Thymios Papayannis

The Hellenic Institute of Architecture organized a new series of lectures by Greek architects under the title “HIA Lectures 2007–2008”. This series aimed to broaden public awareness of contemporary architectural practice, featuring distinguished professionals invited to present their views on Greek architecture and their own work.

Greek architecture today continues to pose a set of open questions. Issues such as the processes related to the profession, the insufficient execution 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 executors of pre-decided choices by construction firms, the legacy of the Olympic projects, the relationship between architecture and society, the problematic role of the Greek architectural and urban tradition, the relevance of contemporary architecture to the lived reality of Greek cities, the issue of architectural education, the relationship between Greek and international architecture, the inadequate strategies for promoting architecture both in Greece and abroad, and the role of architectural criticism—these are all matters that often do not support genuine design research or the development of overall architectural quality. Architecture in Greece today continues to raise questions that remain unanswered—questions that have already been addressed not only in the West but also in many countries of the self-satisfied so-called “Third World.”

This lecture series, organized by the Hellenic Institute of Architecture, sought to offer responses to these concerns. The invited architects, many of whom belong to a younger generation, aimed to develop both theoretical perspectives on the above issues and to articulate the principles that define their personal architectural approach within the framework of the built environment.

“Architecture: From environmental respect to climate change”

THYMIOS PAPAYANNIS

He was born in Athens in 1934. He studied architecture and urban planning at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). In 1959, he founded the design office Thymios Papayannis and Associates, which soon expanded to include departments of urban and spatial planning, as well as structural and electromechanical studies. He has participated in numerous social and scientific activities, particularly in the fields of spatial planning, environmental protection, and the study and management of sensitive areas. He has received multiple awards and distinctions. These include the first international prize of the I.A.K.S. in 1991 for the best sports facility in the world for the decade of the 1980s (for the Peace and Friendship Stadium), the first prize in 1987 for the design of Protomagia Square in Athens, and the first prize in the 1977 architectural competition by the General Secretariat of Sports for the Neon Faliron Sports Center, among many others.