Historic industrial property in Piraeus transformed into a new creative destination

Kosmas Karavas has inaugurated a new space in Agios Dionysios, Piraeus, combining design and contemporary art with hospitality and food and beverage, while giving new life to a historic industrial property.

The venue, .sympan, opened its doors on September 17 and aims to serve as a meeting point for contemporary creativity as well as a multifunctional cultural space.

.sympan is housed in a former machine workshop in the port area, at 7 Aitolikou Street, and was designed to accommodate exhibitions, workshops, presentations, performances, and other activities alongside hospitality and food and beverage operations. The venue officially opened with the exhibition “Load/Unload 2: Memory Manual,” which opened on September 17 and will run until November 13.

The choice of the property is a key element of the new venture’s identity. The building’s industrial heritage remains evident, with concrete, metal, and exposed brickwork incorporated into its new use. According to the presentation of .sympan, the space is open to collaboration, experimentation, and participation, while continuously evolving through the different activities it hosts.

Piraeus Undergoes a Transformation

The new venture is developing in an area of Piraeus that has been undergoing significant transformation in recent years. Agios Dionysios, a historically industrial neighborhood, is seeing new uses introduced into former industrial buildings and warehouses. According to .sympan, former warehouses now accommodate contemporary art spaces and galleries, while new food and beverage businesses have also emerged in the area, creating a different mix of uses within the former port district.

A central element of .sympan’s activities is Load/Unload, the exhibition series around which a significant part of its program is structured. Its name and concept draw inspiration from port operations—loading and unloading—and transfer this logic into the fields of design and art.

For each cycle, designers, artists, and brands participate with objects, installations, prototypes, original works, sound, and materials. The program also includes discussions, interventions, DJ sets, and culinary events. According to the announcement, the space is not static but changes throughout its operation, with each exhibition and activity shaping its use in a different way.

From Exhibitions to Hospitality and Adaptive Reuse

Of particular interest is the fact that .sympan’s activities extend beyond the main exhibition space. Four guest rooms have been created on the upper floor of the building, while a café operates on the ground floor. The adaptive reuse of the former machine workshop therefore takes on a broader character, connecting culture and design with hospitality, food and beverage, and the introduction of new uses to the property.

According to the venture’s presentation, the four rooms on the upper floor have been designed as spaces for guests to stay, while the café aims to serve as an everyday meeting point. Its culinary concept is based, according to the announcement, on simple and familiar flavors.

The historic industrial building thus acquires a mixed-use character, combining exhibitions and cultural activities, design, hospitality, and food and beverage. It represents an approach to the adaptive reuse of an older property that introduces new functions while retaining elements of its industrial identity.

.sympan is the latest addition to a broader ecosystem of spaces. This also includes Lab Piree Superstudio, at 59 Dragatsaniou Street in Piraeus, and Gonia, at 48 Ippokratous Street and 11 Valtetsiou Street in Athens. Together, the spaces form a network focused on contemporary design and creativity, seeking to bring together creators, professionals, and the wider public.

The “Memory Manual” Exhibition

“Load/Unload 2: Memory Manual,” which inaugurated the new venue, is the second edition of the exhibition series. The exhibition is curated by Athina Lasithiotaki and features the work of Christos Tsigaras, Ilir Tsouko, Elidor Mehili, Gogo Smili, Eirini Tabasouli, Natalia Manta, Teresa Stepanyan, and Zazà Damò.

According to the announcement, “Memory Manual” explores the way memory is inscribed in objects and spaces and examines the relationship between past and present. Memory is approached not as something static, but as a process that changes and acquires new meanings over time.

As part of the program, a screening of the short documentary “Albareko,” directed by participating artist Ilir Tsouko, took place on September 18. Throughout the “Memory Manual” exhibition, the program is expected to be expanded with talks, interventions, screenings, DJ sets, and culinary events.

With .sympan, Kosmas Karavas is expanding his activities through a venture that connects design and contemporary art with hospitality, food and beverage, and events. At the same time, the adaptive reuse of a former machine workshop and its transformation into a multifunctional venue introduces a new use to the industrial building stock of Agios Dionysios, an area of Piraeus that has been undergoing a process of transformation in recent years.

Source: ANA-MPA