Project description:
AI NUCLEUS at Technopolis Thermi in Thessaloniki was designed as a modern office and research laboratory building for the National Center for Research and Technological Development (EKETA - CERTH). Its architecture seeks to strike a balance between the functional precision of a research center, bioclimatic performance, and a clean, recognizable morphological identity that characterizes all of CERTH’s new buildings.
The building is arranged over five levels, following a clear functional hierarchy. The main entrance is located on the northeast side at ground level, where the reception area, administrative support, and the laboratory spaces with the necessary auxiliary functions. The main workspaces are located on the upper levels.
Externally, AI NUCLEUS is composed of clean, compact volumes and a system of vertical and horizontal shading elements. The choice of white reinforces the composition’s abstract character, while the shadows and repeating louvers create an ever-changing interplay of light and shadow. Thus, the facade functions as an active filter between the interior spaces and the external environment.
The outdoor space is treated as an extension of the architecture, with hard surfaces limited to the necessary access and circulation zones, while the perimeter landscaping gradually integrates the building into the landscape.
Ultimately, AI NUCLEUS embodies the character of a space dedicated to research and technology: a building that is rigorous but not introverted, where the building shell, orientation, natural light, and shading come together to form a unified architectural system. The form emerges as a direct expression of the building’s function and contemporary identity.
Project ID:
Project name: AI Nucleus
Owner / client: National Center for Research and Technological Development
Location: Technopolis, Thessaloniki, Greece
Type: Offices, research laboratories for innovation technologies
Building surface: 1380 sq.m.
Completion year: 2026
Architecture: OFFICE TWENTYFIVE ARCHITECTS
Lead architects: Thanasis Chrysomallis, Antonis Perpatidis, Manolis Vourakis
Structural engineering: G. Papargiris - A. Kardoula O.E.
Mechanical engineering: HLMME EE - N. EMMANOUIL - X. TSEKOURAS & Associates E.E. EMDC - K. KAPESIDIS N. MERTZIOS O.E.
Construction: TEXNODOMISI A.E.
Photography: Pygmalion Karatzas
Building vendors:
Knauf, Fibran, Kafkas, LG Electronics, Krannich Solar, Titan, Alumil, Isomat S.A., Mapei, Polieco Hellas SA, Interbeton AE, SOVEL, Monoseto, WILO Hellas, Elemko, Dimakis.
