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Architects transformed a disused high-rise (1) into Piraeus Tower (2). Photos © Nikos Daniilidis, click to enlarge.

The building’s recent completion brought closure and relief to a long-standing stalemate to refurbish the pre-existing but derelict tower that had been looming large as a “dormant giant” since 1972. This feat was managed by a long list of stakeholders, including three architecture practices: Pila Studio, led by Ilias Papageorgiou and Christina Papalexandri, focused on the facade and common areas; Betaplan served as lead architect; and ASPA oversaw the retail component. The municipality of Piraeus, as part of economic reforms that allowed for the transfer of public property to private developers for a period of 99 years, relinquished the tower to the developer Dimand to spearhead the effort. Additional funding was provided by Prodea Investments and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. Being one of the first projects using this procedure—and, due to its expenses and prestige—it was inaugurated with great fanfare. It was also closely watched by the Greek political elite, which has been eager to have any success stories after 15 years of austerity under the liberal-economics policies imposed by the European Union and the International Monetary Fund. Piraeus acts as the start of the “Athenian Riviera”; the tower, the second-tallest in Greece, offers a prototype for attracting international capital investment. If successful, it can establish a valuable precedent, especially considering the much larger developments under way nearby, including Ellinikon, the transformation of the former airport, master-planned by the studio of Foster + Partners. In this particular case, the skyscraper typology (the lifestyle it represents, and the design expertise and culture associated with it) raises the stakes even higher.

Where the high-rise now soars, the quaint town hall of the municipality of Piraeus once stood, a 19th-century Neoclassical building topped by a clock tower that marked the busy waterfront. The destruction of the old building, and the construction of a skyscraper in its place, happened under the military dictatorship that governed Greece between 1967 and 1974 and whose leadership, backed by the U.S., looked optimistically to Western standards of modernization. Although the tower was intended to supplant the Neoclassical face of the city, the designs from the 1970s did echo a somewhat classical approach, one that emphasized verticality, rigidity, and rhythm, and a strict black-and-white color scheme. The project was brought to a halt after the installation of exterior cladding in the mid-1980s, with the main shaft of the tower missing mechanical systems, so only the first three floors were ever used in the course of the following decades.

Instead of trying to balance classicism and modernism, the renovated Piraeus Tower bridges the gap between an attempt at modernism and budget-friendly verve to create an easily replicable formula. Modernization, which used to be a state project, is now a commercial one. Traces of Greek architecture or symbolism are avoided, resulting in an aptly corporate aesthetic. The tower is more appropriately characterized by what it conceals, as well as its lighting and sustainable-design features, than what it outwardly expresses. For example, a detail of the facade, difficult to see but significant, is an element, like a shadow box, incorporated behind the glass panes, hiding the stocky edge beams of the existing structure.

The tower is also dressed in a versatile LED system, designed and curated by Thanos Danilof, which transforms it into a 3D billboard during celebratory and promotional events, often complemented by fireworks (such as when the Piraeus soccer team wins a big game). Second to that, the development has been commended for its environmental approach as the first high-rise in Greece to achieve LEED Platinum certification, and for opting to retrofit an existing structure, reusing its embodied carbon instead of demolishing and building. As Papageorgiou explains, one important aspect was the optimization of shade through the precise angle of each of the facade’s louvers, minimizing solar heat gain, while another was the innovative handling of the old facade, with about 126 tons of glazing removed and recycled in Romania. Lastly, the tower benefits from a newly opened adjacent subway station, which reduces the need for parking and ensures easy access to the tower’s common spaces, such as the planted roof of its plinth, now shaded partly by photovoltaic panels.

Programmable LEDs embedded into the skyscraper’s facade accommodate light shows and other spectacles. Photo © Nikos Daniilidis

In the end, and 50 years in the making, the optimistic dream of having a skyscraper in Piraeus is now a reality and a “symbol of confidence,” as Greece’s prime minister recently called it. Pila Studio’s involvement is especially relevant here, as the New York– and Athens-based firm seems to bridge the design and business cultures of both the U.S. and Greece. While the return on investment of an endeavor kickstarted by the municipality has yet to be determined, the tower serves as a point of discussion among Greek architects regarding the role that skyscrapers might come to play in the country. And, despite the fact that skin and bones may complete a project, the typology still faces many hurdles in Greece before cementing its position as a viable and accepted solution.

Click diagram to enlarge