The new Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center (SNFCC) in Athens is a symbol of education, culture and sustainable development both for the people of Greece and in the wider international context.
This project has been awarded the LEED Platinum certification and is the largest in recent Greek history. The Greek National Opera (NGO) and the National Library of Greece (NLG) are literally implanted in an open park that covers an area of 17 hectares.
The Stavros Niarchos Park, with olive trees and lush Mediterranean vegetation, rises from ground level to the 32-meter rooftops. More than 25,550 m² are fully landscaped with Zinco systems. The buildings are completely lost in the surrounding landscape. Indoors are reliably protected from heating by the sun's rays, as a result of which it is possible to save on the operation of air conditioners that cool the air.
The concept of the world famous architect, Renzo Piano, was to create a "visual and physical connection between the object and the water." The green "bridge" leads from the embankment to the Cultural Center and is duplicated by an artificial canal that strengthens the connection with the sea. The highest point of the project is a roof terrace with a staircase and a thin solar panel towering above it, the so-called “flying carpet” with an area of 10,000 square meters. The column cushioning system, which compensates for thermal expansion, wind load and earthquake risk, is the largest in the world. The capacity of solar panels is 1.5 MW. Visitors to the "Mayak" located under the "flying carpet" can enjoy a wonderful view and 360 ° view.
The Greek National Opera is located under the roof terrace (about 6,950 m²) mentioned above and has two multimedia concert halls - the most modern in terms of sound and stage technology. The lobby connects all 6 floors of the National Opera, and the entrance to the first floor is at the Agora, an open space adjacent to the canal. The entrance to the National Library of Greece is also within this building. The National Library is designed as a transparent space that makes knowledge accessible to everyone. For this reason, the use of computers, Internet access and educational programs is free of charge.
The complex also houses a parking lot with 1,000 spaces (roof area approximately 8,950 m²), also masked by lush vegetation.
The base of the roof was a concrete base with a slope of 5 °. The waterproofing was provided by a bituminous membrane, which is resistant to root invasion. The ZinCo systems were slightly different on different buildings. The roofs of the Opera and the Library are inverted.
For the roof of the Opera, Stabilodrain® SD 30 was used, as it has a high terrace and special requirements are imposed on the roofing “pie” - for example, special resistance to mechanical stress.
The first layer after thermal insulation is a vapor-permeable separating membrane TGV 21, the second consists of Stabilodrain® elements measuring 1 * 2 m, then a clean seamless concrete layer.
For plants - especially a variety of grasses, the Floradrain® system was used on inverted roofs due to its excellent water storage capacity, which is very important for semi-intensive green roofs. Above the Floradrain® elements was 15-18 cm of soil substrate, which was prepared by ZinCo's Greek partner egreen.
Stabilodrain® and Floradrain® provide excellent drainage everywhere, even under walkways in heavy rainfall.
Protectodrain® PD 250 was used on the roof of the parking lot. This solid, heavy-duty drainage element was a great solution when its installation was completed - the roof of the parking lot became available for heavy construction equipment. The depth of the soil for olive planting was 40 cm, another 40 cm was occupied by a layer of Zincolit® Plus. Transporting and leveling such large volumes of substrate was facilitated by the use of wheeled lift trucks.
For the necessary irrigation for all green areas, a drip irrigation system is used. 1,450 new trees and 280,000 shrubs have been planted in the park.
ZinCo also offered the best technical roof safety solution. The base elements Guard Rail Base GB are integrated into the roofing pie without any through holes and do not compromise the tightness of the roof. They are held in place by the weight of the substrate and plants. The fences themselves, personally designed by Renzo Piano, are attached to the base elements. Also these bases can be used for the Fallnet® Rail system. A person can attach their personal safety equipment to them and work safely on the edge of the roof.
Material provided by the company "Tsinko RUS"
