The Ellinikon

An icon of urban regeneration

From Vision to Reality

Welcome to a place where visions rise from the ground and ideas take shape. Step behind the scenes of an extraordinary construction journey, guided by the voices of architects, planners, and the people who bring it to life. Discover how every detail builds toward a shared vision of the future.

With a total surface of 6 million square meters, The Ellinikon is the largest urban regeneration project in Europe. The development encompasses a variety of uses – from residential to commercial, and from cultural to recreational – creating a dynamic urban environment.

Andreas Kapsalis

Chief Construction Officer at The Ellinikon

Lamda Development

WATCH the story and let it Inspire you

When people think of buildings in Athens, they think about the icons of the past, such as the Acropolis or the Ancient Agora. More recently, for some, the striking 1960s concrete terminal building of Ellinikon International Airport, designed by Eero Saarinen, comes to mind. Now, on the site of this old airport, a new Building Icon is taking off. The Ellinikon is built to last, with Holcim’s circular, resilient, low-carbon, energy-efficient and smart building solutions inside. And it's creating a buzz, as a lighthouse for sustainable construction.

With the Ellinikon in general, we try to establish a new standard for urban development that promotes a greener, smarter and more sustainable way of living.

Loukia Iliopoulou

Architect Partner 

Design Group Foster + Partners

The green heart of the Ellinikon

At the heart of The Ellinikon is The Ellinikon Park, which at 2 million square meters will be one of the largest city parks in the world. With over 3 million native plants and 31,000 trees, it will double the green space available for each Athens resident, greatly improving their quality of life.

the highest residential skyscraper

At the center of The Ellinikon is The Riviera Tower. Once completed, it will be the highest residential skyscraper in the Mediterranean. Designed by Foster + Partners, the tower is divided into two halves unified by multiple platforms containing swimming pools. Alongside ECOPact and ECOPlanet, 7,000 cubic meters of DYNAMax has been used so far in the structural core and reinforced beams of one of the ‘set piece’ buildings of The Ellinikon, The Riviera Tower.

For the Riviera Tower raft foundation, we achieved the largest ‘one-shot’ concrete pour in the history of Greece. Using 120 concrete trucks and 15 pumps, over 300 people from Holcim and our partners worked on this 40-hour non-stop pour. This major logistical challenge required extremely precise coordination.

Vassilis Iakovou

Head of Concrete Line 

Holcim Greece

Connecting The park to the coastal front

To connect the park to the coastal front, one of Europe’s most advanced tunnels is being built. The 1.3 kilometer long Poseidonos Avenue Underpass will greatly relieve traffic congestion in Athens and make seaside access easier for people on foot. AVAX Group is the main contractor for the underpass, and Executive Director Antonis Mitzalis explains why the company selected Holcim’s ECOPact concrete to build it.

world’s first EPD-certified ready mix plant

To ensure a reliable, high-quality supply of concrete for our customers in large volumes, and to meet their evolving needs, Holcim has built the world’s first EPD-certified ready mix plant on the site of The Ellinikon. EPDs, or Environmental Product Declarations, independently verify the environmental impact of our products – from carbon emissions to energy and waste.

Holcim ECOPact trucks with water in background

This plant at The Ellinikon is complemented by four others in the region, and the first zero-emission electric mixer trucks in Greece serve the construction, as Holcim Greece transitions to using only 100% electric trucks.

See our Solutions USED

ECOPact low-carbon concrete delivers 100% performance offering at least 30% lower CO₂ emissions compared to standard (CEM I) concrete, without offsets.

More about ECOPact

The world needs to build, and ECOPlanet low-carbon cement is meeting this demand as the backbone of sustainable construction in 34 markets worldwide.

More about ECOPlanet

Characterized by high strength, outstanding durability and superior rigidity, DYNAMax reduces buildings’ carbon footprint by lowering material demand.