Dr. Simone Hain

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.

“The Architecture of the Two Germanys: 1949–1989”

A historical retrospective on the architecture of the “two Germanys” was undertaken by Megaron Plus, in collaboration with the Goethe-Institut Athen and the Hellenic Institute of Architecture, through the exhibition “The Architecture of the Two Germanys: 1949–1989.”

Dr. Simone Hain, in a “lecture-guided tour” of the exhibition, led the audience into a world where history and architecture converge. In her talk, Dr. Hain offered a historical overview of German architecture and presented to the public, in a clear and engaging manner, the distinct socio-political foundations of the two German states, which shaped their differing architectural identities. These divergent paths, however, represent variations of a shared, “disciplined” German model.