The first deliverable Hellinikon regeneration project is in the final phase
Construction cranes spring up one after the other at the individual construction sites operating at the former Hellinikon airport on a tour of some of the construction sites and sites where work on Europe’s largest urban redevelopment is in full swing. At the same time, based on the original schedule, as reported by LAMDA Development, some projects have now made visible progress, while the first deliverable project is in its final phase.
The model building for the disabled is delivered – In the final construction phase
This is the building for the disabled that will be handed over at the end of this summer to the 4 clubs (Amymoni, Ermis, NIKI-Victor Artant and ΣAmSKP). Four unions housed in old and outdated US base facilities in 1970s buildings – who on a daily basis give a titanic and emotional fight to ensure quality of life and equal opportunities for young and old who face disability issues – are now moving to the most modern in its kind, a model building in Europe, with a total area of ​​11,500 sq.m.
The total budget of the project, which started from the ground up, is in its final stage and amounts to 15 million euros and as announced was covered exclusively by LAMDA Development as it is part of the social contribution and strategic corporate social responsibility. At the same time, as pointed out by the company itself, the entire development of Hellinikon was studied, planned and created with special provisions for the disabled.
Poseidon undergrounding – Concreting of 25% of the total
One of the next construction sites, where one sees the yellow construction cranes and a large number of workers and trucks, is where the undergrounding of Poseidon is progressing, with a length of 1.5 km, of which more than 1 km (1,150 m) will be the underground section with 3 traffic lanes in each direction. According to data, excavation has already progressed to 50% of the total volume, with maximum reuse of excavation products in other areas of the project, such as the Park. Concreting has also been done on 25% of the total, a process that is progressing at a very fast pace.
The tunnel will be delivered in December 2024 and it is estimated that it will contribute decisively to traffic congestion relief. In the place of the current Posidonos Avenue, a light traffic road will be made.
Riviera Tower – the first “green” waterfront residential tower
In the offices of the Riviera Tower construction site, engineers are over computer screens and keyboards, controlling every parameter of the construction of Greece’s first “green” seaside residential skyscraper, 200 meters high, for the creation of which 30% was deposited more supporting documents compared to a standard permit for a simple building. A total of 1,900 designs were needed before final approval.
The foundation system followed according to the company’s information is innovative and provides for the placement of 300 piles with a diameter of 1-1.5m and a depth of 35-50m. The foundation in the floor plan section of the Tower – will take place within the second quarter of 2023, while in a few months – within the year – the first floors of the Tower will be visible to all those passing by Poseidonos Avenue. According to data from Lamda Development, contracts have already been signed for 75% of all apartments.
Coastal front
Crossing the coastal front, one can see the coast that will be transformed into a new 1.5 km long sandy beach with easy access from both Posidonos Avenue and Vouliagmenis Avenue. At the same time, the marina of Agios Kosmas is planned to be upgraded with the possibility of mooring 310 boats.
On the coastal front, the creation, in the first five-year phase, of the Riviera Galleria project, the first organized high-end retail and gastronomic destination in Greece, also stands out. As has been announced, it will have a total area of ​​23,000 sq.m. with 19,000 sq.m. of leasable spaces, which extend over two floors. Leasing agreements, according to LAMDA data, have exceeded 20% of the leasable area, with the percentage estimated to exceed 50% by the end of the year. Among other things, two hotels are being created in the area in a joint venture with TEMES (one will be located in the Agios Kosmas marina and the other next to the cape).
Over 1.5 million visitors to the Experience Park
On the APE-MPE tour, in some of the areas and construction sites of Hellinikon, we also crossed the Experience Park, meeting a lot of people of all ages. It is the first part of the Hellinikon Park with a total area of ​​2 million square meters which will cover one third of the total development of Hellinikon, it was opened to the public on Christmas 2021 and to date has been visited by more than 1,500,000 citizens. The Experience Center is also hosted here, one of the largest and most technologically advanced visitor centers in the world, which includes an interactive exhibition that presents the innovations of Hellinikon’s work.
Saarinen Building – Waiting for new visitors
The last stop of the tour is the historic Saarinen building of the former Athens International Airport. It is one of the last works of the leading Finnish architect of the time, Eero Saarinen. The building is classified as a newer monument and will function within the redevelopment as an exhibition space. As reported by Lamda, through the great project of reconstruction, the main building of Hellinikon East Airport is waiting to come back to life and become an exhibition center.
“Green” practices and circular economy
A key priority throughout the project, from its initial design to its completion in each phase, as LAMDA CEO Odysseas Athanasiou emphasizes at every opportunity, is the construction of the project with “green” practices based on the principles of circular economy. In this context, among other things, the work on the concrete units is being completed and by the summer 2 state-of-the-art ready-mixed concrete units will be operating (in collaboration with the TITAN and Lafarge Iraklis companies). It will serve the needs of the project, achieving at the same time the least possible inconvenience to the citizens since the traffic on the coastal and other central boulevards is not burdened by the special heavy concrete transport vehicles.
At the same time, the Hellinikon wastewater treatment plant has the capacity to clean 10,000 cubic meters of urban water per day. This water will cover the irrigation needs of the Park, other uses in the remaining projects as well as the needs of the neighboring municipalities.
Soil and groundwater decontamination-remediation project
In the ongoing project at the site of the former International Airport, as reported by LAMDA, more than 6,500 tons of contaminated soil has been treated and cleaned in a dedicated area within the site, while 5.5 km of fuel pipeline has been removed from a depth of 2-3 meters that ran along the runways to refuel the aircraft. The water table, which was contaminated by the leaks of this old pipeline, is being cleaned. In collaboration with the consortium Antipollution and Intergeo, the entire amount of soil and groundwater is reused (e.g. for the needs of the construction projects in Elliniko) further reducing the environmental footprint of the project. This process started in 2022 and will be completed in 2023.
The difficulties of the project – The vision
As Odysseas Athanasiou has mentioned at the official opening in the presence of the prime minister, Elliniko is a shared vision much bigger than square meters and everything else. This vision, with the support of the main shareholder, does not only concern the highlighting of the possibilities at the level of project execution by the implementation of leading international architectural designs, but primarily the highlighting of the value system in the project implementation process.
Mr. Athanasiou did not fail to mention the difficulties of the project, pointing out that there were and will be many in an ever-changing international environment, expressing his optimism and the company’s commitment that they will be overcome, thus creating the best urban regeneration in Europe .
The ambition of the Elliniko project, a project that unites, as stated by Dr. Spyros Latsis, at the official opening, is to address all Greeks upon its completion. Everyone benefits and seamlessly.
Source: Skai
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