Futuristic New Museum of Archaeology Athens

For a city with such a wealth of antiquities, a new archaeological museum is causing ripples, reminding us that dynamic Athens is always on the move, shifting and shaping around its ancient history.

Yet to be built, the Archaeological Museum of Athens will be set within Plato’s Academy Park, named after the philosopher Plato who founded his famous philosophy school here in 388 BCE. Hallowed ground, the open-air archaeological site has the remnants of ancient buildings and now, a futuristic museum will be wrapped around Plato’s first university.

Athenian architects Tsolakis Architects impressed the team of judges in the Open Architectural Ideas Competition on this potentially complex project, winning first prize with their designs that merged ancient ruins with the burgeoning city and encroaching urban area that surrounds the park. The winning Tsolakis entry was a clever fusion, where the museum is half submerged into the park, with jutting out extremities that rise up in a new form from the earth, and at the same time create walkways, recreation areas and sports zones that visitors can freely walk around and interact with. 

Eye-catching, modern, juxtaposing and innovative, the new Archaeological Museum of Athens represents an Athens of today – and of the future. Bioclimate architecture shows a duty of sustainable care leaving no environmental footprint and the area is also fully accessible for wheelchair users. Its half-submerged form is also a nod to the museum’s exhibits that will be on show, displaying some 300,000 archaeological pieces that have been excavated from below the ground of Athens during various projects like the Athens metro, showcasing the historical layers that are buried under this dynamic city.

Although a new look for Athens, Tsolakis Architects are known for their landscape experimentation, always mindful of the needs of modern society. Integrated architecture could be a way to describe their hotel designs for a stone wellness resort on Mykonos, a subterranean private residence in Antiparos and a sleek undercut villa in Zakynthos. The upcoming Archaeological Museum of Athens is set to be another showstopping showcase of their skills.