A two-year plan to improve the energy efficiency of Greece’s Parliament building has been put up for bid as of November 15, it was announced on Monday.
The Greek Parliament decided to boost its efforts to tackle its own contribution to climate change, by investing in better infrastructure in its own building, built in the 1840’s.
Once the renovations are completed, it is hoped that the upgraded Parliament building will consume at least 30 percent less energy and emit 39 percent less carbon dioxide on an annual basis.
The ambitious plan is worth €2,794,020, VAT inclusive. The upgrades will include new pipes and air conditioning systems, the replacement of a total of 191 windows and doors, and the addition of an exterior insulating layer atop the roof.
Speaker of the House Constantinos Tassoulas said that the country’s Culture Ministry will be supervising the works, since the Parliament building is listed as a historical monument and very few alterations in or on the structure are allowed to take place.
The building was completed in 1843, just a few years after the liberation of the nation from centuries of Ottoman rule. It was designed by Bavarian architect Friedrich von Gärtner as a palace for King Otto of Greece and his wife, Queen Amalia.
Originally, it was proposed that the Palace be constructed in Omonoia Square or even atop Acropolis Hill, but the area of Syntagma was finally chosen as the best site.
The enormous building was the first Royal Palace in the country, before the construction of the new Royal Palace, which is currently used as the official residence of the President of the Republic.
The building has served as the home of the Greek Parliament continuously since 1934.
With information from AMNA