IRCE Hard Rock

overview

A new luxury resort and casino near Athens will feature a hotel tower with nearly 3,500 beds, a casino, on-site spa and pool, retail promenade, nightclub and conference center. The project is part of the planned Hellinikon mixed-use development, the largest urban regeneration investment project ever in Greece that entails the redevelopment of the former Hellinikon Airport Site. The hotel tower, designed by Gensler, marks Greece’s first real high-rise and will be a focal point for the development, with a design that draws on Hellenic elements such as mythology and the arts as well as the landscape of the Mediterranean coast.

We partnered with Athens-based Penelis Consulting Engineers S.A. (engineer of record) to provide structural and facade engineering and façade access engineering services for the project. True to the Hard Rock hotel brand, the resort features a 10,000-seat arena that can be used for sports, music and cultural events. And for even more entertainment, our engineers are assisting in the design of the casino area, which will offer 2,580 gaming positions.

highlights

• Special considerations include seismic and wind engineering for the tower, which will be the tallest in Athens upon completion.
• Our façade access experts worked closely with our façade engineering team to develop a custom designed and engineered roof level cornice detail that will enclose a monorail system inside the exterior wall system.  
• To access the stacked volumes, a series of custom mounted railings has been developed to circumnavigate the lower two portions of the undulating envelope. The uppermost volume is accessible via a rooftop track-mounted Building Maintenance Unit that also traverses the length of its adjacent façade.