The importance of energy efficient design is playing an increasing role in contemporary architecture in Greece.

With studies demonstrating that the preservation of one kilowatt of energy in a building is eight times cheaper than generating the same unit, attention is turning to the immense potential of Greece's solar energy.

Acropolis museum

A host of projects from private homes, to the new Acropolis museum and HQ of the Public Power Corporation have incorporated design elements aimed to deliver energy efficiency.

Conventional buildings worldwide consume more than 17 million tons of oil per day, equivalent to the total production of OPEC countries, according to Professor Santamouris of the University of Athens.

Breaking the vicious circle

This energy is used to sustain the kinds of basic conditions necessary for human comfort heating, cooling, lighting and ventilation.

Consumption of high levels of fossil fuels creates a vicious circle pollution from burning fossil fuels causes the temperature to rise, higher temperatures mean greater needs for cooling.

The daytime temperature in Athens is 5-12 degrees higher than that in the surrounding suburbs. As a result, buildings in the capital require twice as much energy for cooling as suburban buildings.

Groundbreaking study

A team from the architecture department of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki has attracted international acclaim for a detailed study it completed last year on the energy performance of buildings.

The study has resulted in an EU-approved scheme for certifying a buildings energy needs and environmental performance.

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