Panos Kokkoris

The Hellenic Institute of Architecture organized a new series of lectures by Greek architects titled “HIA Lectures 2008–2009”. The aim of this series was to broaden public awareness regarding the work of architects today. To this end, prominent professionals were selected and invited to present their views on Greek architecture and their own work.

Greek architecture today continues to be a subject under question. Various factors contribute to this, such as the processes involved in the profession, the inadequate implementation of architectural competitions, the relationship between architecture and the country’s broader economic reality, the role and potential of construction technology, the gradual transformation of architects into mere executors of pre-determined decisions made by construction companies, the issues surrounding Olympic projects, the relationship between architecture and society, the problematic role of Greek artistic and urban architectural tradition, the connection between contemporary architecture and the reality of Greek cities, the state of architectural education, the relationship between Greek and international architecture, the flawed strategy of promoting architecture both in Greece and abroad, and the role of architectural criticism. All of these issues often fail to support true design research and the development of overall architectural quality. Architecture in Greece today still raises unanswered questions—questions that have already been addressed not only in the West but also in many countries of the so-called “Third World.”

This lecture series by the Hellenic Institute of Architecture sought to provide answers to these concerns. The architects invited, most of whom belong to a younger generation, aimed to present both theoretical views on the issues mentioned above and to articulate the principles that shape their personal poetics within the built environment.

“Between the content and the container”

PANOS KOKKORIS

He was born in Athens in 1954. He studied architecture at the National Technical University of Athens (NTUA) and at MIT, where he obtained a postgraduate M.Arch. A.S. degree in the History, Theory, and Criticism of Architecture. Since 1982, as an independent researcher, he has been continuously engaged in the study of various topics, among which public buildings and urban area regenerations hold a primary position. Simultaneously, private buildings, interior spaces, and furniture complement and enrich this research activity. His work, whether individual or in frequent collaboration with colleagues, has been honored with the Second Prize in the International Architectural Competition for the New Acropolis Museum (1990) as well as numerous first prizes and other distinctions in significant Panhellenic and European architectural competitions. His projects, realized or not, have often been published and exhibited. Alongside his involvement in architectural practice, he maintains close contact with theoretical architectural concerns and has participated in conferences. Since 2001, he has been an Associate Professor in the Department of Architecture at the Democritus University of Thrace (D.P.Th.).

The lecture examined the conditions and prerequisites under which architecture can, and must, stand rich and comprehensive, both in relation to the microcosm it will shelter (and for the sake of which it is built) and the wider world that will receive it.