Greek property prices showed surprising resilience in 2020, rising 4.2% from a year earlier, according to the latest data by the Bank of Greece.
But the coronavirus pandemic has weighed on real estate transactions overall with last year’s price increase below the 7.2% rate recorded in 2019.
The engine of a giant ship broke down and no one could fix it, so they hired a mechanical engineer with over 40 years of experience.Hellenikon, Attica, 1959-63
Architect
Eero Saarinen (1910-1961)
The main building of the Athens Airport (referred to as the East Terminal) was one of the last works by the world renowned Finnish-born American architect Eero Saarinen whose headquarters were in Birmingham, Michigan. He had already gained international recognition for the original and elegant expressionism of the TWA passenger terminal in New York and the Dulles International Airport near Washington DC.
The object of his design, as he himself pointed out, was to combine the best functional solution and to create a building that would be representative of 20th century technology and express the Greek spirit as well.
Saarinen was so successful in achieving this goal that his building transcended its utilitarian-technological nature and functioned symbolically as the gateway to Athens and to modern Greece.
The building was laid out as follows:
The large projecting upper floors included restaurants and the roof overlooked the runways and the Saronic Gulf and was popular among passengers and visitors alike. On an intervening floor was the VIP lounge, administration offices, etc.
The dynamic and plastic form of the building was particularly elegant. It was built of pre-stressed, bare concrete permitting the creation of large openings and projections. The façade overlooking the airport is divided into five parts, supported on large piers and crowned with two parallel projections. The projections provide shade to the extensive glass surfaces.
Now that the Hellenikon airport has been abandoned (in 2001, after the opening of the new Eleftherios Venizelos airport at Spata), provision has been made for Saarinen’s heritage building to be utilised by acquiring a new, cultural function.
Italian architects Massimo Gnocchi and Paolo Danesi designed Mountain Refuge as a prefabricated cabin-style micro-home built from plywood.
The duo has founded a startup company to find a partner to make their prefabricated concept a reality
Gnocchi and Danesi designed Mountain Refuge as a contemporary twist on typical cabin typology that would help the occupants find a “connection with nature”.
Mountain Refuge is modular, so the design could stand alone as one 24-metre-square space, or include an optional second module to add 12 square metres of floor space.
The cabin has space for a kitchenette with a sink and stove, and could also feature a small but comfortable bathroom with a shower tucked away in one corner.
A deck could run around the external perimeter of the cabin to give its occupants a place to enjoy the weather.
Gnocchi and Danesi designed Mountain Refuge to not require foundations, but if the site required, a thin concrete slab could be used for some locations.
source: dezeen
Greece’s architectural council has approved plans for a 75,000 square meter public park on the grounds of the old Athens airport at Hellenikon, marking a first step in the implementation of the project along the coastline south of the Greek capital. Separately, Greece’s privatization agency formally completed the concession process for the development of the nearby Alimos Marina, another key project in the redevelopment of the Athens Riviera.
Greece has been ranked as having one of the top five tourism brands in the world this year, according to the 2020 Anholt Ipsos Nation Brands Index. This is the first time Greece has been ranked in the Top 5 since 2018 and joins fellow European markets Italy, France, the UK and Spain.
The Greek government is offering tax incentives to so-called digital nomads – foreign profession- als who work remotely – if they relocate to Greece. Starting Jan. 1, 2021, the government will grant a tax exemption on 50% of their income for a period of 7 years. Greece hopes to draw foreign professionals attracted by the country’s favorable climate, low property prices and its responsible management of the corona- virus pandemic.
Μεγάλο έργο, είναι εκείνο που δεν γίνεται με συμβιβασμούς, ούτε με τακτικές εκτός της ‘ζώνης άνεσης’. Θα γίνει μεγάλο, όχι εξαιτίας της υπερβολικής προσοχής ή της τεχνικής αλλά για ένα και μόνο ένα λόγο.
Επειδή κυνηγάει την τελειότητα και όσο αυτή απομακρύνεται τόσο το κυνήγι γίνεται αδιάκοπο, σχεδόν αμείλικτο.
Τα μεγάλα έργα, δεν υπακούν σε κανόνες αλλά τους δημιουργούν, αφήνοντας ανεξίτηλο το αποτύπωμά τους στο χρόνο.
Ένα μεγάλο έργο σε κάνει απλά να ηρεμείς.
Παναγιώτης Γούτος
A great project is one that is not made with compromises, nor with tactic outside the ‘comfort zone’. It will become big, not because of too much attention or technique but for one and only one reason. Because it pursues perfection and the further it goes, the hunt becomes uninterrupted, almost relentless. Great works do not obey rules but create them. Leaving their indelible imprint on time.
A great project just makes you calm.
Panagiotis Goutos
Greek travel and tourism receipts jumped 12.8% last year to a record €18.15 billion, according to the latest Bank of Greece data. The figures also show a 4.1% increase in tourist arrivals last year, driven mainly by rising numbers of visitors from fellow European Union member countries.
Prices for Greek residential properties rose 7.2% in 2019 – compared with a 1.8% increase in 2018 – confirming that the price recovery in Greek real estate is accelerating. According to data by the Bank of Greece, prices for residential property rose 7.5% in the fourth quarter last year
Real Estate FDI
Individual foreign investment in Greek real estate has increased sharply, more than tripling in the past three years. According to the latest annual report by the Greek Central Bank, net Foreign Direct Investment in Greek property rose to €1.45 billion in 2019, up from €1.13 billion 2018 and €414.7 million in 2017.
