Foster + Partners has developed a master plan for the redevelopment of the former FIX brewery in Thessaloniki, Greece. The proposal, commissioned by Dimand, outlines a mixed-use district that integrates public space, housing, hospitality, and cultural programs. Positioned along the western seafront and within walking distance of the city center, the site serves as a key point of connection between emerging neighborhoods and the waterfront. The project builds on the industrial history of the brewery complex while introducing new spatial configurations intended to support broader urban regeneration efforts across Thessaloniki.
The master plan incorporates landscape-led public spaces and a circulation network that prioritizes pedestrians and cyclists. Existing industrial structures are retained and adapted as organizing elements within the development, shaping new routes, public squares, and program clusters. The overall framework aims to strengthen connectivity between the waterfront, nearby districts, and the city’s cultural infrastructure. By framing new interventions around heritage buildings, the proposal uses the historical fabric as an anchor for contemporary urban functions.
Material and formal references to the nineteenth-century brewery inform both conservation and new construction. Earthenware brick, exposed concrete vaults, and industrial window profiles appear throughout the proposal, establishing continuity between past and future uses of the site. These elements guide the adaptive reuse of existing halls and the design of additional buildings. The approach emphasizes the role of architectural memory in shaping new mixed-use districts while accommodating the evolving needs of residential, cultural, and hospitality programs.
A central landscaped square forms the main public space, defined by planting, shaded areas, and a water feature. This square connects to two new buildings: a hotel with terraces facing the public realm and a residential block designed to capture sea views. Planting is integrated into the building envelopes through recessed terraces and green edges, extending the public landscape into upper levels. The former industrial buildings are planned to accommodate galleries, museum functions, and hospitality venues, positioning the site as a new cultural node within the city.
Across the development, interior-exterior relationships are emphasized through vaulted ceilings, deep terraces, and transitional spaces that provide shade and environmental protection. Historical features such as brick facades, arched openings, and vaulted structures are reinterpreted to create a unified architectural language. The proposal situates heritage elements within a contemporary urban framework, contributing to Thessaloniki‘s broader shift toward adaptive reuse, sustainable development, and the reactivation of former industrial sites.
In other news from Foster + Partners, the practice has released designs for the second phase of the Ellison Institute of Technology campus in Oxford, extending research and innovation facilities within the Oxford Science Park. The studio has also completed Techo International Airport in Phnom Penh, contributing to Cambodia’s wider infrastructure development. In Switzerland, the practice received planning approval for a timber residential building in Gstaad that integrates exhibition, storage, and social functions with living spaces. Additionally, Foster + Partners has opened Civic Vision, the first comprehensive exhibition of its work to be presented in Australia.