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Onassis Cultural Centre in Athens prepares for official opening in November
The 18,000 sq m Onassis Cultural Centre designed by AS Architecture-Studio for The Alexander S. Onassis Public Benefit Foundation is preparing for a grand opening in November this year. With its minimalist glass and white marble design, the new centre is a modern take on a Greek classic. Standing shoulder to shoulder with historical wonders such as the Parthenon, Temple of Olympian Zeus and Hadrian's Arch, the new centre not only brings a contemporary cultural space to the city of Athens, but an unapologetically modern architectural form to the tradition-steeped urban fabric.
AS Architecture-Studio's design features an 872-seat hall for large-scale performance events such as opera, dance and theatre; a 217-seat auditorium for more intimate performances; a 7,500 sq ft exhibition gallery; an open-air theatre space; a compact installation of works from the Foundation's permanent collection; additional exhibition, meeting and performance spaces; and catering facilities including a restaurant and entrance-level bar.
The Alexander S. Onassis Public Benefit Foundation was set up in 1975 in order to ‘establish, maintain and assist medical, educational, literary, religious, scientific, exploratory, journalistic and artistic endeavours and to promote Hellenic culture and studies'. Their new programme will kick off with The Athens Dialogues - an international conference concerning contemporary global issues and challenges in the light of Greek cultural legacy. This will be followed in December with two days of opening celebrations and two days of special public events.
Additional credits:
Co-architect: AETER
Engineering: OMETE SA, Seismomononosis SA, LDK, Choulet, Arcora,
Scenography: Theatre Projects Consultants
Acoustics: Xu Acoustique
Sian Disson
News Editor
The Athens Dialogues, 24-27 November 2010
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