Ellinikon Health Sciences Campus, Athens, Attica

The UNIC Medical School in Athens transforms the former data center and office complex of Olympic Airways — located at the edge of the Ellinikon park — into a contemporary educational hub.
In less than 20 months, the introverted, engineering-driven structure of the 1980s underwent a complete renewal: the load-bearing frame was preserved and reinforced, while the internal spatial organization, openings, and façade were entirely redesigned.
The new envelope — defined by horizontal perforated shading panels and glazing — enters into architectural dialogue with the adjacent historic international terminal by Eero Saarinen.

Inside, a suspended central staircase serves as a social “spine”, flanked by two auditoriums that define the building’s public core. Around them unfold lobbies, a café, student support spaces, and an outdoor plaza with Mediterranean planting.
The upper floors accommodate flexible teaching rooms and state-of-the-art laboratories, while the top level hosts a library, offices, and a roof terrace with horizontal views toward the sea.
Subterranean laboratories and service areas complete the program of the first private medical school in Greece.

What is the significance of repurposing inactive infrastructures to meet new needs, and what challenges and opportunities arise in the transformation of such buildings?

Speakers:
Stephan Buerger — Director, buerger katsota architects
Giorgos Pantazis — Athens Division Director, Samaras & Associates Consulting Engineers
Thanos Danilof — Director, DANILOF studio light + perception
Konstantinos Aloupogiannis — Project Director, Hill International, Inc.