MPNYC converts former port warehouse in piraeus

Manhattan Projects New York City, or MPNYC, has transformed a former storage and workshop building located on Polydefkous Street in Piraeus, Greece, into a combined office, showroom, and gallery space. Positioned diagonally opposite Castor Place, another project by the firm, the new venue is scheduled to open in October 2026 with a dedicated photography exhibition.

MPNYC approached the existing structure as a found object, utilizing a process of subtraction to uncover the building's earlier character. The structure has accumulated several distinct phases throughout its history, initially operating as a port storage facility before being divided into smaller units for various types of cargo. This was followed by repair workshops that introduced concrete mezzanines, columns, and floor slabs into the tall interior, and later interventions including an industrial-equipment showroom, suspended ceilings, and rooms for a Middle Eastern film-production company.

Stock photo for illustration only, not from the actual event

The design team at MPNYC removed layers of construction that had previously concealed the older fabric of the building, reopening original doorways to allow daylight to penetrate deeper into the interior. Minimal steel pivot doors were installed in the restored openings, alongside timber shutters discovered inside the walls which were restored and brought back into use. Furthermore, the project incorporated reclaimed brick for small partitions, thresholds, and window sills, while existing masonry and concrete structures were cleaned and left exposed.

Removing the suspended ceilings above revealed the building's approximately 150-year-old fir roof. Although newer partitions beneath it remain, the walls that once divided the interior into smaller rooms now serve as gallery surfaces. The corner space, which underwent the most extensive alterations, received a liquid-metal insulation finish matching the upper volume of Castor Place.