The expansion of Athens’ National Archaeological Museum is moving toward construction, with British architect David Chipperfield saying work could begin after the design phase is completed in early summer 2027. The ambitious project will place most of the new museum space underground while creating a major new public garden above it.
For visitors to Athens, the project promises something more than additional exhibition space. It is designed to change how the National Archaeological Museum connects with the surrounding city.
Most of the expansion will go underground
Chipperfield, selected to lead the museum’s expansion, said the project largely retains the concept that won the original architectural competition.
Rather than adding a large new structure beside the historic museum, the extension will be built underground. This approach is intended to preserve the existing building’s prominence while creating additional space for the museum.
Above the underground extension, however, visitors will see a very different landscape.
A new public garden is planned with more than 400 trees, alongside a redesigned entrance and frontage on Patission Street.
A new public space in central Athens
The garden is intended to be one of the project’s most visible elements.
Chipperfield acknowledged concerns that the new intervention could affect views of the historic museum from parts of Patission Street. His argument is that the project will ultimately replace an already cluttered urban environment with a substantial public space.
For visitors, that could mean a very different arrival experience at one of Athens’ most important museums.
Instead of approaching the National Archaeological Museum through a heavily built-up stretch of central Athens, visitors will encounter a larger landscape designed to connect the museum with the surrounding neighborhood.
The museum is not being designed only for tourists
One of Chipperfield’s more interesting points concerns who the museum is ultimately for.
Speaking at the Athens Democracy Forum, he argued that the National Archaeological Museum’s future success should not be measured simply by visitor numbers or tourism.
Instead, he said museums should become part of their neighborhoods’ social infrastructure, with stronger connections to local residents.
That is particularly relevant for the National Archaeological Museum, which sits in one of Athens’ busiest and most complicated urban areas.
The project therefore has two audiences: the international visitors who come to see Greece’s archaeological treasures and the Athenians who live around the museum every day.
Chipperfield said the design work is expected to be completed by early summer 2027, allowing construction to potentially begin afterward.
The timeline still leaves substantial work ahead, but the project represents one of the most significant planned changes to Athens’ cultural landscape.