EDUCATIONAL FACILITIES AND INTERNATIONAL CULTURAL CENTER IN THE HEART OF THE CITY
NEW YORK UNIVERSITY – NYU PREMISES IN ATHENS
Education
In the heart of the city, in a three-story neoclassical building on 34 Tsakalof Street, New York University (NYU) finds its home at last: it is the NYU Global Research Initiative Center in Athens.
CATEGORIES
Education
TIMELINE
2015 - 2016
STATUS
Completed
LOCATION
Athens, Greece
SIZE
652.9 sq.m.
CLIENT
New York University
The existing condition of the building presented a challenge for the designers that was treated with great care and sensitivity. Therefore, the architectural study sought and created a whole new identity in the interiors of the neoclassical building, aiming to bring unity and consistency, brightness and permeability throughout.
Complete renovation
The aim of the project was to highlight the beauty of the building and create attractive spaces of international educational standards, to develop NYU’s vision in Athens, and meet its specific programming and operational needs.
For that reason, the interior spaces have been transformed and completely renovated to accommodate professors and graduate students, who wish to do research on the country’s modern reality as well as its long cultural history.
The design intent was the architectural, functional, and aesthetic upgrade of the building, by creating pleasant and friendly spaces that promote collaboration and social interaction, meet comfort and safety conditions, all the while satisfying the requirements of a large university.
Focusing on an aesthetic language of minimal and dynamic lines, the interiors are characterized by a strong sense of materiality, also reflected in the functional, pleasant, and creative furnishings.
The architecture of the interior spaces is complemented by photographs of the great philhellene photographer Robert McCabe, seeking the recall of historical and cultural memory.
Ultimately, it is the Greek light at the terrace or penetrating each and every room that creates a source of inspiration for the users, promoting knowledge, as well as the exchange of ideas and intellectual goods.