The international architecture firms shaping the Athens Riviera
The new era of the Athens Riviera bears the signature of some of the world’s most important architecture firms, transforming the coastal front into a living mosaic of international design and contemporary urban life. Let’s take a look at who they are.
From The Ellinikon to the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center and Piraeus, the Athens Riviera is gradually being transformed into a new urban destination, where architecture plays a leading role. Some of the world’s most important architecture firms have already left their mark on Athens’ coastal front, bringing different schools of thought, aesthetics, and philosophies: the understated Japanese harmony of Kengo Kuma, the sensitivity of Renzo Piano, the sustainable technological approach of Norman Foster, the international, forward-looking perspective of AEDAS, and the contemporary outlook of Bjarke Ingels.
Through projects that combine culture, nature, sustainability, and innovation, these five architecture firms are contributing to the shaping of a new identity for southern Athens.
Kengo Kuma & Associates
The internationally acclaimed Japanese architect Kengo Kuma is behind three of the most distinctive projects shaping the new identity of the Athens Riviera.
His collaboration with Orilina Properties strengthens his presence at The Ellinikon through two new developments with a total value of approximately €90 million: the luxury Marina Residences—twenty homes with private pools and unobstructed views of the Agios Kosmas marina—and a high-specification Private Club, also designed by Kengo Kuma & Associates, which will host restaurants, wellness facilities, and entertainment spaces.
Just next door, Riviera Galleria, designed by the same architect in collaboration with the Greek firm BETAPLAN, is set to become the new commercial and social landmark of the coastal front. The complex, with a total area of 23,000 sq m, will host retail stores and leisure spaces, aesthetically unifying the marina area through the subtle, natural character of Kuma’s architecture.
Born in Yokohama in 1954, Kengo Kuma is considered one of the most important contemporary architects worldwide. With projects ranging from the Tokyo Olympic Stadium to the V&A Dundee Museum, he champions an architecture that harmonizes people with their environment.
Renzo Piano Building Workshop
The Italian architect Renzo Piano, born in Genoa in 1937, is one of the most iconic figures in contemporary architecture. With projects that combine transparency, light, and a strong relationship between buildings and their surroundings, Piano has left an indelible mark from the Centre Pompidou in Paris to The Shard in London.
The Renzo Piano Building Workshop (RPBW), which he founded in 1981 with offices in Paris, Genoa, and New York, continues today his vision of “architecture that breathes.” In Greece, his signature stands out at the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center, a project that changed the city’s relationship with its coastal front, connecting nature, art, and public life. Its sloping form, planted gardens with olive trees and Mediterranean vegetation, and sea views encapsulate his architectural philosophy: a tribute to Greek light and landscape.
The same sensitivity to the relationship between city and environment also characterizes his new project, KYKLOS, being created in Piraeus at the initiative of the Dinos and Lia Martinos Foundation (DLMF). On the site of the former “Aigaion” factory, the new cultural center will combine exhibition spaces, open-air courtyards, and a large Mediterranean garden designed by landscape architect Camille Müller. Scheduled for completion in 2028, the project will become an open, sustainable, and inclusive meeting place, “a bridge between Piraeus and the global cultural scene,” as the architecture firm notes.
In addition, the contribution of Renzo Piano’s office—working in collaboration with Greek architects—will be pivotal for the Aenaon Metropolitan Park at Faliro Bay. A 2 million sq m park that aspires to become a place of inspiration, free movement, and collective experience—values that ultimately summarize Renzo Piano’s own philosophy.
Foster + Partners
The firm of the internationally renowned British architect Lord Norman Foster, Foster + Partners, is behind the overall masterplan design of The Ellinikon, as well as the Riviera Tower, Greece’s first “green” residential skyscraper, rising at the Agios Kosmas Marina.
The Riviera Tower, one of the most talked-about projects of the redevelopment, is progressing rapidly and, upon completion—at the 50th floor—will reach nearly 200 meters in height, making it the tallest building in the country. It will host 170 residences, which have already been sold in their entirety, primarily to Greeks and members of the Greek diaspora.
More than its height, however, what defines the Riviera Tower is the sustainable philosophy that underpins its design. The building follows principles of sustainability and energy efficiency, with materials selected for future reuse and construction methods that limit its environmental footprint.
Lord Norman Foster, a recipient of the Pritzker Prize, Stirling Prize, AIA Gold Medal, and Minerva Medal, is considered one of the most influential architects of the 20th and 21st centuries. His extensive body of work includes projects such as The Gherkin in London, the Reichstag Building in Berlin, the Hearst Tower in New York, the Queen Elizabeth II Great Court of the British Museum, the Viaduc de Millau in France, and Apple Park in California.
AEDAS
AEDAS is one of the largest architecture and design firms in the world, headquartered in Hong Kong with a presence in dozens of cities. With more than 1,000 architects and designers and studios across Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and the Americas, the firm combines international experience with a deep local understanding of each place where it operates. Its philosophy is based on the exchange of knowledge and ideas between cultures, aiming to create innovative, sustainable, and socially sensitive urban spaces.
At The Ellinikon, AEDAS is responsible for the design of The Ellinikon Mall, a project that aims to change the way we perceive commercial and public space on the Athens Riviera. According to Lamda Development, it will be the largest shopping mall in southern Europe, approximately 1.5 times larger than The Mall Athens, with 280 stores and an estimated annual footfall of 17 million visitors.
With a total area of 185,000 sq m, The Ellinikon Mall will be defined by advanced digital technologies, artificial intelligence applications, and interactive touch systems that enhance the visitor experience. Sustainability and innovation are core pillars of its design, with the goal of creating a sustainable, technologically advanced destination that combines retail activity with entertainment and open public spaces.
Bjarke Ingels
Bearing the signature of the internationally recognized architecture firm Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG), Park Rise is one of the most emblematic residential projects of the Little Athens development program at The Ellinikon. It is intended to function as the central reference point of the new neighborhood and embodies BIG’s philosophy of architecture that serves residents’ everyday lives, balancing aesthetics, functionality, and sustainability.
The project is currently at an advanced stage: the first phase of works, concerning the construction of the structural framework, has been completed up to the seventh floor, with contractor ERETVO—a company with a strong footprint in major projects in the Southern Suburbs of Athens, such as the upgrade of the area in front of Glyfada Town Hall and the creation of an underground parking facility with a budget of €32.3 million. Meanwhile, the tendering process is underway for the second and more demanding construction phase, which includes the final architectural configurations, façades, interior spaces, electromechanical systems, and shared areas that will give Park Rise its final form upon delivery to its residents.
The firm’s founder, Bjarke Ingels, born in 1974 in Denmark, belongs to the new generation of architects redefining contemporary urban design. In 2016, he was included by TIME magazine among the 100 most influential people in the world, while BIG’s work spans the United States and Europe, as well as the Middle East and Asia.