Catalogue of the 11th Biennale of Young Greek Architects

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Order: info@heliarch.gr
ISBN: 978-618-83352-9-5
Pages: 208
Dimensions: 21×28 cm
Edited by: Theodora Alexandri, Elias Constantopoulos
Catalogue Design & Production Management: FINE DESIGN

INTRODUCTION

The Hellenic Institute of Architecture, as part of its activities for the promotion of contemporary Greek architecture, organizes the 11th Biennale of Young Greek Architects, in December 2023, at the Teloglion Fine Arts Foundation, in collaboration with the Department of Architecture of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. The Hellenic Institute of Architecture, since its foundation, has sustained strong ties with Thessaloniki, having co-organized many events during this period.

The Biennale of Young Greek Architects was one of the first institutions established by the H.I.A., almost three decades ago with uninterrupted continuity until today, aiming at encouraging young architects and promoting their work. The accompanying catalogues, which constitute an important document of contemporary Greek architecture, trace the first projects, perceptions and practices of the new generation, both realized and unrealized. During this period, a total of around 1900 buildings and projects have been presented, designed by architects many of whom went on to distinguish themselves as professionals and university teachers.

This year’s 163 entries come from all over Greece, approximately one third from Attica, one third from Central Greece and the Peloponnese, and a relatively large percentage from the Greek islands, especially Crete. The total number of unimplemented projects exceeds the number of built projects, accounting for almost two thirds of the total, including competition entries. Of these projects, all of which will be presented in the Biennale exhibition and catalogue, the Jury unanimously selected 42 as the most remarkable ones.

Their subject matter consists mainly of country houses and holiday homes, which are characterized by a minimal, abstract aesthetic, typical of Greek and Mediterranean current trends, as has been noted in previous Biennales.

Fewer cultural, professional, commercial, common and public-use projects, and a limited number of restoration and reuse projects, have been submitted compared to previous years. The interest of young people is still focused, to a large extent, on urban regeneration and landscape projects through competitions, which sometimes include building complexes, municipal or cultural. These proposals, which unfortunately have not been implemented, presented by far the most interesting architectural approaches this year.

I would like to thank the members of the Jury Committee, all of which are distinguished architects by the Institute, Anastasios Kotsiopoulos, coordinator on behalf of the Board of Directors, Tasos Tellios, Morpho Papanikolaou, Kostas Moraitis and Dimitris Thomopoulos, for the evaluation of the entries though the careful study of their qualitative and quantitative characteristics.

I would also like to thank the contributors of this Biennale in particular, the architects Alkmini Paka and Spyros Papadimitriou in collaboration with Theodora Alexandri, director of the Institute, for successfully carrying out the organization of the event, loanna Kostika for the refreshingly new design of the catalogue and Christos-Georgios Kritikos for editing the texts. Thanks are certainly due to the sponsors who made the Biennale possible, and who have often stood by the H.I.A.’s events.

Professor, Elias Constantopoulos

President, Hellenic Institute of Architecture