AENAON: What the new Metropolitan Park at Faliro Bay will look like

With the [signing of the contract] bringing a definitive end to a decades-long pending matter, the major redevelopment of Faliro Bay is now moving into practice. The [“AENAON” Metropolitan Park], a mammoth 741-acre project with a budget of €370 million, is preparing to welcome the first bulldozers in November, radically changing Athens’ relationship with its waterfront.

But what will the new park actually look like, and what will it offer its visitors?

What the new “AENAON” park will look like

“AENAON” has been designed to become a large, open green park, reconnecting the urban fabric of Kallithea, Moschato, Tavros and Faliro with the sea. According to estimates by the Attica Region, the site will be able to accommodate approximately 3.8 million visitors a year.

The heart of the park is its greenery, with 75% of the total area covered by plantings across 343 acres next to the sea. The design provides for the planting of more than 4,000 trees and over 210,000 plants. The aim is to create an authentic Mediterranean landscape with species adapted to local conditions, which will provide natural shade and improve the area’s microclimatic conditions. At the same time, a wetland and new islands will be developed in the section towards the water, allowing the aquatic element to become an organic part of the landscape.

Beyond the natural environment, the park is being shaped as a vibrant space for sports, culture and recreation. The project includes an extensive network of cycle paths, walking and running routes, sports courts, outdoor exercise areas, playgrounds with themed activities, as well as spaces for cultural events. Particular care has been taken to ensure full accessibility for people with disabilities and older people throughout the site.

The built infrastructure remains low-key, covering 5,700 sq m for limited commercial uses and refreshment areas, while visitors will be served by three parking facilities with a total capacity of 850 spaces.

See in the video below what the park will look like:

The work schedule: From November to 2029

Following the completion of the pre-contractual review by the Court of Audit, the 30-month schedule provides for the contractor consortium (TERNA – METKA – ILIΟCHORA – ELEMKA) to set up the construction site at Faliro Bay in November. The implementation studies are expected to be completed by mid-December, so that full-scale development of the main construction works can begin in early 2027, with the project scheduled to be delivered to the public in spring 2029.

What was said at the contract signing ceremony for “AENAON”

Kyriakos Mitsotakis: “The end of a decades-long pending matter”

Kyriakos Mitsotakis focused on the project’s long and difficult journey, stressing that with this intervention, “the end of a decades-long pending matter has come.” The prime minister emphasized that obstacles that had held back the redevelopment for years had to be overcome in order to create “one of the most beautiful and sustainable seaside parks in the Mediterranean.”

A central point of his remarks was Athens’ relationship with the sea, noting that for decades the capital had turned its back on its coastline and on one of its most important natural advantages. At the same time, he underlined that these projects are not merely development interventions, but also represent profound social choices, providing a fully accessible green space for people of all ages and people with disabilities. In closing, he stressed that not a single euro had been lost from the €36 billion Recovery Fund and renewed his appointment with citizens in 30 months: “We will meet here again in 30 months to deliver the project to the citizens,” he said characteristically.

Nikos Hardalias: “From 11 studies and 19 permits to the construction site”

Nikos Hardalias described it as a “very important day for Attica” and the vindication of an extremely difficult journey. The governor of Attica noted that this was a project that for more than six decades “seemed destined to remain on paper” and is now definitively moving towards implementation, following the preparation of 11 studies and the securing of 19 permits.

“We had two choices: either to find excuses or to find solutions, because in difficult times there are no excuses, and that is what we did,” he stressed.

He estimated that the project would act as a “green multiplier” for the entire Athens Basin. “Two and a half years from now, the benefits of the park will be translated into higher incomes and a better quality of life for the area’s residents. The dividend from the environmental upgrade will reach every neighborhood of Attica,” he noted.

Nikos Papathanasis: “It is reopening with the new Metropolitan Park”

Deputy Minister of National Economy and Finance Nikos Papathanasis focused on the project’s financing, stressing that the contract for the main project is in the region of €295–299 million, while more than €464 million in total has been allocated from national resources, with 85% of the funding coming from the Cohesion Fund.

He placed particular emphasis on the public nature of the intervention. “From today, Faliro Bay is reopening with the new Metropolitan Park,” he noted, explaining that the name AENAON symbolizes the continuity of life, with the aim of creating a genuine green space, open to everyone “without tickets and exclusions.” “Athens is finding its sea again, becoming greener and more human,” he concluded.

Evangelos Mytilineos: “A crucial link in the Athens Riviera”

Evangelos Mytilineos, Executive Chairman of Metlen, referred to the different perception now emerging around infrastructure, pointing out that its value cannot be assessed solely on the basis of construction cost and time.

“Public space and the natural environment are critical components of a development policy,” he said, adding that the project directly affects the quality of life of hundreds of thousands of people. “I am sure that we will deliver a jewel of a project for Attica,” he concluded.

Giorgos Peristeris: “The goal is a jewel for Attica”

Giorgos Peristeris, chairman and CEO of GEK TERNA, expressed the construction consortium’s commitment to implementing the project. As he noted, drawing on the companies’ experience and the good cooperation within the contractor consortium, they will seek “the best possible result,” so that a project that will become a “jewel” can be delivered to the residents of Attica.

* Main photo: Project model: Aenaon – Faleron Metropolitan Park • Architects: Blp Architects, Divercity Architects, Mplusm • Project Coordinator & Lead Consultant: Thymio Papayannis and Associates – TPA • Landscape Architect: H. Pangalou and Associates • Original Studies funded by Stavros Niarchos Foundation • Based on a Concept Design by Renzo Piano Building Workshop