Greece’s first integrated resort (IR) at Hellinikon will literally reach for the sky with the country’s first skyscraper.
The Riviera Tower is made possible by the Hellenic Parliament making an exception to the country’s ban against tall buildings enacted 40 years ago. The limit is 30 meters (about 100 feet.) The hotel tower will rise 200 meters (656 feet) with 45 stories and 200 apartments. It will beat the next-highest building, Athens Tower, which is 103 meters.
The $1.2 billion IR is due to be completed by Lamda Development within three years. It is a repurposing of the former Hellinikon International Airport. It will also have a casino, hotels, commercial spaces and more. The permitting process was a gauntlet where innumerable agencies were able to take a swipe. Lamda passed out more than 1,900 blueprints to them and civil groups.
Lamda calls the IR and Riviera Tower, the “biggest urban project” in the European Union. It has partnered with Hard Rock International and the construction firm Gek Terna. The project will generate 75,000 new jobs. Since the country’s employment rate is 87 percent, there probably will be no shortage of applicants.
