Culture Centre, Greece

Patrícia Gabriel / 06 September 2022

Project Overview

Location:Athens, Greece
Contractor:TD Chrom
Products:SC902
Area: 1,400 seat auditoruim

The Project

Designed by architect Renzo Piano, the new Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Centre (SNFCC) in Athens has created homes for the National Library of Greece and Greek National Opera, which include a 1,400-seat auditorium. With significant steel structures involved, Nullifire SC902 Fast Track, On-Site Intumescent Steel Coating was used extensively to provide passive fire protection.

The steel structure required fireproofing and the Nullifire product was applied across the SNFCC by authorised installer, tdchrom, to meet ISO 12944. Key areas needing protection were the main auditorium, an auxiliary hall with a seating capacity of 400, the rooftop Light House and bridge.

Specific applications within the overall scheme included the opera building’s stage pit, lobby balconies, the library Book Castle and reading room, the galvanised steel truss of the access area in the PV canopy, and facade steel columns up to 25m high where the appearance and texture of the top coat was crucial to the architecture.

Nullifire SC902 is a low VOC, one coat, high build system, based on patented technology. It provides a fast cure, effective structural fire performance for steelwork with a fire rating of up to 120 minutes.

Dimitris Takos, CEO tdchrom, comments: “We’re very pleased with the quality of the products Nullifire provided; the procurement and application of the intumescent paint for the steel structures of the SNFCC project completely satisfied our client. We’re grateful for the company’s professionalism in the way it responded to all our requests and look forward to working with them for many years to come. We’ve recommended Nullifire to others because of our satisfaction with the service.”