Greece Builds to the LEED Standard -- Supported by Aconex

ATHENS, GREECE--(Marketwired - Oct 22, 2013) - Aconex, provider of the world's most widely used project collaboration solutions for the construction, infrastructure, power, mining, and oil and gas industries, has been deployed for the building of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center, which will house the National Library of Greece and the Greek National Opera.

The multifunctional arts, education and entertainment complex will occupy 240,000 square meters, including a vast green space, the Stavros Niarchos Park, near Farilo Bay in Athens. The project -- valued at approximately EUR 566 million and entirely funded by the international grantmaking organization, the Stavros Niarchos Foundation -- is scheduled for completion in 2015.

Designed by the Renzo Piano Building Workshop, the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center (SNFCC) is being built by a joint venture between two construction firms, the Impregilo Group of Italy and TERNA of Greece. Faithful+Gould, a global consultancy, is managing the project for the owner, the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center AE. The project team is targeting a Platinum certification for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED), an environmental sustainability standard developed by the U.S. Green Building Council.

The Impregilo-TERNA joint venture has adopted the Aconex Online Collaboration Platform for the project team's use in managing all project information and processes. As of today, nearly 150 team members from 18 different organizations throughout Europe and the U.S. exchange project documents and correspondence; manage shop drawings; respond to requests for information (RFIs); file submittals on designs, materials and products; process reviews and approvals; and maintain daily logs and schedules. Users employ Aconex Mobile construction apps to access and update project information on site or anywhere else away from the office.

Improved Project Efficiency and Accuracy
"By controlling all aspects of the project on the Aconex platform, we require no customized tools to create and manage documentation," said Panagiotis Siapchas, QA_QC & LEED manager at J/V Impregilo-TERNA. "All users have access to the same project data, which reduces the risk of errors and delays, and all document versions and correspondence are captured permanently for fast, easy search. Using a single web-based platform with mobility has improved the efficiency and accuracy of our project information management from day one."

Siapchas also cited the Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) implementation of the Aconex platform as a major advantage which eliminates software installation, software bugs, maintenance, and data back-ups, while providing anywhere/anytime access to users across multiple independent organizations. He added: "We are confident that successful project delivery will result in the first Platinum LEED certification in Greece and one of the first in Europe for a project of this scale."

Hervé Hamelin, general manager of Europe, Middle East and Africa at Aconex, said: "We're pleased to serve a project that will contribute so much to the culture and environment of Greece. The SNFCC will be a landmark with global visibility and a proud testament to the resilience of the Greek people in the face of economic crisis. We look forward to helping the SNFCC, the joint venture, the consultant, and the rest of the team deliver the project with the highest possible quality and the lowest possible risk."

About Aconex
Aconex provides the world's most widely used SaaS platform for managing information, processes and people throughout the lifecycle of construction and engineering projects across multiple industries. The Aconex suite of solutions -- secure, neutral and centralized -- enables owners, contractors and project managers to reduce the cost and risk inherent in capital projects of all sizes and improve efficiency, productivity and accountability for all project participants. Aconex has served projects valued at more than US$800 billion, with over 430,000 users. Clients include nine of the world's top ten EPC/EPCM firms, 23 of the 25 largest global design firms, and nearly all Fortune 500 construction and engineering companies. For more information and examples of Aconex in action, see www.aconex.com/. Follow Aconex on Twitter at @aconex and on LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/company/aconex.