The building is located in the city of Chios and it was built as residence in 1888. It was purchased by the P.N. Tsakos family and renovated during 2007-2009.

In 2010, the owners decided to convert the restored building to an International Center of Maritime Research and Tradition. Therefore, the objective was to create the outdoor space and the interior spaces as a lively field of multiple activities, open to the local society and the city.

In order to create the impression of an amphitheatre, the floor of the outdoor central space was designed with a descending inclination, while the pavement follows a circular arrangement. The layout of the space was based on a diagonal axis which defines the entrance route and the area of the “amphitheatre”. At the end of that axis rises the “stage wall”, the prevailing new element of the outdoor space, which functions as the background for every activity and hides the secondary uses behind it. For the decoration of that wall a sculpture was designed, giving a maritime tone to the space.