AkzoNobel products perform at the new home of the Greek National Opera

Visitors to a new cultural center in Athens that’s due to house the Greek National Opera will find that high performance coatings from AkzoNobel have taken center stage.

Being designed by renowned architects Renzo Piano Building Workshop, the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center (SNFCC) is due to be completed early next year. Also home to the National Library of Greece and the 17-hectare Stavros Niarchos Park it will be one of the country’s most important public buildings.

"We are honored to be involved in such an iconic project, particularly one that has objectives that mirror our own," said Conrad Keijzer, AkzoNobel’s Executive Committee member responsible for Performance Coatings.

"The SNFCC puts great emphasis on education, culture and sustainability, and these are perfectly in line with the aims of our own Human Cities initiative, which is designed to improve, energise and regenerate urban communities across the world."

The center will be protected by products from a number of AkzoNobel businesses. Interpon powder coatings will be used for the facade and all aluminum and steel profiles, while protective coatings and fire protection from the company’s International range will be used on the structural steel. In addition, the building’s brickwork will feature AkzoNobel’s Vivechrom products.

Executive architects Betaplan S.A. said their choice of AkzoNobel products reflected the high performance needed for such a demanding project – the environment is Class 5 Marine, as it is very close to the sea. They also singled out the company’s high level of customer service.