Ellinikon, the “smart district” in Athens, to feature projects by BIG, Kuma, Foster and many more

Following the unveiling of the Riviera Tower designed by Foster and Partners, new details were recently revealed about the construction of Ellinikon, the “smart city” to be built in Greece with one of the largest coastal parks in Europe. According to the information released by LAMDA Development, the ambitious project will also include buildings signed by Kengo Kuma and Associates, Bjarke Ingels Group, Aedas, SAOTA and Oppenheim Architecture.

The urban expansion will transform the site currently occupied by the former Athens International Airport, active from 1938 to 2001. The new master plan will combine residential space, stores, workplaces, recreational, entertainment and cultural activities, all organized on a vast two million square meter park.

Along the waterfront, Riviera Galleria, an area designed by Kengo Kuma and Associates, designed to become a destination of excellence for retail, dining, and leisure, will come to life. Bjarke Ingels Group contributed its vision to the project with the Ellinikon Park Rise building as part of the Little Athens neighborhood, a residential district that will include more than 1,000 high-rise and low-rise homes. The clustered buildings will take on BIG's familiar stepped forms and feature courtyards with gardens.

Aedas architects have designed a vast commercial hub – the largest retail, entertainment and business complex in Greece – with an area of more than 185,000 square meters. Other areas include a strip of Cove Residences behind a row of waterfront Cove Villas. The residences-designed by two leading Greek firms, ISV Architects and Bobotis+Bobotis – will include 115 luxury apartments and duplexes, complete with landscaped gardens and courtyards, rooftop terraces, and private swimming pools for the ground-floor units and penthouses.

To ensure Ellinikon’s sustainability and environmental awareness, an important infrastructure program has been proposed in parallel. Integrated renewable energy sources, including solar panels and an advanced underground power grid, will focus on renewable energy to significantly reduce the neighborhood's environmental footprint.