Watch Renzo Piano's construction cranes "dance" in Athens

2014-06-27T13:02:00-04:00

While Renzo Piano's Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center in Athens (SNFCC) is still under construction, it didn't keep the first performance from being staged last Wednesday on the site. Based on Renzo Piano's own idea, the Greek National Orchestra scored a 15-minute "dance" performance of ten giant cranes on the construction site, conducted by Artistic Director of the Greek National Opera, Myron Michailidis.

The cranes' dance was choreographed by Renato Zanella, to music from Gustav Holst's The Planets -- all with the Pantheon in the background.

The SNFCC is scheduled to open in 2016, and will include the new home for the Greek National Opera, the National Library of Greece, and a 42-acre public park.

You can watch the entire performance below (begins at 10:00):

Renzo Piano Unveils Green-Roofed Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center for Athens

2011-07-06T14:52:00-04:00

Renzo Piano recently unveiled plans for a new waterfront cultural center and urban park in Athens that includes a massive opera house and a library that is directly connected to the park by a sloping green roof. The Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center will also incorporate several sustainable technologies with the hope of attaining LEED Platinum certification.

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Watch Renzo Piano's construction cranes "dance" in Athens

Renzo Piano Unveils Green-Roofed Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center for Athens