With an agenda packed with site visits, inauguration ceremonies, and infrastructure projects, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis begins his three-day presence in Thessaloniki this afternoon, just hours before the official opening of the 90th Thessaloniki International Fair.
The first day of the Prime Minister’s visit to the city will carry a strong development and social dimension, with the spotlight on interventions in healthcare, education, and sports infrastructure. Mitsotakis’ first stop will be the “Papanikolaou” Hospital, where he will inaugurate the new wing for Cellular and Gene Therapies along with the new laboratories of the Haematology Clinic — a project in which he has shown particular personal interest. Immediately afterward, the Prime Minister’s schedule moves to western Thessaloniki, specifically to the municipality of Ampelokipi–Menemeni, where he will attend two consecutive ceremonies for projects set to strengthen the area’s sports and educational infrastructure.
A double ceremony in Ampelokipi
Friday, September 4th marks a significant day for the municipality of Ampelokipi–Menemeni, as two projects of particular importance to the local community move from the planning and construction phase into reality. At 7:00 PM, at the site of the former “Megas Alexandros” military camp on Eleftheriou Venizelou Street, the foundation stone will be laid for the municipality’s new Bioclimatic Swimming Centre. Half an hour later, at 7:30 PM, the Prime Minister will attend the inauguration of a new school building at the corner of Philippoupoleos 98 and John Kennedy Streets, which will house the 5th Primary School of Ampelokipi.
These are two distinct projects, yet they share a common thread: upgrading infrastructure and creating modern spaces that directly serve the everyday lives of residents, students, and the local sporting community.
A new €32 million swimming centre
The new Bioclimatic Swimming Centre is one of the largest sports infrastructure projects currently being rolled out in the area. Its total budget amounts to €32 million, funded through the Public Investment Programme. The complex will be situated on a plot of 16,100 square metres, designated for use as an indoor swimming facility, a public square, and open-air sports installations, including basketball, volleyball, handball, and tennis courts.
The centre’s design provides for all four aquatic disciplines, combining indoor and outdoor swimming areas. Specifically, the complex will feature:
• An indoor Olympic-size pool measuring 25 x 50 metres, with a depth ranging from 5 to 2 metres, eleven diving boards ranging from 0.8 to 10 metres in height, and spectator stands with a capacity of 1,276.
• An indoor children’s learning pool measuring 10 x 12.5 metres, with a depth of 0.3 to 1 metre.
• An outdoor pool measuring 25 x 33 metres, with a depth of 3 to 2.5 metres, and stands accommodating 480 spectators.
In addition, the facility will include all necessary areas for athletes, spectators, staff, and media, while full accessibility for people with disabilities is planned across all installations.
The centre will also house reception and security areas, physiotherapy rooms, a medical office, changing rooms for athletes and people with disabilities, offices, a meeting room, a secretariat, gymnasiums, athlete gathering areas and companion waiting rooms, as well as storage spaces. The underground level will include essential electromechanical systems, along with parking for 29 vehicles, primarily for staff. An additional 122 parking spaces will be created in a dedicated parking area within the complex to serve sporting activities.
Bioclimatic design at the forefront
Particular emphasis has been placed on the energy design of the swimming centre. The study is grounded in the principles of bioclimatic architecture, with the aim of minimising energy losses and improving the building’s overall energy efficiency. A combination of passive and active systems is planned for heating and cooling, while the building envelope has been designed with heavy-duty insulation, carefully selected openings, and solar shading systems.
The design incorporates low thermal transmittance glazing, thermal buffer zones, night-time insulation, automated shading systems, natural daylighting, and cross-ventilation capabilities. Pool wall insulation, isothermal surface covers, and the use of semi-open spaces as transitional zones between indoor and outdoor areas are also included.
According to the municipality of Ampelokipi–Menemeni, the bioclimatic approach goes beyond simply reducing energy consumption — it is complemented by the on-site generation of a portion of the required electricity through photovoltaic systems to be installed on the building.
A new school replaces an aging prefabricated building
A short distance away, the second ceremony of the day addresses a different but equally pressing need: adequate school facilities. The new building of the 5th Primary School of Ampelokipi — formerly the 9th — has been constructed at the corner of Philippoupoleos 98 and John Kennedy Streets, replacing the old school building that was originally built in 1970 by the military construction service MOMA as a prefabricated structure, with an initial projected lifespan of approximately 20 years.
More than five decades later, the age of the building, combined with the growing needs of the school community, made the construction of a new school unit inevitable — one designed to meet the demands of modern education. The project forms part of a broader programme to build 17 new school complexes across the regional unit of Thessaloniki, with the goal of renewing school infrastructure and creating safe, modern, and fully functional learning environments. The complex is built on a plot of 3,575.37 square metres, formed by merging two separate plots. One, covering 2,855 sq.m., belongs to the company Ktiriakes Ypodomes S.A., while the second, covering 720.37 sq.m., belongs to the municipality of Ampelokipi–Menemeni.
Two buildings, 11 classrooms, and modern facilities
The new school complex consists of two buildings. The main building spans two floors and houses the majority of educational and administrative functions. The second, a standalone single-storey building, accommodates the multi-purpose hall and gymnasium, along with the necessary auxiliary spaces. The basement, with a total area of 466.65 sq.m., contains storage rooms, a boiler room, a pump room, a water tank, and electromechanical installations.
The ground floor, covering approximately 2,145 sq.m., includes classrooms, laboratories, and administrative areas. The left wing houses the offices of the principal and teaching staff, the secretariat, a psychologist’s office, a parents’ and student association office, as well as a medical room and staff restrooms. The right wing contains a caretaker’s office, physical education and IT laboratories, a classroom, a library, restrooms, and electrical panels.
The upper floor of the main building features 11 classrooms, three laboratories, restrooms, a cleaning room, and the necessary spaces for electromechanical installations. The project was constructed by the contractor ELEMKA, a subsidiary of METKA. As the municipality notes, the new school creates a modern, safe, and fully equipped environment for students and teachers alike, meaningfully improving conditions for both teaching and learning.
From infrastructure to the political agenda of the Thessaloniki International Fair
The two ceremonies in Ampelokipi mark the first major milestone of the Prime Minister’s programme in Thessaloniki, ahead of the centrepiece of Kyriakos Mitsotakis’ presence at the 90th Thessaloniki International Fair. On Friday evening, the Prime Minister’s schedule will shift to a more relaxed pace. Mitsotakis is expected to meet with journalists covering his attendance at this year’s Fair at a central hotel in the city, while later in the evening he is scheduled to attend the youth wing ONNED’s party at a central bar in Thessaloniki.
