Until 2008, the central services of the former Institute of Geology and Mineral Exploration (IGME) were housed in various buildings in the districts of Ampelokipi and Paiania. The Ampelokipi buildings were older constructions that did not meet the requirements of modern office and laboratory spaces, while their lease exceeded €73,000 per month.
The dispersion of services across multiple sites also hindered smooth operations. IGME therefore proceeded to develop its own purpose-built office and laboratory facilities.
The new complex was built on a 22-acre site purchased from the Workers’ Housing Organization in the “Lecanes” area of the Municipality of Acharnes (Olympic Village). With a total above-ground surface area of approximately 18,000 m², the facilities include shared spaces, office and laboratory wings, parking areas, and storage. They also feature a fully equipped 170-seat auditorium with simultaneous interpretation and advanced audiovisual systems for conferences, two 50-seat seminar rooms, a state-of-the-art mineralogical museum, and three meeting rooms.
Energy needs are covered by electricity (via a PPC substation), natural gas, and oil. Electromechanical systems are latest-generation, including centralized building management (BMS), air conditioning and ventilation, and an uninterruptible power supply (UPS) of about 100 kVA.
The building’s IT backbone meets modern research-center standards: a high-speed local network with structured cabling (1 Gbps copper horizontal and 20 Gbps multi-fiber vertical backbone) and more than 2,000 connection points for computers and telephones.
The server and IT rooms are built to the highest specifications, ensuring continuous operation, facility and data security, and all standard IT services. Telephony in the new HSGME building is TCP/IP-based, offering cabling efficiency, a wide range of services, and conference calls with up to six participants.
The HSGME Library is among the largest specialized scientific libraries in Greece and one of the most up to date in the geosciences. With modern facilities and extensive digitization through the National Documentation Centre’s cataloguing system, it serves a growing number of users—HSGME staff, institutions, private researchers, and students.
HSGME’s museum collection is housed in a specially designed space, where visitors can explore a rich array of Greek minerals, rocks, and fossils, along with photographic and film material from Greek geosites and maps showcasing the geological heritage of Greece.
Funding for the construction was secured through the 3rd Community Support Framework, Operational Programme “Competitiveness” (Axis 7, Measure 7.3). Under the same measure, an integrated Management Information System (MIS) was implemented to support the Authority’s operations.