It is a famous mega-complex that includes the facilities of the National Library of Greece, the Greek National Opera, as well as the Stavros Niarchos Park. Its construction started in 2012 while it was completed in 2016. After its construction, the Cultural Center was donated to the Greek state in 2017.
The designer of this €566 million project was the Italian architect Renzo Piano, while it covers an area of 210.000 square meters that correspond to the cultural center and 30.000 square meters that belong to the park. In 2018 the structure was awarded the RIBA International Prize 2018, by the Royal Institute of British Architects.
It serves a public place for the inhabitants of Athens that organizes a number of cultural, educational, sports, environmental and entertainment events and activities. It includes one of the largest open-air green areas of the city that attracts daily hundreds of people.