The Stavros Niarchos Foundation official member of the U.S. Green Building Council

The Stavros Niarchos Foundation is pleased to announce that it is an official member of the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), a non-profit community of leaders working to make green buildings available to everyone within a generation.

The organization certifies sustainable businesses, homes, hospitals, schools, and neighborhoods, and is dedicated to expanding green building practices and education through its LEED® (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Green Building Rating System™.

LEED addresses all building types and emphasizes state-of-the-art strategies in five areas: sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials and resources selection, and indoor environmental quality.

The Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center (SNFCC) has been registered to receive a LEED certification. The Stavros Niarchos Foundation is providing funding for the planning, construction and outfitting of three major national projects located at the Athens Faliron Delta in an area covering approximately 200,000 square meters: the National Library of Greece, the Greek National Opera, and the Educational & Cultural Park. The SNFCC will be created for the use of the general public and will reflect state-of-the art international standards for design, function, and accessibility, particularly with respect to people with special needs.

In coordination with the Renzo Piano Building Workshop, the SNFCC project is addressing each of the requirements needed to attain LEED certification. By establishing environmental awareness as a goal, the building process is expected to yield important benefits, including:

Lower operating costs;
Reduced landfills waste;
Energy and water conservation (energy roof, PV’s, etc);
A healthier and safer environment for occupants (indoor air quality, natural lighting and ventilation, favorable microclimate);
Reduction of harmful greenhouse gas emissions (with zero CO2 emissions as the goal).
The SNFCC´s pursuit of the LEED certification is a tangible demonstration of the Foundation´s commitment to environmental stewardship and social responsibility.

The SNFCC, will include of course, funding for the planning, construction and outfitting of three major national projects located at the Athens Faliron Delta: The National Library of Greece (NLG), the Greek National Opera (GNO) and the Educational & Cultural Park Stavros Niarchos Foundation, in an area covering approximately 200,000 square meters. The project will be created for the use of the general public by adopting state-of-the art international standards for design,function, and accessibility, particularly with respect to people with special needs.