Archinect - News

The British Museum is under fire after refusing Parthenon Marbles 3D scan

2022-04-04T12:16:00-04:00

The British Museum is facing legal action from one of the UK’s leading heritage preservation organisations over its refusal to allow the 3D scanning of a piece in its Parthenon marbles collection. The Institute for Digital Archaeology (IDA) said it would serve an injunction against the museum imminently, raising the stakes in the dispute between the two.

The 269-year-old institution is said to have refused a request from the Oxford-based Institute for Digital Archaeology (IDA) that would have reproduced a metope from the Acropolis’ south-facing facade for an important proof of concept. The scans are supposed to allow for a robotic replication process that can manipulate the original Pentelic marble material to “sub-millimeter” accuracy, according to the IDA.

Previously on Archinect: The UK is once again declining to change its stance on the Parthenon Marbles following a UNESCO statement

“Our aim is to give people a chance to see just how extraordinary a copy can be,” the Institute’s executive director Roger Michel told the Guardian. “Copies [of the Parthenon sculptures] in the past have been low-quality plaster casts. This will be orders of magnitude better. It will help people see and feel the potential of this technology in ways mere words can’t describe.”

The IDA nevertheless attempted last week to create a 3D scan using an “iPad ...

The Acropolis is closing amidst wildfire concerns

2021-08-05T17:32:00-04:00

Across southern Europe, large wildfires have so far killed eight people and caused mass evacuations while also threatening to damage ancient cultural sites. In Greece, authorities have partially closed the Acropolis and other major archaeological sites while battling with dozens of conflagrations around Athens.

Greece is currently in the midst of its worst heatwave in over thirty years, and the capital region has been squarely in the crosshairs as the heat has combined with encroaching wildfires to create an emergency situation in Athens. The UNESCO World Heritage Site has recently been the center of public debate as planned renovations have prompted a debate of the Acropolis' "correct appearance."

NBA champion Giannis Antetokounmpo may have been one of the last visitors before its closure. The Observer has more on the threats to archaeological sites around the city here.

Planned Acropolis renovation draws opposition from experts

2021-04-28T18:56:00-04:00

Plans for a major renovation project to the western entrance of the Acropolis have been met with strong opposition from archaeologists in Greece and across the world. In an open letter to the public, the signatories, including figures from the universities of Oxford, Durham and Brown, called for the cancellation of a project they believe will lead to the “devaluation, concealment and degradation of the greatest archaeological and artistic treasure that has been bequeathed to modern Greece”.

At the center of the controversy is the argument over the "correct appearance" of the historic Acropolis site in Athens that has experienced multiple additions, restorations, and excavations over the years.

According to The Art Newspaper, the group opposed to the planned renovation believes that the intervention was "contrary to the internationally recognized and established principles concerning the preservation, conservation and safeguarding of antiquities."

Architectural photographer Danica O. Kus captures Bernard Tschumi's nostalgic Acropolis Museum in Athens

2020-05-18T17:39:00-04:00

Designed by Bernard Tschumi, the Acropolis Museum building was completed back in 2009. Housing numerous structures from Greek antiquity, the museum is located at the foot of Acropolis of Athens, an archeological site that still contains many ancient buildings, including the Parthenon.

Architectural photographer Danica O. Kus pursued this project as a personal endeavor. "I was inspired by the buildings' design whcih permits natural light to flow into the galleries and illuminate the sculptures," she told Archinect. "My passion for photography led me to investigate buildings not only as an architectural object but also to explore the atmosphere of the inner and other space."

The building consists of three levels. The ground level holds the main entrance and presents a view down to the archeological excavations that were discovered during the building's pre-construction phase.

The second level contains the Archaic Gallery which contains the archaic and classical sculptures of the museu...

New hotel blocking Acropolis view must demolish top floors

2020-05-11T13:40:00-04:00

A battle over the right to enjoy uninterrupted views of the Acropolis has resulted in a five-star hotel being ordered to demolish its top two floors, in a landmark ruling hailed by residents of Athens. [...] Citizens enraged about the ten-storey establishment blocking their own views of the citadel took the case to the highest court in the land.

Activists in the Greek capital have been rallying against a number of high-rise proposals that could substantially block the view of the city's most priced historic landmark.

The court's decision in the most recent luxury hotel case wasn't easy, however, as The Guardian points out: "In 2012, in the midst of Greece’s economic crisis, a new construction code was passed permitting bigger and taller buildings if they met 'green' standards. Investors seized the opportunity, initiating a building spree in a capital that would subsequently attract record tourist arrivals."

Greece protests over government plans to sell off historic national buildings

2014-03-19T20:55:00-04:00

Greece's cultural gems have become the focus of renewed protest on the streets of Athens following the cash-strapped government's announcement of plans to include prime properties around the Acropolis, and other landmark buildings, in its privatisation programme. Furious opponents marched through the city centre at the weekend to denounce the "illegal sale" of the country's heritage.