Design and Art news, reviews, comments and original features

Historic Piraeus Tower in Greece Gets a Green Makeover, Building Now Open to the Public

After years of neglect, the Piraeus Tower in Greece has completed a major transformation. According to Wallpaper, the tower now features a refreshed façade designed by local developer Dimand in collaboration with architecture studio PILA, marking a new chapter for the 1972 port icon.

The design for the project was led by architect Ilias Papageorgiou, who returned to Athens after working in New York.

In addition to being the second tallest tower in Greece, the building is now positioned to become a prominent location in the Piraeus district, a busy but often overlooked part of Athens. 

Also Read: These Hotels In Greece Prove It Is The Most Beautiful Country In The World [Photos]

Piraeus Tower's Renovation

Papageorgiou told Wallpaper that the tower's transformation demonstrates how Greece is rebounding after its economic crisis. He believes that revitalizing this once-abandoned building could encourage further development and attract more activity to the city's waterfront.

Dimand COO Olga Itsiou described the tower, which was once an unfinished "sleeping giant," as a building that now has a new purpose. It will house offices, shops, a gym, a restaurant, and a café, providing space for about 2,000 people.

Piraeus Tower
The landmark of Piraeus, the second tallest building in the country, began construction in 1972, remained unfinished for decades, and was fully reconstructed in 2021-23. Today, it stands as Greece’s first ‘green’ and digital skyscraper. The original design in the ’70s was undertaken by the architectural office of Alexandros Loizos, in collaboration with Ioannis Vikelas and Dimosthenis Molfesis. In 2020, after an international competition, the architectural firm PILA took on the design of the facades, and the office ASPA – KST designed the commercial spaces, while the new general architectural study was entrusted to Betaplan. Implementation of the project was undertaken, among others, by Dimand and Prodea Investments.
(Photo : Yiorgis Yerolymbos)

The tower's main building has been transformed into modern offices and retail spaces. The next phase of the project, which is currently underway, will focus on enhancing the area around the tower with public landscaping. This will include a new green footbridge to improve pedestrian access around the port district.

Eco-Friendly Version

Design Boom reported that the project team incorporated several eco-friendly strategies. These include installing louvres to reduce heat from the sun by 45%, adding solar panels, and recycling over 5,000 square meters of glass, some of which were reused in the building.

These efforts made the tower Greece's first green high-rise, earning it a LEED Platinum certification.


Related Article: 10 Most Advanced Ancient Architecture in the World