Catalogue of the 9th Biennale of Young Greek Architects

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Order: info@heliarch.gr

ISBN: 978-618-83352-1-9
Pages: 216
Dimensions: 21×28 cm
Catalogue Design & Production Management: FINE DESIGN

FOREWORD

The 9th Biennale at the Benaki Museum in September 2018, will host the works of young Greek architects, which have been created during the deep economic crisis that has plagued Greece in recent years. All the projects submitted will be presented in the exhibition and the accompanying catalogue so that visitors will have a complete picture of recent architectural activity. Any trends that can be traced, are indicative of the design intentions and professional choices that a significant part of young Greek architects in this period is pursuing. Perhaps it is also time to revise the age limit of the Biennale below 45 years of age, as younger architects already participate with numerous projects and distinctions in national and inter- national competitions.

An encouraging aspect of the 9th Biennale is the number of 139 entries submitted, equivalent to the Biennale average. Of these, 58 are built projects, while 81 are not yet implemented. The overwhelming majority of new buildings, as has been the case over the last decade, is scattered across Greece, and not just in the major urban centers of Athens and Thessaloniki, while a small number of projects is also realized abroad.

A characteristic of this year’s Biennale lies in the function of the selection committee, which adopts a collective but also individual review, recording the individual choices and opinions of its members, in order to illuminate current architectural production through different perspectives. In the first stage, the committee acted as a team by choosing projects that were acceptable to all, while at a second stage, the members differentiated themselves by making further individual choices. The fertile discussions and confrontations that took place during this preliminary screening of the projects, informed the members in the formation of their opinions. This dual function of the committee, collective, as expressed by the unanimous choices and individual that preserves personal differentiations, also allows visitors to understand the reasoning for the projects selected. During the projects review, there was agreement on a large percentage of the submissions, half of which were unanimous, indicating a common ground, while the rest were supported by two or three members (by common decision, few projects, supported by only one member, were excluded). This ‘consensus’ is not without interest, as it was freely formed in the process by architects with different positions and background, who collaborated together for the first time as members of a committee.

Of the 72 projects selected overall by the committee (one-third being residential), 31 are implemented and 41 are unrealized. The scale of projects ranges from a minimal vacation hut to a thematic park of thousands of acres. The members of the committee were concerned about the difficulties of reviewing a large number of entries, which have been awarded prizes in architectural competitions. The committee obviously does not contest the judgments of these competitions, but it must clarify that all projects are re-ranked as they participate in a free comparative assessment within the framework of the Biennale. 

The image presented by this year’s Biennale contains a paradox. While the high level of participations allows us to be optimistic about the potential of young architects, their disarming, because of large scale projects which have awarded first prizes in competitions are not realized, does not allow us to be optimistic about the improvement of our cities and countryside. With the exception of few private initiatives, the absence of Architecture from the Public Realm is a sign of social indifference and absence of political will, which does not promise a hopeful future for our tragically beautiful and degraded environment, not wishing to invest in the extraordinary potential of the young generation. This is an additional reason for HIA to continue to promote the Biennale in every way it can, as it has done for 23 consecutive years, as an essential step in supporting the remarkable work of young architects.

I would like to thank all the members of the committee, my colleagues, Konstantina Kalfa, Panos Tsakopoulos, Kostas Tsiambaos and Theoni Xanthi, for our exemplary collaboration; HIA’s outgoing extraordinary director, Marianna Milioni, for her dedication to the exceptional organization of the Biennale, as well as every event of the Institute; the graphic designer loanna Kostika for the immaculately designed catalogue, as well as the new head of the Institute, Christina Papadimitriou. Thanks are certainly due to the Benaki Museum, the EK magazine, and our Sponsors, without whose support this exhibition would not have been possible to materialize.

Elias Constantopoulos

President of the H.I.A.