The building is located at the foot of the rock on which the Acropolis is located. Due to the peculiarities of the site, it is oriented along the east-west axis, but occupying its entire upper, third floor, the Parthenon Gallery is sharply deployed in relation to the main volume of the building and faces north. This not only made it possible to partially solve the problem of overheating in hot climates, but also visually connected the hall with the sculptures that once adorned the facades of the great temple, with the Parthenon itself, located less than 300 meters from the museum. The dynamic effect of this solution fills the building with energy; in this one can see a certain symbolic meaning: it seems to turn to the Acropolis, to the past, which corresponds to the political message put by the Greek government into the new building: let's turn back the clock and bring the monument back to its original state (or at least bring all its parts together now stored in London, Paris, Palermo, Rome).
Such rhetoric could have influenced the architectural project: even after the victory of Chumi's version in the competition in 2001, there were many supporters of the neoclassical design of the museum building in Greece. However, the very discreet volume of glass, concrete and marble provides a much more discreet backdrop for a collection of sculpture from the Archaic period to Roman times than some kind of "historicizing" structure.
Due to the fact that the remains of a city quarter of ancient times were found under the building, it was decided to raise it above the ground on 100 concrete supports with "hinges", which should mitigate vibration in case of a possible earthquake; at first glance, they are arranged randomly, but in reality - so as not to damage the archaeological finds. The foundations of the ancient houses can be seen through the openings and glazed areas in the floor of the museum's ground floor, where the lobby and halls of temporary exhibitions are located. From there, the visitor goes up to the second floor, where all the exhibits are exhibited, except for the Parthenon sculptures, and there is also an open terrace with a cafe. The third floor with the "Parthenon Gallery" is a rectangular glazed space, in the center of which there is a concrete volume, repeating the size of the cella of the temple. The famous frieze with the Panathenaic procession has been recreated on it from original parts and casts.
The serious atmosphere of the "temple of art" in the museum will continue despite the expected huge number of visitors: the noise will be absorbed by the numerous circular holes made in the concrete walls. In addition to the absence of any decor, the number of signs and labels has been reduced to the required minimum: nothing should distract from the exhibits. A well-thought-out route will facilitate the inspection of the collection: from the archaeological excavations under the building to the archaic sculpture on the second floor, then to the Parthenon Gallery on the third, and then down to the works of the Hellenistic and Roman periods.
