Katerina Tsigarida

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 towards large scale through the 1:1”

KATERINA TSIGARIDA

She was born in Athens in 1956. She graduated from the School of Architecture of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and continued her studies in London at the Architectural Association. While in London, she collaborated with OMA (1980–1984), and in Athens, with Rem Koolhaas and Elias Zenghelis. She founded her own office in Athens in 1984, and since 1987 she has been working based in Thessaloniki.

Among her most important works are the New Gates of HELEXPO in Thessaloniki (1997), which was a finalist for the European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture – Mies van der Rohe Award, the Eastern Metropolitan Axis in Thessaloniki (1997), the redesign of the White Tower Square (2006), and a vacation house in Andros, which received a distinction in the 2004 Architecture Awards organized by the Hellenic Institute of Architecture.

She has participated with various forms of distinction in numerous architectural competitions, including “New Transit Terminal in Venice: Fusina Terminal” (Italy, 1998), “Århus City Vs Århus Harbour” (Denmark, 1999), and “Latina ReInvented, New Agricultural as Agros & Culture” (Italy, 2005). She was awarded first prize in the GEK competition for the Housing Complex in Metaxourgeio, Athens (2006).

Her projects have been included in architectural exhibitions such as the 1st Biennale of Young Greek Architects (1995), the 1st Landscape Architecture Biennale in Barcelona (1999), the 7th Venice Architecture Biennale (2000), the 3rd Biennale of Young Greek Architects (2001), and the 9th Venice Architecture Biennale (2006).

Her work has been published in numerous Greek and international journals and major international editions, including The Phaidon Atlas of Contemporary World Architecture (2004), At Home in Greece (2004), Greek Mediterranean Modern (2006), and Greek Architecture Now (2006).

“We use architectural experience and design across all scales, with the same tools, both literally and conceptually, moving from the scale of objects, to the scale of architecture (urban house, apartment building, vacation or final residence), and finally to the scale of the city, of urban and urban planning design.