One of Europe’s most significant urban regeneration projects, the Ellinikon, is underway in Athens, just eleven kilometres from the city centre. The landmark plan by the Saronic Gulf coastline will be a game-changer for Athens, its greater Attica region, and Greece.
The privately founded transformative development is located on the historic grounds of the former Ellinikon International Airport and aims to set a new standard for sustainable urban development. It is also a multi-dimensional project that combines acclaimed Greek and international architectural firms. It will revitalise the Athenian Riviera and establish Athens as a key player in the global network of urban centres.
Rooted in the principles of a “15-minute city,” the €8 billion Smart City master plan is spearheaded by Lamda Development. The transformation will revive the obsolete site of the international airport, which operated from 1938 until 2001. The Marina was developed earlier to host the Sailing Centre for the Athens 2004 Summer Olympics. The old terminal building, designed by the Finnish-American architect Eero Saarinen in the 1960s, will be adaptively reused as the centrepiece of a grand event space.
As Athens moves forward, the project is committed to redefining the urban landscape with a forward-thinking community, innovation, sustainability and culture. The vision is to revitalise the site into a dynamic hub, integrating cutting-edge technology with modern living and green spaces at the biggest coastal park in Europe.
For example, the Ellinikon will combine 10,000 upmarket beachfront residential spaces, one of Southern Europe’s largest shopping malls, a business park, hotels, a state-of-the-art sports complex, entertainment and cultural centres, and the 200-metre Riviera Tower to be Greece’s tallest building; all centred around a sprawling two million-square-metre park.
Additionally, the development will feature a 3.5-kilometre coastal front and a one-kilometre-long beach, in addition to 50 kilometres of walkways and bike lanes. Emphasis on electric transportation aligns with the project’s overall ethos of creating a cleaner and sustainable environment.
Visitors can already visit the Ellinikon Experience Centre and discover the redevelopment project through immersive technological exhibits and digital activities. The discovery is divided into five thematic zones that help demonstrate the project’s plans: Living a New Era, Living in Nature, Living the Future, Living Smart, and Living by the Sea.
