The new Acropolis Museum

The Museum, designed by the Swiss-born architect Bernard Tschumi in collaboration with Michalis Photiadis & Associate Architects in Athens, opened its doors to the public only a few days ago on June 20th. Located only 300 meters (980 feet) SouthEast of the Parthenon, with an exhibition space of 14,000 square meters and a cost of €130 million, the New Acropolis Museum houses some of the most famous works of classical antiquity.

project credits by Bernard Tschumi Architects

Statistics

Number of Floors: Three main levels and two intermediate levels

Full Site Area: 23,000 square meters (250,000 square feet)

Floor Area: 21,000 square meters (226,000 square feet)

Exhibition Space: 14,000 square meters (150,000 square feet)

Number of Columns in Excavations: 43

Number of Columns in Archaic Gallery: 28

Dimensions of Parthenon Gallery: 39 x 84 meters

Dimensions of the Frieze: 21 x 58 meters

Number of Glass Panels in Parthenon Gallery: 348

Total Area of Glass Panels: 1302 meters2

Materials

Structure: Reinforced concrete and steel

Glass Façade: Purified ‘low iron’ glass with an invisible selective UV coating and printed frit

Inner Core: Precast and cast-in-place concrete with acoustical dampening perforations

Skylights: Frosted glass panels

Railings: Glass panels with steel handrails

Floors: Beige marble for galleries; dark marble for circulation; heat strengthened, laminated safety glass with textured dots to prevent slippage

Displays: Marble pedestals, glass vitrines, and steel niches

Construction Budget: €130 million (approximately $175 million US)

Financing: Construction of the Museum is co-financed by the Hellenic Republic and the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF)