Stavros Niarchos

Stavros Spyros Niarchos (Greek: Σταύρος Σπύρος Νιάρχος, Greek pronunciation: [ˈstavros ˈspiros 'ɲarxos]; 3 July 1909 – 16 April 1996) was a multi-billionaire Greek shipping tycoon. Starting in 1952, he had the world's biggest supertankers built for his fleet. Propelled by both the Suez Crisis and an increasing demand for oil, he and rival Aristotle Onassis became giants in global petroleum shipping.

Niarchos was also a noted thoroughbred horse breeder and racer, several times the leading owner and number one on the French breed list.

Early life

Stavros was born in Athens, son of Spyros Niarchos and his wife, Eugenia Koumantaros. His parents were naturalized Americans who had owned a department store in Buffalo, New York before returning to Greece, three months prior to his birth. He studied law at the University of Athens, after which he went to work in the Koumantaros family's grain business. During this period, he became involved in shipping by convincing his relatives their firm would be more profitable if it owned its own ships.

Stavros Niarchos Foundation

The Stavros Niarchos Foundation was established in 1996 to honor Greek shipping magnate Stavros Niarchos.

Mission

The Stavros Niarchos Foundation (www.SNF.org) is a leading international philanthropic organization which makes grants in the areas of arts and culture, education, health and medicine, and social welfare. The SNF funds organizations and seeks out projects that exhibit strong leadership and sound management and are expected to achieve a broad, lasting and positive social impact. The Foundation actively supports projects that facilitate the formation of public-private partnerships as effective means for serving public welfare.

Organization

The foundation's board of directors includes:

The foundation has staff in Athens, Greece; Monte Carlo, Monaco; and New York City, New York, United States.

Renzo Piano

Renzo Piano, OMRI, OMCA (Italian: [ˈrɛntso ˈpjaːno]; born 14 September 1937) is an Italian architect and engineer, who won the Pritzker Prize in 1998. Architecture critic Nicolai Ouroussoff said of Piano's works that the "...serenity of his best buildings can almost make you believe that we live in a civilized world."

In 2006, Piano was selected by TIME as one of the 100 most influential people in the world. He was selected as the 10th most influential person in the "Arts and Entertainment" category of the 2006 Time 100.

In August 2013 he was appointed Senator for Life in the Italian Senate by President Giorgio Napolitano.

Biography

Piano was born in Genoa, Italy, in 1937, into a family of builders. He was educated and subsequently taught at the Politecnico di Milano. He graduated from the University in 1964 with a dissertation about modular coordination (coordinazione modulare) supervised by Giuseppe Ciribini and began working with experimental lightweight structures and basic shelters.

Cultural center

A cultural center or cultural centre is an organization, building or complex that promotes culture and arts. Cultural centers can be neighborhood community arts organizations, private facilities, government-sponsored, or activist-run.

Asia

Europe

Stavros S Niarchos

Stavros S Niarchos is a British brig-rigged tall ship owned and operated by the Tall Ships Youth Trust (TSYT). She is primarily designed to provide young people with the opportunity to undertake voyages as character-building exercises, rather than pure sail-training. She is also used for adult voyages and holidays, which help subsidise the operation of the ship.

Construction

In the late 1990s the two schooners (Malcolm Miller and Sir Winston Churchill) then owned by the Tall Ships Youth Trust (then called the Sail Training Association (STA)) were showing their age and becoming increasingly expensive to maintain. The hulls for the two new brigs (Stavros S Niarchos and her sister ship, Prince William) were obtained half-completed from another project in Germany. These were transported to Appledore Ship Yards in Devon, where they were modified to the TSYT's requirements, and fitted out. She was completed in January 2000. The rig was designed by Michael Willoughby, who wrote a few comments on the overall design of the brigs.