The Piraeus Port waterfront needed a facelift as well as a plan to encompass the rich cultural heritage of this ancient city, today inhabited by 1 million residents. The Cultural Coast Plan aims to redesign the area by creating a complex of building uses: the Maritime Antiquities Museum, the Archaeological Thematic Museum, the Immigration Museum and the site of the Ietionia Gate, an ancient fortress named after local hero Ietion, built to protect the land access to the port.

Each of these four landmarks must be approved for construction. 2013 was the year of the Maritime Antiquities Museum and this year, the Archaeological Thematic Museum gets the green light. 58 architectural proposals were submitted and the winner is the architectural studio of Tsabikos Petras. In addition to the collection of the existent Archaeological Museum of Piraeus which will be transferred to the new premises, the Thematic Museum will showcase another 3,000 items which most of them will be taken out of the storage for the first time. The Museum is called “thematic” because it aims to highlight the broader naval legacy of Piraeus. Once completed, the target is to become one of the first things cruise passengers come across when they come ashore.