Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
SNFCC canal and building

The cultural center of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center (SNFCC) ( Greek Κέντρο Πολιτισμού Ίδρυμα Σταύρος Νιάρχος ) is a culture, study and recreation center on the Bay of Faliro near Athens . It is a donation from the Stavros Niarchos Foundation to the Greek state , which includes a large park, the Greek National Library and the Greek National Opera.

location

The SNFCC is located 4.5 kilometers south of Athens city center in Kallithea in the immediate vicinity of the Faliro Coastal Zone Olympic Sports Complex . The address is: Leoforos Andrea Syngrou 364 ( Λεωφόρος Ανδρέα Συγγρού ), Kallithea. The Athens racetrack was located on the site and moved to the new Markopoulo Olympic Equestrian Center in 2003 (clubs) and 2005 (racetrack) , which was also used for the 2004 Olympic Games.

The building

SNFCC entrance area

The complex planned by the star architect Renzo Piano essentially consists of three buildings surrounded by spacious open spaces and a park, the national library ( Greek Εθνική Βιβλιοθήκη ), the national opera ( Greek Εθνική Λυρική Σκηνή ) and the parking garage. The enclosed rooms and the open spaces offer space for 32,000 people to visit at the same time, and 1,000 parking spaces are available to visitors. The SNFCC is connected to Athens city center by a shuttle bus.

Several cafés, one on the roof of the building complex, a bistro and refreshment stands are available to visitors.

When planning the building, great importance was attached to the compatibility of the monumental structure with its environment. Most of the electrical energy required is generated by solar cells (10,000 m²). The complex has been awarded the LEED Platinum Certification .

In addition to Renzo Piano, there were Betaplan, the Arup office and the graphic design office Atelier Martine Harlé are involved in the project.

The flat roof of 100 by 100 meters rests on slender pillars that separate it from the rest of the building and is made of ferrocement (design by Expedition Engineering).

Building history

In October 2006 the Stavros Niarchos Foundation announced its intention to plan, build and equip a building that would house the Greek National Library and the National Opera of Greece in the future . The building complex was to be named Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center (SNFCC) ( Greek : Κέντρο Πολιτισμού Ίδρυμα Σταύρος Νιάρχος). Furthermore, a park and a salt water basin should be created. A year later, the details were set in a memorandum of understanding signed by the Greek government and the Stavros Niarchos Foundation. The architect Renzo Piano was entrusted with the planning of the project , the construction work was completed in 2016. The construction costs amounted to 630 million euros; in February 2017 the complex was handed over to the Greek state.

Environmental aspects

  • The solar cells installed on the roof of the opera generate 3.1 GW of electricity p. a.
  • All energy-specific measures are intended to prevent the emission of around 2,750 tons of CO 2 annually
  • The park is mainly irrigated with rainwater and gray water
  • Plant residues are composted and used as fertilizer
  • The green roof (17,000 m²) has a positive effect on the temperature inside the building
  • Daylight sensors and automatic roller blinds for shading the interior reduce power consumption

Earthquake security

Due to the interaction of two factors, the expected seismic activity and the unfavorable soil conditions, it was decided to take special structural measures to increase the resilience of the building against earthquakes . The separation between the subsoil and the building (seismic isolation) was made by 323 isolators of the friction pendulum type. After the Acropolis Museum and the Onassis Cultural Center , the SNFCC is the third building in Greece to be protected from the effects of an earthquake using this method.

The park

The total area of ​​the park is 210,000 m², it shows a comprehensive cross-section of the Mediterranean vegetation and is freely accessible to everyone. 1450 trees and 280,000 Mediterranean bushes were planted. The central lawn can be used for concerts and film screenings. There are sports areas, a playground, water games and a maze. A traffic training area for children will be set up temporarily in summer and an ice rink in winter.

Part of the park is the so-called canal, a basin filled with seawater that is 300 meters long and 30 meters wide. The park was designed by Deborah Nevins & Associates and H Pangalou & Associates.

The Greek National Library

SNFCC library

After the idea of ​​establishing a national library first arose in 1824, it was Ioannis Kapodistrias who set up the first library (Αποθήκη Βιβλίων) on the island of Aegina . This was merged with the Athens University Library in 1842. The resulting Greek National Library moved to the SNFCC building in 2016. The stock of books and magazines has reached the million mark. A national digitization project is currently underway to make the books accessible to a wider audience and to preserve the content of rare books.

The library is spread over five levels on an area of ​​almost 22,000 m²; consultants from the British Library were involved in the design . The library is structured as follows:

  • Academic Research Areas
  • Computer workstations with Internet access, wireless network (WLAN)
  • Specially equipped and air-conditioned department for around 4,500 historical documents from the 9th to 19th centuries.
  • A separate area for children and teenagers
  • Business center

The opera

SNFCC Opera

The National Opera of Greece was founded in 1939 and has been a public corporation since 1944.

The building houses two halls of different sizes. The smaller, so-called alternative stage ( Εναλλακτική Σκηνή ) is rectangular in shape and is used for smaller performances, which are often experimental; the opera hall itself, called Stavros Niarchos Halle ( Αίθουσα Σταύρος Νιάρχος ), is arranged as a semicircle in front of the rectangular stage.

  • The opera hall has a floor area of ​​28,000 m² and can accommodate 1,400 visitors
  • The alternative stage offers space for 400 visitors, the seats can be removed
  • Screens integrated in the seat backs can display information on the respective performance in several languages
  • If necessary, the first three rows of seats in front of the stage can be lowered into the floor
  • The orchestra pit offers space for up to 115 musicians
  • The planking of the boxes with panels made of cherry wood should ensure better acoustics

Awards

  • European Solar Prize 2017, awarded by EUROSOLAR e. V. European Association for Renewable Energies
  • The Bundesverband GebäudeGrün e. V. (BuGG) has chosen the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center as the green roof of the year 2018.
  • The green roof leadership award 2018 was given to the building at the 5th international Green Roof Congress in Kuwait.
  • The garden was awarded the European Garden Prize in 2018 in the category “Innovative concept or design of a contemporary park or garden”.

Web links

Remarks

  1. ↑ Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. Retrieved June 5, 2018 .
  2. ^ Ike Ijeh, Cultural Center roof, Athens , building.co.uk, November 7, 2013
  3. ↑ SNFCC Impact Study, The Boston Consulting Group pages 47 and 48. Retrieved June 6, 2018 .
  4. ^ Development of a Friction Pendulum Bearing Base Isolation System for Earthquake Engineering Education. Retrieved June 6, 2018 .
  5. ↑ DYNAMIC BEHAVIOR OF THE SEISMICALLY ISOLATED SNF CULTURAL CENTER IN ATHENS. Retrieved June 6, 2018 .
  6. ↑ SNFCC Impact Study, The Boston Consulting Group page 50. Accessed June 6, 2018 .
  7. ↑ Η Εθνική Βιβλιοθήκη. Retrieved June 5, 2018 .
  8. ↑ ΕΘΝΙΚΗ ΛΥΡΙΚΗ ΣΚΗΝΗ, Greek National Opera. Retrieved June 6, 2018 .
  9. ↑ Wedia: Greek National Opera. Accessed March 25, 2021 .
  10. ↑ European Solar Prize 2017 awarded to ten laureates in Vienna. Retrieved November 8, 2018 .
  11. ↑ 25,000 SQUARE METERS OF ROOF GARDEN ELECTED BUGG GREEN ROOF OF 2018. Retrieved November 8, 2018 .
  12. ↑ Green Roof NEWS. Retrieved November 8, 2018 .
  13. ↑ Green Roof Leadership Award 2018. Accessed November 8, 2018 .

Coordinates: 37 ° 56 ′ 25 ″  N , 23 ° 41 ′ 30 ″  E