Alexandros N. Tombazis (1939-2024)

On Monday, June 24, Alexandros Tombazis passed away—one of the most important contemporary architects who, more than most, honored Greek architecture with both his work and his character.

Over the course of his career, his name became widely known—not only among his peers and colleagues but also beyond the borders of Greece, throughout Europe and Asia. In 1991, he was elected an honorary member of the American Institute of Architecture.

Alexandros Tombazis was a founding member of the Hellenic Institute of Architecture in 1994, together with his friends Savvas Kontaratos, Orestis Doumanis, Nikos Kalogeras, and Dimitris Filippidis, and served on its Board of Directors for fifteen years.

Born in Karachi in 1939, he spent his early years in India and England, and later moved to Athens, where he studied Architecture at the National Technical University of Athens (NTUA), graduating with distinction. In addition to being an architect, Tombazis was also an exceptional painter and a passionate photographer, following in the footsteps of his father, Nikos. After a brief period working as a scientific assistant to Konstantinos Doxiadis, he founded his own architectural firm, supported by his long-time dedicated collaborators, his devoted partner Alexandra, and, to this day, his beloved daughter Despina.

The firm participated in 110 competitions, winning numerous awards, and continues to operate and gain recognition—most recently for the award-winning design for the expansion of the National Archaeological Museum of Athens, in collaboration with the office of British architect David Chipperfield.

A pioneer of bioclimatic architecture, Alexandros Tombazis built Greece’s first solar house, “Helios 1,” in Aigialeia in 1977. This was followed by the Solar Village 3 (1995 – HABITAT II Award), and numerous other large-scale projects. The awards he received for his significant contributions to contemporary bioclimatic architecture, from international organizations in Europe and America, were an honor not only for him and his collaborators but also for our technologically less advanced country.

In 1991, he represented Greece at the 5th International Architecture Biennale in Venice, alongside Nikos Valsamakis and Dimitris and Suzana Antonakakis (curated by Eleni Fessa-Emmanouil).

One of his most important works and a unique international achievement for a Greek architect is the Basilica of the Holy Trinity in Fátima, a major Catholic pilgrimage site in Portugal. In this project, which includes murals depicting the lives of the Apostles Peter and Paul by the renowned Portuguese architect Álvaro Siza (invited by Tombazis himself), the basilica was awarded the 2009 IABSE Outstanding Structure Award, recognizing it as the most remarkable and innovative structure completed in recent years.

At this final moment, it is an honor for our country to hear the words of his friend, Professor Ana Tostões, long-time President of the International Committee Docomomo, who wrote:

“Tomorrow I expect to see the sorrow on Portugal’s face, its praise and mourning upon hearing of Tombazis’ death.”

A man of humility and deep sensitivity, Alexandros Tombazis was held in high regard by his colleagues not only as a capable and accomplished professional but also for his character and innate kindness. He was always marked by a rare calmness, no matter the environment he was in, and he knew how to listen attentively, even to his younger interlocutors a special quality that fostered genuine dialogue.

He spoke naturally and with clarity about any subject that concerned him, whether architectural or artistic, even if it wasn’t directly within his domain. I vividly remember traveling with him years ago in Northern Greece at times he would describe, with quiet pride, the innovations of his son Nikolas in Formula 1 with Ferrari, memories still fresh in my mind, and at other times, the difficulties surrounding the implementation of the Athens Concert Hall project, which saddened him, but never discouraged him.

I believe it is a rare mark of professional integrity and honesty when creators are able to publicly engage in self-critique of their work. Tombazis often surprised his audience particularly students, who were unaccustomed to such admissions from an already renowned architect by reconsidering past architectural choices, such as his early use of exposed concrete inspired by modern Japanese architecture, or his gradual transition to less energy-intensive bioclimatic systems.

Perhaps he had understood that, no matter what we ourselves say about architecture, no matter how and how much we promote our work, once it has left our hands, it is ultimately time and the people who live within those spaces who will speak for it.

That is why, alongside all the beauty he discovered on his travels and shared with friends and collaborators, there was always an educational dimension as well. The things he had loved, he once wished to share not, like Rilke, in a letter to a young poet, but rather to a young architect  dedicated to his grandchildren: Xenia and Alexandros, Andreas, Eliza, Eirini, and Nefeli.

At the end of his book A Beautiful Giraffe, whose four legs stand firmly on the ground while its head rises high into the sky to see far and envision the future, Tombazis includes the words of Van Gogh to his brother words that so deeply reflect his own spirit:

“It must be wonderful to die knowing you have accomplished some honest work, and to know that as a result, you will continue to live in the memory, even of just a few,  leaving behind a true example for those who follow.”

Professor Emeritus Elias Constantopoulos
President of  the Board of directors of H.I.A.
June 27, 2024