The Stavros Niarchos Foundation is a major international philanthropic organization founded in 1996 that has granted over €1 billion to non-profit organizations in 110 countries. A key initiative was the €566 million Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center in Athens, which houses the National Library of Greece and Greek National Opera. The state-of-the-art 170,000 square meter facility was designed by Renzo Piano and donated to the Greek state in 2016. The Stavros Niarchos Foundation also funded major initiatives addressing the effects of the economic crisis in Greece and programs to empower Greek youth.
2. The Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF)
A leading international philanthropic
organization, founded by Stavros S.
Niarchos in 1996
Grants
•€1.07 billion
•2,591 grants to nonprofit organizations
•110 countries
•Excluding the SNFCC, the Foundation’s
grants are equally divided between Greece
and internationally
Key initiatives
•2006: Stavros Niarchos Foundation
Cultural Center - €566M
•Jan 2012: Addressing the effects of the
crisis in Greece - €100Μ
•Oct 2013: Recharging the Youth - €100Μ
3. Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural
Center
New buildings for
the National
Library of Greece,
Greek National
Opera, and
creation of the
170,000 sq.m.
Stavros Niarchos
Park
Located 4.5
km south of
Athens, in the
Municipality
of Kallithea
Construction and
outfitting of the
facilities fully
funded by the
SNF and donated
to the Greek
state in 2016
Renzo Piano
Building
Workshop
(RPBW)
designing this
state-of-the-
art facility
Joint Venture
Impregilo-
Terna
commenced
construction
in October
2012
5. Public Private Partnership
• Funding of studies,
construction and equipment
• Creation of SNFCC SA
• Facility management
• Stavros Niarchos Park
• Events
• Grants to NLG and GNO
• Land
• Funding of NLG and GNO
• Ownership of SNFCC SA
organization and the facilities
9. National Opera of Greece
State-of-the-art premises of 28,000 m2
, a main 1,400-seat
auditorium, an experimental stage, a dance school, rehearsal
rooms, production workshops, etc…
... the GNO will be able to host complex opera and ballet
productions, concerts and plays, as well as to expand its programs
for the general public.
10. National Library of Greece
Contemporary, vibrant and accessible to all the renewed NLG
located in a 23,000 m2
building promotes research, innovation
and communication, offers new learning experiences and public
services and hosts numerous cultural activities.
The NLG has two major departments:
the National Research Library, and the National Public Library.
11. Stavros Niarchos Park
One of Athens’s largest green spaces and a central part of the SNFCC’s
overall design. It covers approximately 85% of the site’s total area, and
serves as a “green landmark.”
A Mediterranean landscape with trees, numerous plants, alleyways and
paths, water fountains, pavilions and playgrounds, the Park will provide
opportunities for leisure, recreation, and new experiences.
Gently rising pathways lead upwards to a 32m high summit.
Underneath this “green roof” are the buildings of the National Library of
Greece and the Greek National Opera.
19. Target: 2011 – 2015
Significant increase in
the number of library
visitors / patrons
National
Library
@SNFCC
20. Small Public LibrarySmall Public Library Non-profit organisationNon-profit organisation Network of 144 Public LibrariesNetwork of 144 Public Libraries
The National LibraryThe National Library
ATLA 2010ATLA 2010
INELI: 2011 – 2013 &
2013 -2015
INELI: 2011 – 2013 &
2013 -2015
FUTURE LIBRARY
PROGRAM 2011 - 2015
FUTURE LIBRARY
PROGRAM 2011 - 2015
MAGIC BOXES &
CREATIVITY CAMPAIGNS
MAGIC BOXES &
CREATIVITY CAMPAIGNS
21. In 2011: first step a feasibility study
focus groups in 12 cities
22. Based on the Magic Boxes conceptBased on the Magic Boxes concept
We renovated 8 children
libraries & trained staff
We renovated 8 children
libraries & trained staff
23. Network of children
services
Network of children
services
Impact on 4 cities
Total population: 611,751
Impact on 4 cities
Total population: 611,751
25. 9 cities: Drama, Kozani,
Trikala, Levadia,
Nafpaktos, Korinthos,
Keratsini, Ilioupoli,
Chania
9 cities: Drama, Kozani,
Trikala, Levadia,
Nafpaktos, Korinthos,
Keratsini, Ilioupoli,
Chania
We renovated 9
study spaces &
trained staff
We renovated 9
study spaces &
trained staff
MEDIA Labs projectMEDIA Labs project
28. Veria Achievements
1. Medusa Digital Repository
2. Europeana Support Group and Tools
3. The Hellenic Aggregator for
Europeana
4. E-learning platform and training on
digital libraries and Europeana
29. 1. Medusa Digital Repository
• Created http://medusa.libver.gr/, a modern digital
library hosting local content from Veria.
• Digitised 1600 high quality items (Books, Pictures,
Photographs, Newspapers, Maps, Manuscripts, etc).
• Connected with Europeana.
• Medusa continues to grow, currently hosting 35+
collections from:
– Veria Public Library, Various local cultural groups,
Monastery of St. John the Baptist (Cloister) Veria, even
Sismanoglio Megaro of the Cons. Gen. of Greece in
Istanbul.
30. 2. Europeana Support Group and Tools
• A team of experts supported Greek libraries and other
cultural organizations regarding:
– Digital libraries,
– Digitization,
– Metadata selection,
– Protocols, standards and other requirements necessary to
connect with Europeana.
• Developed guidelines and howtos.
• Developed Dspace plugin software for Europeana Semantic
Elements.
• Many Dissemination Activities:
– Big Event: Europeana in Greece: Adding Greek Cultural Content
in Europeana (19/10/2010, Athens).
31. 3. The Hellenic Aggregator for Europeana
• A central communication point between Greek digital
libraries and Europeana.
• 14 digital libraries, ~150.000 records.
• http://aggregator.libver.gr/
• The responsibilities of the Hellenic aggregator are:
1. To guide digital libraries and give information about
technical standards they should follow
2. Collect metadata from digital libraries
3. Validate metadata, suggest solutions to possible problems
4. Encode digital library metadata according to Europeana
Standards
5. Communicate with Europeana and transmit metadata
32. 4. E-learning platform and training on
digital libraries and Europeana
• E-Learning Platform: http://accessit.libver.gr/
• Training on:
– Digital libraries, digitisation processes, collections
curation, metadata, standards, Europeana.
• Main Courses:
– Cooperation with Europeana,
– Digital repositories for small memory institutions.
• 383 users have registered and attended the
courses, countless more have accessed the
material online.
Hinweis der Redaktion
The SNF is a leading international philanthropic organization founded by the late Stavros Niarchos in 1996. The Foundation makes grants to non-profit organizations in the areas of Education, Arts & Culture, Social Welfare, and Health & Medicine.
Since inception, the Foundation has made over 2500 grants totaling over €1B in 110 countries and excluding the SNFCC, these grants are distributed equally between Greece and internationally.
In addition to its regular grant-making activity, the Foundation is directing its efforts towards three key initiatives: the SNFCC which I am presenting to you today, as well as two initiatives announced the last couple of years: €100Μ to address the effects of the crisis in Greece and another €100M to create opportunities for the youth in Greece.
So what is the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center?
It is a cultural and educational complex which will include new buildings for the NLG and the GNO as well as a 170000 m2 (or 42 acre) park in southern part of Athens, just 4,5 km from here.
It is the largest grant of the Foundation to date with a budget of €566Μ which will cover the construction and outfitting of the facilities. Upon completion, the SNFCC will be donated to the Greek state who will have full ownership and responsibility for the management of the center.
Not just a new building for the Greek National Opera. With a state-of-the-art main auditorium of 1400 seats, an experimental stage with 400 seats, and a dance school, the new home of the Greek National Opera will enable world-class productions and international collaborations, and will provide the general public with greater access to all forms of the performing arts.
I mentioned in my introduction that the SNFCC is an example of a large scale public-private partnership in Greece. It is actually one of the largest all time PPPs in the Cultural and Educational sector in Europe.
So how does the partnership work in this case?
The SNF is funding all the studies, the construction, and equipment of the SNFCC and is creating the umbrella organization that will be responsible for the facility management of the center, the SN park, and programming and events in all public spaces.
Furthermore, and over and above its legal obligations, the SNF has chosen to support the NLG and the GNO, with grants that will enable the two organizations to build their audiences and prepare for the programs and services they aim to offer at the SNFCC.
The State owns the land on which the SNFCC is being built, has the responsibility to fund the NLG and the GNO, and once the cultural center is donated to the state, it will have full ownership of the facilities and SNFCC SA with all the previously mentioned responsibilities.
This partnership combines the capital investment, flexibility, and expertise of the private party, the SNF, with the long-term social impact and support that can be achieved by state ownership.
The collaboration of the SNF with the State was set in motion with the Law that governs the SNFCC and continues on a regular basis with monthly Government Committee meetings with representatives of all involved stakeholders. Mrs. Mendoni (on the panel) is also a member of this committee.
For the SNFCC to succeed, there are four components we need to get right:
Inviting, functional facilities. We believe Renzo Piano and a large number of specialized consultants have secured that.
Interesting, creative, dense, diverse programming by all organizations: the GNO, the NLG, and the SNFCC SA (which will be responsible for programs and events in the Park but also in the GNO’s and NLG’s spaces when they are not being used for their own programming). We need to give visitors reasons to come not just once, to see RP’s architectural wonder, but to become patrons.
A high quality visitor experience. All aspects of it. The website, ticketing, access, parking, eating, cleanliness, changing rooms for babies, everything. Staff needs to be carefully selected and well-trained, vendors and partners need to offer high quality services, facilities need to be planned appropriately, and processes to address every visitor’s needs should be put in place.
We could have world-class programming and a top-notch visitor experience bringing in hundreds of thousands of visitors each year and still fail. Nailing the operating model is key to sustainability. We are creating a “light” organization and a sustainable infrastructure, and have defined revenue streams that will significantly contribute to the expenses of the center.
The Foundation is not only building and donating a complex. It is building a project which includes:
The facilities,
a blueprint for the SNFCC’s successful sustainable operation developed with experts from around the world, and
an organization equipped with the expertise and tools to deliver on this blueprint.
More specifically, every element of the SNFCC’s infrastructure has been designed to maximize environmental and economic sustainability.
The Stavros Niarchos Park as a green roof covering the buildings significantly reduces the heating and cooling demands of the building complex
The Photovoltaic canopy produces clean energy and contributes to the goal of minimizing energy cost
Indigenous, drought resistance trees and plants, have minimum irrigation demands and improve the microclimate of the area.
The Canal is filled with sea water which provides anti-flooding protection for the area
Grey water is used for the building needs (WC flushing)
The Park irrigation system uses on-site borehole water supplemented when necessary with desalinated sea water (especially in summer months). There is no use of the public network drinkable water.
No matter how beautiful we build it and how carefully we plan it, to succeed, we need to win the minds and hearts of the visitors. And that process has already been set in motion.
We are inviting the public and schools to our Visitor Center, located next to the construction site, where they can see how the works are progressing and explore what the SNFCC will have to offer in the future through a permanent exhibition as well as activities for children and adults. You will have the opportunity to visit the Visitor Center tomorrow.
We are also reaching out to the communities with the “Journey to the SNFCC”, a program aiming to build awareness around the project and prepare the public for the programs and services it will offer. Events in the context of the Journey include performances of the GNO’s production of Don Giovanni in Municipal Halls, readings by actors and musicians of excerpts from favorite books in local libraries, workshops for young people on digital film making, and activities in parks.