The Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center has been awarded the European Solar Prize 2017 in the Solar Architecture and Urban Planning category. The SNFCC was selected for being a 'strong symbol for ecological sustainability and the potential of renewable energy, integrated in a building of cultural life, setting new standards in architectural requirements'.
The awards ceremony will be held in Vienna, Austria. Mr. Theodore Maravelias, Director of the Technical Department of the SNF, will accept the award on behalf of the Foundation. The SNFCC is the SNF’s largest single gift, in Athens, Greece. The project’s total cost exceeded $860 million. The SNFCC was designed by the renowned architectural firm Renzo Piano Building Workshop, and includes the new facilities of the National Library of Greece and the Greek National Opera, as well as the Stavros Niarchos Park. The Foundation delivered the SNFCC to the Greek Society on February 23rd, 2017.
Following the handover, the SNF announced its commitment to continue supporting the SNFCC for five years, through grants of $53 million that support the implementation of public programming and help cover a portion of SNFCC’s operational costs. All events funded with the SNF’s support are free to the public.
The European Solar Prize promotes the successful implementation of renewable energies, honoring municipalities, architects, communal and private companies, organizations and citizens who actively support the energy transition. Winners of the prize are selected by a jury of EUROSOLAR representatives, as well as jurors from outside organizations. The awards are administered by EUROSOLAR, an independent nonprofit organization, dedicated to completely substituting nuclear and fossil energy for renewable energy.
For more information about the European Solar Prize, click here.
