The GNO

GNO Park

Occupying 85% of GNO’s total area, GNO Park is home to a rich variety of flora, including olive trees, evergreen shrubs, carob trees, laurels, cypress trees, as well as an extensive selection of indigenous Greek aromatic plants.

Architecture

When architect Renzo Piano first visited the area where the GNO was to be built, he immediately realized that the link between the urban and the natural landscapes had been cut; that the coastal avenue had separated the neighborhood from the sea. Renzo Piano was inspired by the name of the local area (Kallithea, which literally means “beautiful view’’) and decided to give back to the local people the beautiful view towards the sea. This idea was implemented conceptually in the most simple and effective way by lifting one side of a piece of paper and showing the gradual rise of the land towards the sea.

Biodiversity

Occupying 85% of the GNO’s total area, GNO Park stretches over an area of 21 hectares. It is home to a rich variety of flora, including olive trees, evergreen shrubs, carob trees, laurels, cypress trees, as well as an extensive selection of indigenous Greek aromatic plants. Plants were selected and arranged with an eye to providing a variety of seasonal blooming and creating exciting color schemes and textures. The Park includes 16 tree species and 161 shrub species, a variety of grasses and bulbs. Greece’s strong horticultural tradition is celebrated in the open, sunlit Mediterranean Garden. The plant palette alone makes the garden a destination: evergreen and other endemic plants such as boxwood, coronilla, cistus, and lentisc, salvia, oregano, thyme, lavender, rosemary, roses and euphorbias – all add to the sensual pleasure of a visit. Each month brings a new color, and each season introduces a different combination of flowers or foliage.

Life at the Park

GNO Park is home to many species of animals including cats, turtles, lizards, songbirds, and insects. The Park’s grasslands provide shelter, as well as materials for their nests, to many little birds, while trees and shrubs provide protection to larger birds and small animals.

Playgrounds & Water Jets

The liveliest and most fun places in parks all over the world, playgrounds are dedicated to children of all ages, hosting endless carefree hours of fun, sports and socializing, bustling hubs of activity and creativity. Designed in a sustainable and environmentally friendly manner, the facility is provisioned with wood-based equipment derived from logging based on sustainable forestry. The choice of construction material is a conscious decision, since wood as a structural material substantially differs from metal or plastic; it appeals to the senses, motivates children to play, and greatly increases the value of playing. The wood from which the equipment is made at the Playgrounds grows at an altitude of over 1,000m ensuring better physical properties, such as greater stability, durability and fewer scraps.

Rather than with a typical fence, the GNO Playgrounds are enclosed by shrubs, enabling children to discover their own boundaries and the world in a safe environment. At the wood-based equipment there is marking that specifies the age limit for safer play.

Nearby find the impressive water jets waiting for you to play with water!

Musical Garden

The Musical Garden is a space for play, designed to familiarize children with sounds, the language of music, as well as the musical sound of the sea. In an interactive setting, children play music on the metallophone or the dance keys, and create their own compositions on the Seesaw of Sound. The musical games and other structures of the garden, such as the Parabolic Disks and the Rotating Stone, give visitors the opportunity to experiment and unleash their creativity.

Great Lawn

The Great Lawn is the heart of the GNO Park; it covers an area of 5.073 square meters (0.5 hectare) and measures 114×44,5 meters.

Situated right at the Park’s center, this is the point where all of its paths cross; in the summer months, it hosts an extensive range of events and activities, such as screenings, concerts and other. The Great Lawn grass is natural and, compared to other varieties, is drought tolerant and hardy. Suitable for the Greek climate, it is low-maintenance and requires less irrigation. It is surrounded by coniferous and olive trees and herbs that thrive in the Greek climate, making for an impressive passage from shade to the resplendent Attic light. The Great Lawn, and the GNO Park in general, are a vital green space, offering the opportunity to Athenians and the thousands of visitors to be close to nature without going far from the city.

The events hosted at the GNO Park, the park’s overall management (following nature’s cycle, without intervention and artificial elements), and an ongoing information campaign, are all intended to foster awareness, appreciation and care for public open-air green spaces in Athens. Understanding nature and respecting nature’s cycles are important tools for better understanding how a sustainable park operates, as well as enjoying spring days in a lush Great Lawn.

Vegetable Garden

In 2017, the Vegetable Garden was created as a point of the Park that is used both for urban cultivation of organic vegetables and for the education of children and adults. A typical example is the children’s favourite program, Park’s Little Gardeners, which introduces them the flora of GNO Park, sensitizes them about the importance of green spaces in the heart of a city and initiates them into the concept of sustainability, through motoring activities, practical gardening and games that promote environmental protection.

Participants will have the opportunity to acquire an integrated knowledge of their plant management needs, taking one step closer to nature.