PANHELLENIC ASSOCIATION OF LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTS (PHALA)
Rethinking the Greek Urban Landscape
Rethinking urban landscapes Today landscapes are rapidly transformed according to the societal needs and recent development trends. In Greece, starting from the Olympic Games, the boost of landscape works has declined during the years of economic crisis. Although many of the Olympic projects were abandoned and remained unused till today, the supporting infrastructures or parks have changed the image of the cities. There are some good examples of landscape design projects, which show the way Greek Landscape Architects are thinking of the future urban landscapes. Among the public parks, the most well-known and newly constructed is the Stavros Niarchos Park (210.000 m2). It is one of the most significant cultural and environmental projects ever undertaken in Greece, by the Stavros Niarchos Foundation’s (€596 million donations). The Architectural Design was done by Renzo Piano Building Workshop and the Landscape Design by D. Nevins & Associates/H. Pangalou & Associates.
KATERINA GKOLTSIOU IFLA EUROPE DELEGATE
Stavros Niarchos Park. Athens 2016 © H. Pangalou & Associates The basic concept was to create a sustainable park with its own ecology and the unique biodiversity of a Mediterranean hill. This idea is expanded to the green roofs of the National Library and all plants are indigenous from the Greek islands. Another good example is the linear park along the waterfront of Thessaloniki, which is consisting 8 thematic gardens. The garden of water designed by landscape architects from the Nikiforidis-Cuomo Architectural office emphasises the value of biodiversity in water habitats as well as the importance of Greek nature in the urban waterfront environment.
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