In Piraeus, Greece, about 25 minutes from Athens by car or metro, KYKLOS is a new cultural center currently under development near Neo Faliro metro station. Supported by the Dinos and Lia Martinos Foundation and designed by Renzo Piano Building Workshop, the project will house art collections and present cultural programming with an international outlook.
Conceived as an open and accessible place for art, learning and public life, KYKLOS aims to enrich the urban and cultural fabric of the Athens metropolitan area through thoughtful architecture and close local integration.
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Designed to broaden access to the arts and promote international exchange, KYKLOS will be well connected to public transport and will welcome local residents, students and international visitors. It will host permanent collections from Africa, Oceania and other regions alongside a program of temporary exhibitions, talks, screenings and educational initiatives. These activities will investigate contemporary global art and its evolving narratives through both physical encounters and digital engagement.
The building and its surrounding landscape are arranged to support this vision: creating an environment that invites people to slow down, engage and connect. With a blend of enclosed galleries and open-air spaces, KYKLOS will serve as a civic and cultural meeting point—rooted in the city while open to the world.
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KYKLOS is designed as a shelter for art set within a generous Mediterranean garden. The glazed exhibition galleries face one of the city’s main avenues on the western side and a quiet garden on the eastern side. Layers of architectural elements and planted buffers carefully filter natural light and frame views outward, creating conditions that encourage contemplation while keeping visitors connected to both urban and natural surroundings.
The design balances spatial clarity, environmental performance and civic presence. Nearly two thirds of the site—about 62 percent—will be dedicated to public planted spaces developed with landscape architect Camille Müller, softening the transition between building and city and supporting local biodiversity. The structure emphasizes natural light and energy-efficient materials to reduce its environmental footprint and meet high standards of performance and resilience.
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The interior layout is intentionally flexible so exhibitions, events and learning programs can coexist and adapt over time. Transparency—both visual and functional—shapes the visitor experience, with sightlines and circulation designed to encourage openness and effortless movement throughout the building.
KYKLOS is conceived not as an isolated object in the landscape but as an active participant in a broader cultural and urban context. The architecture and landscape work together to support the Foundation’s long-term cultural goals and to enhance everyday life in the neighborhood. Construction is scheduled for completion in 2028 and is fully funded by private resources.