Athanasios Spanomaridis – Giannis Zachariadis

The Hellenic Institute of Architecture organized a new series of lectures by Greek architects titled “HIA Lectures 2005–2006”. The aim of this series was to broaden public awareness and understanding of the work of architects. To this end, prominent professionals were selected and invited to share their views on Greek architecture and present their own work.

Greek architecture today remains a subject of ongoing inquiry. Several issues continue to shape and, at times, hinder its development: the processes surrounding professional practice, the limited implementation of architectural competitions, the relationship between architecture and the broader economic realities of the country, the role and potential of construction technology, the gradual transformation of architects into executors of pre-determined choices made by construction companies, the legacy of the Olympic projects, architecture’s relationship with society, the problematic role of Greece’s artistic architectural and urban tradition, the relationship between contemporary architecture and the realities of Greek cities, the issue of architectural education, the connection between Greek and international architecture, the lack of a coherent strategy for promoting architecture both within Greece and abroad, and the role of architectural criticism. These are issues that often do not support design research itself nor the development of the overall quality of architectural work.
Architecture in Greece today still raises questions that remain unanswered—questions that have already been addressed not only in the West but also in many countries of the so-called “Third World.”

The Hellenic Institute of Architecture’s lecture series aimed to address these questions. The architects invited, many of whom belong to the younger generation, sought both to express theoretical positions on these matters and to articulate the principles that underpin their own personal design philosophy within the context of the built environment.

“21=43/85”

ATHANASIOS SPANOMARIDIS

He was born in Athens in 1954. He studied architecture at the Architectural Association School of Architecture in London. Between 1980 and 1982, alongside his postgraduate studies, he taught architectural design at the same school. Since then, he has participated as a lecturer and visiting professor at the University of Cambridge, at the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya — Master’s Degree Course in the Departamento de Proyectos Arquitectónicos of the Escola Tècnica Superior d’Arquitectura de Barcelona, and at the Center for Architectural Research in Athens, of which he is a founding member.

He has received distinctions in national and international architectural competitions. His articles, drawings, and built work have been published in magazines such as AA Files, AA Themes I, Architectural Design, Building Magazine, Teuxos, design + art in greece, Bulletin of the Association of Greek Architects, Ellinikes Kataskeves, Ideal Architecture (Korean Architect), and STAUBA. He also served as architectural advisor for the publishing house HACHETTE-RIZZOLI in Greece. Since 2003, he has been teaching as an appointed Assistant Professor at the Department of Architecture at the University of Patras. Since 1984, he has operated the architectural office MIMNERMOU 2 ARCHITECTS.

GIANNIS ZACHARIADIS

He was born in Ceylon in 1953. He studied philosophy at Brandeis University in Massachusetts and architecture at the University of Manchester and the Architectural Association School of Architecture in London. From 1981 to 1984, he taught Architectural Design at the Architectural Association. Since then, he has participated as a visiting professor at the University of Cambridge, in the postgraduate program of the Escola Tècnica Superior d’Arquitectura de Barcelona of the University of Catalunya, at the Schools of Architecture in Palermo and Reggio Calabria in Sicily, at the Center for Architectural Research in Athens, as well as at the Schools of Architecture in Athens, Thessaloniki, and Volos. In 2003, he was appointed Assistant Professor at the Department of Architecture at the University of Patras. He has collaborated with various architectural offices in London and Athens. His articles, drawings, and built work have been published in AA Files, AA Themes I, Architectural Design, Building Magazine, Teuxos, design + art in greece, Ellinikes Kataskeves, Ideal Architecture (Korean Architect), and STAUBA. Since 1984, he has operated the architectural office MIMNERMOU 2 ARCHITECTS.

A brief overview of the office MIMNERMOU 2 ARCHITECTS was presented, featuring a selection of projects from 1985 onward. The aim of this overview was to highlight the continuity of an ongoing research trajectory and the resulting consistency in the office’s approach to architectural work.