντας κρυφά χαμόγελα στην Κηφισίας και Αλεξάνδρας.


Δεν είναι κρυφό ότι η παραπάνω εξέλιξη χαρακτηρίστηκε ως άκρως ενθαρρυντική στην "πράσινη" ΠΑΕ, διότι, όπως λεγόταν, το Συμβούλιο ουσιαστικά παραδέχθηκε ότι δεν εμβάθυνε στην υπόθεση και έβγαλε την απόφαση μόνο και μόνο για να σταματήσουν άμεσα τα έργα. «Αυτό σημαίνει δύο πράγματα. Αφενός ότι το ΣτΕ δεν μας δείχνει κανένα δρόμο -όπως ειπώθηκε- για να φτιάξουμε το γήπεδο και αφετέρου ότι μπορεί να υπάρχει άλλη απόφαση στην Ολομέλεια του ΣτΕ».


Εκτός από την επισήμανση για την υπόθεση του Mall, η Ενωση Δικαστικών Λειτουργών στάθηκε και στην κριτική που ασκήθηκε στο ΣτΕ για την απόφαση, κάνοντας λόγο για πρωτοφανή παρέμβαση: «Mε αφορμή την υπόθεση αυτή έχει εκδηλωθεί τον τελευταίο καιρό καταιγισμός ύβρεων, απειλών και απαξιωτικών χαρακτηρισμών εις βάρος του Δικαστηρίου και μελών του, από δημοσίους λειτουργούς (ορισμένοι μάλιστα από τους οποίους είναι και διάδικοι στην υπόθεση), καθώς και από δημοσιογράφους. Αθεμελίωτοι ισχυρισμοί για έλλειψη αμεροληψίας των δικαστών που χειρίζονται τη συγκεκριμένη υπόθεση είναι απολύτως απαράδεκτοι, επικίνδυνοι και αποτελούν πρωτοφανή παρέμβαση και άσκηση πίεσης στο έργο της Δικαιοσύνης, εν όψει της εκδίκασης της κύριας υπόθεσης".


http://www.goalday.gr/article.asp?ca...&pubid=1677313

Άντε να δούμε.

[gm2263]

Renzo Piano's Environmentally Progressive Design Concept for The Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center (SNFCC)



Date January 09, 2009

Renzo Piano

Source: RPBW, © Stefano Goldberg
http://www.snf.org/Default.aspx?ID=3...45&newsID=7185


The Board of Directors of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation and the Renzo Piano Building Workshop (www.rpbw.com), a world-renowned architectural firm, will reveal the design concept for the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center (SNFCC), comprising the Stavros Niarchos Park and buildings for the National Library of Greece and the Greek National Opera.



The SNFCC, the first public-private endeavor of its kind within the Greek State, will create a new urban icon to enable both Greek citizens and global visitors to experience art, education and green space. In its creation of the SNFCC and its collaboration with Renzo Piano, the Stavros Niarchos Foundation was inspired by its strong ties to Greece, its enduring mission of enriching the lives of citizens from around the world, and its commitment to preserving the natural environment.


The presentation of the concept design of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center (SNFCC) by the architect Renzo Piano , will be held on 24 January at 17.00, at the Athens Concert Hall (Friends of the Music, hall) with the cooperation of Megaron Plus.

For a LIVE presentation of the event click here

[KONSTANTINOUPOLIS]

Renderings and photos of the project and the site which will be built.





















Cost: 450 millions Euros (584 millions Dollars)

www.arishellas.com
www.snf.org
http://rpbw.r.ui-pro.com
www.google.com

[gm2263]

Full report on the project:
Renzo Piano's presentation in Athens Megaron Concert and congress Hall, Jan. 24, 2009:

____________________________________________________________

Introduction

After a long period of anticipation the renowned architect Renzo Piano presented his "preliminary" designs on the new Athens Opera and National Library Complex.

The project is located in the place of the abandoned estate formerly hosting the installations of the old Athens equestrian center a premium location by all means standing at the intersection of Syggrou, Ethnarchou Makariou and Posseidonos Avenues, bordering with the grounds of the Taekwondo stadium (now used as a convention center and congress hall) as well as a number of marinas, entertainment and other recreational facilities and installations, an estate constituting a hot spot in what is rapidly becoming known as "the Athenian Riviera.

A very good visual idea on the particular spot is given by the following Google Earth image where the site is exactly in the center of the image.



Renzo Piano's excellent presentation took place in the main hall of the Athens Megaron Concert hall where all available seats have been occupied long before the official starting time of the event.


Rationale and Philosophy of the project - Preliminary Considerations

The particular location, occupying some 18 hectares of land, has been coveted by many developers and has been the object of lust of many urban planners. In the late 1960's to the early 1970s there have been a number of proposals for the wider area mostly comprising highrise hotel and/ or residential complexes:

1968:



1972:



Up until the Athens 2004 summer Olympics the area was used as an equastrian center, which was relocated to the new installations in Markopoulon, to the north-east of the capital. part of the developments of the Olympic installations was the construction of an elevated corridor, the well known "esplanade" which connected Syggrou Avenue to the coastal zone, something which, given the emptiness of this vast area prompted Mr Piano to characterize the esplanade as "connecting nothing to nothing", clearly describing the "urban void" next to it.

A few years ago, the Niarchos foundation (founded by Niarchos, a Greek shipowner and a major competitor of Onassis BTW) decided to build and donate to the Greek State a long outstanding array of two buildings: The Athens Opera House (now known as "Athens Lyric Scene" and accommodated in an outdated theater in downtown Athens) and the new National Library, which will decongest the existing historic but totally inadequate Athens Library Building also located in the center of the city.

Renzo Piano went to work immediately and true, we've seen pictures of his initial meetings with the Prime minister and members of the cultural administration but still, the whole announcements were painting a very sketchy picture where the only constant element was his idea to create what he called a "cultural park" where free green space would be the primary objective, as well as an unobstructed view to both the sea and the Acropolis.



A first announcement on the plans was expected late in fall 2008. The event took place on January 24, 2009. And it was worth the wait.


Renzo Piano's Presentation on Project Design

The venue: Partial view of the main Hall of the Athens Megaron Concert Hall



Here is a short video I took with my photocamera (sorry for poor quality) showing Piano's entry to the podium at the beginning of his presentation:



In the first part Mr Piano addressed the audience and made a review of his architectural philosophy which, according to his own words revolves around the following axes:

The presentation consisted of two parts.

1. Adaptation of each work to the environment and the purpose of the work. He mentioned all of his projects from the Beaubourg in Paris to more recent works including the known cultural center in New Caledonia, the Times-Warner building in NY and others.

2. Transparency and avoidance of "secluded" spaces through the use of transparent building materials wherever possible.

3. Also depending on the character of each project, acclimatization of each project with the local prevailing conditions. For Athens and Greece two are the major elements: The Mediterranean flora and the Sea.

Rentzo Piano commenting on the Beaubourg Center in Paris, One of his first works.



The man at work







Describing the notion of the green roof as a means of integrating with an already existing green environment. This is a project in San Fransisco




After this general overview Mr Piano proceeded to the explanation of his implementation philosophy on his first Greek project:

First of all, as it is already known Athens is a densely built city. The same pertains to the suburb opposite the land plot where his project is to be built, which is called "Kallithea". The English translation would be "Bellvue" and the Italian one "Bella Vista" according to the words of Mr Piano himself. The name implies that once upon a time the view from Kallithea used to be "beautiful", facing the Saronic Gulf. All that before the 1960s that is. So, Mr Piano took into account that this particular area lost its connection with the sea which Mr Piano considered to be equal to a loss of identity for this part of the Athenian coastal zone.

In order to restore this balance, it means that although the structures had to be "big" this had to take place in a manner not "intrusive" to the urban reality of the neighboring suburbs. On the contrary, his project should alleviate the burden of the loss of contact with the sea and thus he needed to follow a different approach than in other cities where greenery was not the primary objective. The complex is to be "submerged" under the edge of slightly sloping garden surface. In this manner, a continuous accessing space will be allowed to a wide terrace overlooking the sea with the two main buildings literally buried but not hidden since in the middle there will be a huge atrium, the agora, which will allow the unobstructed movement of the visitors though all levels of the complex to and from the sea, as well as the vast expanse of the sloping gardens to the side looking towards the city.

The height at the highest point of the project's elevation is 30 meters. The slope of the artificial hill is at a 5 degrees angle to the horizontal plain.

Some drawings: You may click on images for an enlarged version of each image.


-Topographic model



Notably, both the library and the opera will be parallel in terms of orientation with their south side looking towards the sea and their north looking towards the city of Athens and the Acropolis.

-Sketch and drawing depicting the concept of sloping gardens and the "subterranean" notion of the project:






-Bird's eye model view further extending the notion of "transparency" on the roofs of the structures allowing direct sunlight to flood in the main concourses and halls:



-Bird's eye Cutaway view model of the project. To the left is the Opera and to the right is the library




The Master Explaining:



-Side cutaway drawing of the opera




Conclusion: Spiritual Ascension

My view: Speechless.

Renzo Piano created an art of work where the prevailing element was the concern for the needs of the particular neighborhood, besides the functional needs of the institutions he was called to serve. The environmental integration of this project to the overall environment is seamless and beyond any criticism with perhaps the observation that there will need to be LOTS of ground-digging and other foundation works before we see a glimpse of the final shape of the project.

This factor, combined with the complex demands in terms of structural engineering simply implies that completion of this work will be lengthy at least. A modest estimation is for about six years with the planning horizon extending well into 2015 and perhaps beyond.

In conclusion, Renzo Piano's overall attitude and demeanor left the audience with the best impressions and confident that one of the biggest if not the biggest work for the city of Athens is about to start soon.

[KONSTANTINOUPOLIS]

Ευχαριστώ για την ανάλυση Γρηγόρη και καλά χρόνια για την προ ημερών γιορτή σου.

Some interesting additional infos. The height of the building will be 40 meters. On the top of the roof will be an 40-60 meters antenna, reaching the building (on his highest point) the 80-100 meters.

Another element i like is the water canal. With 500 meters length and 30 meters width will be a great addition to the complex.

Some renders of the water canal:











www.naftemporiki.gr
www.google.com
www.snf.org
www.e-tipos.com
www.ana-mpa.gr

[KONSTANTINOUPOLIS]

Originally Posted by KONSTANTINOUPOLIS

Capitol: New Shopping, Leisure and Cultural Center



In a district where no building was developed during the last 25 years and is lead to gradual degration, a grand new building will be developed with a dominant position in the Athenian urban grid. The development was stalled for more than 5 years by the Organization of School Buildings. When this obstacle was surpassed, its construction began. The completion of development of the building block will restore and redefine the entire area.

This building block, which includes a garden of 1000 m2 with recreational spaces, will be open to the public and will shorten the basic pedestrian route of tourists from Victoria ISAP station to the National Archaeological Museum.

In more detail, on a corner plot on Ioulianou, 3rd Septembriou & Skaramagka streets in Athens, that will include commercial stores for the daily needs of residents, local range entertainment and leisure spaces, cultural centres, as well as the first museum of classical cars in Athens with more than 120 exhibits, ranked among the largest city car museums in the world. Distinctive architectural characteristic of the building is the helical ramp dominating the forefront face of the building, that allows the visitor a stairless access to the last floor, inspired by the Guggenheim Museum in New York. This inconceivable idea of Frank Lloyd Wright, one of the greatest architects of all times, gives the building an original personality for Greek buildings, which usually suffer from suffocation of the rigid General Construction Regulation. This building will also be serviced by a seven level underground parking for 800 cars, reaching a total surface of 28,000 m2.







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www.charagionis.com

Photos by ovem (Hellenic Architecture Agora)

[KONSTANTINOUPOLIS]

Metropolitan Expo @ Athens International Airport "Elftherios Venizelos"

The airport:



and the newly constructed exhibition center "Metropolitan Expo".

Its located at the far-right (in the un-build area).









VasilisATH (www.airliners.gr)
www.aia.gr
www.metropolitanexpo.gr

[gm2263]

It is completed!!! Jeez!!!

Time to go for pictures although the weather is not conducive to this. Cloudy skies and bad lighting conditions

[KONSTANTINOUPOLIS]

Yep, my uncle went there couple weeks ago and he said to me that the Metropolitan Expo is far better and bigger than the one in Anthousa, the Athens Expo.

[KONSTANTINOUPOLIS]

Couple more photos from Athens Heart













www.athensheart.gr

[KONSTANTINOUPOLIS]

The theater "THEATRON" recently opened, it's part of the "Hellenic Cosmos" complex.































www.theatron254.gr

[Aecio]

Theatron looks so cool.

[KONSTANTINOUPOLIS]

Indeed. Nice avatar btw.

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Couple more photos of Metropolitan Expo















www.metropolitanexpo.gr

[gm2263]

Been there. The pictures don't give it justice. The place is HUGE!!!

Sorry, no pics, it was on a late Sunday afternoon.