Set within the vast transformation of Athens’ former international airport, Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG)’s Park Rise is conceived as a residential landmark for The Ellinikon (find designboom’s previous coverage here). The 50-meter tower will anchor Little Athens, a residential neighborhood within the larger coastal masterplan, bringing 88 homes together with gardens, communal amenities, and expansive views across the Aegean Sea, the Metropolitan Park, and the mountains of Attica.
For BIG, the project presented an opportunity to work simultaneously across multiple scales. In conversation with designboom, Hanna Johansson, Associate in Charge at BIG, reflects on the studio’s approach to the project and its ambitions for housing in Athens.
‘At BIG, we’re usually drawn to projects where we can think across scale, both the intimacy of an individual home and the complexity of a larger city,’ Johansson tells us. ‘The Ellinikon gave us that opportunity.’
all images © Bjarke Ingels Group
a cascade of homes between sea and mountains
Park Rise sits between two distinct landscapes. The sea stretches toward one side of the site, while the mountains of Attica rise on the other. BIG translated this duality into the distinctive stepping silhouette of the building, forming what the architects describe as a cascade of individual homes, each accompanied by its own private garden.
‘The site is extraordinary,’ Johansson tells designboom. ‘You have this openness from the former runway, framed by views of the sea on one side and the mountains on the other. That duality became a key driver for Park Rise.’
The architecture of the tower steps and opens toward its surroundings. ‘The architecture acts almost like a vertical extension of the landscape, stepping, cascading, and opening itself to those views,’ the architect adds.
The design reimagines the familiar relationship between Athenian housing and outdoor space. ‘Each apartment gains access to light, air, and views, but also to generous outdoor space,’ she explains. ‘It is a reinterpretation of the Athenian balcony, scaled up into a three-dimensional landscape.’
Park Rise opens toward the Aegean Sea with cascading homes and planted terraces
BIG reimagines density for modern athens
Park Rise challenges the conventional image of the residential high-rise through its cascading arrangement of homes and planted terraces. The curved concave facade similarly introduces a softer geometry, referencing the classical Greek column. Inside, the 88 residences range from one- to five-bedroom homes, with interiors opening toward full-height glazing and views of the sea, park, and mountains. The project also incorporates communal facilities, including fitness spaces and a 20-meter indoor swimming pool. At ground level, the building lifts to create a pedestrian connection between the Metropolitan Park, the planned tram line, and the wider neighborhood.
For Johansson, the project is an exploration of how density can coexist with quality of life. ‘We hope Park Rise contributes to a broader shift in how housing and public space interact in Athens,’ she shares. ‘Traditionally, density and quality of life can feel at odds, but we believe they can reinforce each other.’
Shared gardens, amenities, and public permeability become central to this proposition. A pavilion will bring together a playground, lounge areas, and barbecue facilities while also supporting photovoltaic panels that contribute solar energy to the residences. ‘By integrating greenery, shared amenities, and permeability into a residential building, we are aiming to demonstrate a more holistic approach to urban living,’ Johansson continues.
BIG’s stepped residential volumes bring private outdoor spaces into the vertical landscape of Park Rise
making sustainability visible at The Ellinikon
Park Rise is designed to achieve LEED Gold certification while integrating landscape, energy efficiency, and solar infrastructure into its architectural concept. For BIG, however, sustainability should extend beyond technical performance.
‘Too often, sustainability is treated as an invisible, technical layer,’ Johansson observes. ‘We wanted it to be something you can see, feel, and enjoy.’ This approach connects directly to the international firm’s broader ambitions for The Ellinikon. ‘The Ellinikon has the potential to reposition Athens as a forward-looking European capital, one that embraces innovation and sustainability while staying rooted in its climate, culture, and urban traditions,’ she notes.
Park Rise arrives during a period in which Greece and the wider Balkan region are attracting increasing attention from internationally recognized architecture practices. Asked what makes the region compelling for global designers, Johansson points to the productive tension between history and change. ‘Regions like Greece and the Balkans are fertile ground for innovation precisely because they sit at the intersection of deep history and emerging futures,’ the architect comments. ‘There is a willingness to experiment, paired with a strong sense of place.’ This balance reflects BIG’s own approach to architecture, which Johansson describes through the studio’s concept of ‘pragmatic utopianism.’
‘In this region, you can engage with real constraints, such as climate, economy, heritage, and transform them into drivers of new ideas,’ she explains. ‘It’s less about importing a global style, and more about co-authoring a new local identity, one that reflects contemporary life while remaining unmistakably rooted in its context.’
integrated into the greenery of The Ellinikon’s Little Athens neighborhood
Park Rise under construction at The Ellinikon in Athens, Greece
rising from the former Athens airport site
construction reveals the terraced structure
project info:
name: Park Rise
architect: Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) | @big_builds
associate in charge: Hanna Johansson
location: The Ellinikon | @the_ellinikon_official, Athens, Greece
client: LAMDA Development | @lamdagroupdevelopment
This interview is part of designboom’s MODES OF HABITATION chapter, exploring how the spaces we inhabit can reshape the ways we live together. Discover more stories rethinking domesticity, shared living, and the many forms a home can take here.
The post BIG’s hanna johansson on designing ‘park rise’ as a vertical extension of athens’ landscape appeared first on designboom | architecture & design magazine.