Architect
country:Greece
website: www.kokkinoukourkoulas.com
Bio
Their aim is to contribute to the quality, the atmosphere and the rhythm of life taking place in them. From this point of view, they "pace" the spaces of everyday life taking advantage of the elements of the space and landscape into which they are placed.
Basic instruments in order to realize this are the walls-limits; through their modulation, their size and material, organize the "stable scene" and give character and quality to the space. We consider that their laying out is of capital importance because through them we organize the movement, the glaze and the rhythms of everyday life. Between them are constructed open air and roofed "rooms", connecting the inside to the outside, the light to the shadow, the ground to the sky and thus gaining their character.
MARIA N. KOKKINOU
Architectural Practice with A. Kourkoulas in Athens, 1987 - 2009
Postgraduate studies at the Advanced Architectural Studies Department at the Bartlett School of Architecture, U.C.L.
Master of Science at U.C.L in London, 1980 - 1981
NTUA Diploma in Architectural Engineering.
Degree in Architecture at the National Technical University of Athens, 1979
Graduated from the Moraitis School, 1974
Born in Athens in 1956.
ANDREAS K. KOURKOULAS
Lecturer in Architecture at the School of Architecture, National Technical University of Athens, Undergraduate - Postgraduate, 1992 - 2009
Architectural Practice with M. Kokkinou in Athens, 1987 - 2009
Lectures, talks, articles and classes in Architectural Schools in Greece and abroad, 1984 - 2009
Ph.D. at the Bartlett School of Architecture, U.C.L., in London.
Subject: Linguistics in Architectural Theory and Criticism after Modernism, 1986
Postgraduate studies at the Architectural Association Graduate School in London, 1980 - 1981
Employed at the Ο.Μ.Α. architectural practice in London (Zeggelis - Koolhas), 1981 - 1983
NTUA Diploma in Architectural Engineering.
Degree in Architecture at the National Technical University of Athens, 1977
Graduated from the Experimental School of the University of Athens, 1971
Born in Athens in 1953.
:: Profile at ArchiTravel >
http://www.architravel.com/architravel/architects/425
:: Photo information and credits:
1-5 > Benaki Museum / Athens
Photo courtesy © Erieta Attali
6-11 > Skala Vinoteca / Athens
Photo courtesy © George Fakaros | Natalia Tsoukala
12-18 > Folli-Follie Offices / Athens
Photo courtesy © Erieta Attali
Most recent people interviewed (View all)
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Most recent list of themes (View all)
on Architecture and Theory
on Architecture and Competent Authorities
on Architecture
on Architecture and Sustainability
on Educating Architecture
on Promoting Architecture
on Architecture and Events
on Guiding Architecture
on Architecture and Photography
on Architecture and Politics
on Architecture and Skyscrapers
on Architecture and Art
on Architecture and Travel
My point of view:
on Architecture and Travel
Interview Date: 07-09-2011
What is the importance of architectural tourism?
A. K. : If we accept that architecture is a significant parameter of culture, then architectural tourism is cultural tourism. The combination of architecture and cultural tourism is a crucial issue.
What is the importance of traveling, especially for Architects and humans in general?
M. K. : New images, new experiences, new cuisine… It’s very important because you learn when you travel.
A. K. : Especially for architects it has to do with the idea of feeling architecture and space. There’s no way that you can do that through photographs. You have to go there and experience it.
M. K. : When you see a photo of a building, you see the photographer’s point of view of the building, which is very strong. When you visit it, you get a chance to see it your way, to get to experience its interior. Because it’s not only what you see from the outside, the volume, it’s how you feel, how you smell, how you understand it.
What is the added value that architecture creates within a city?
M. K. : In our country, Greece, it’s a serious problem, because in the past 20 years architecture has not been a cultural aspect for any government. Not a single public building has been realized by an architect. Everything is decided after a competition, depending on who has the lowest price. In Paris it’s exactly the opposite. They put money on architecture. They think it’s very important for their city, for the visitors of their city and for the history of their city.
A. K. : I believe that there are societies that value architecture and societies that don’t. And I think, because architecture is an important cultural aspect, our society has to take care of architecture and spend more money, more thinking on what is the role of architecture. The fact that our society is not so sensitive when it comes to architecture has to do with our cultural level and the way that we understand the world. We have to be more serious about it.
How would you characterize modern architecture nowadays?
A. K. : I believe it is struggling to find a way to express new social situations and new social formations. I think that architecture at the moment, modern, contemporary architecture, is struggling to find its way towards the new century.
Is the world financial crisis an opportunity for everyone to reconsider the ways that we design and construct the buildings and the urban environment?
A. K. : It could be. We shouldn’t be pessimistic.
This is the situation we’re in at the moment, and now we’re facing problems
that are quite dangerous for the society as a whole. But I think, as history
shows, we have to survive in a different way.
M. K. : It’s time for things to change. I don’t like the fact that we’re now in a crisis, but nonetheless there’s some kind of overspending and decadence. Even in buildings. They are expensive without reason; houses very big without reason. Now, they could go back to a more reasonable scale and the money spent on buildings should be the money that is necessary.
Does Architecture as a profession need empowerment? In which ways should this be done?
M. K. : If we talk about Greece, it certainly needs empowerment in the sense that architecture should become part of the culture of the country. They should try and promote architecture in Greece and generally in Europe. For example, in Spain architecture is a cultural thing. The people of the Spanish embassy in Athens try to bring Spanish architects either to talk at universities or organize an exhibition. That is something that the Greek government has never thought of. The parameter of promoting architecture and promoting architecture means promoting the culture of the country.
In recent years attention turns to green urban regeneration. Do you think that it is imperative for the city or it’s just a new fashion with economic outcomes and covertly interests?
A. K. : I think we’re facing an entirely new phenomenon of the latest century; the phenomenon of urbanization. We thought that the 20th century was the century of urban growth, but now we can see that the expansion of the phenomenon is out of control. So, I believe that the question of a new balance between the nature and the city is going to be very crucial. It’s not something that will end soon. But, we have to be serious in order to maintain that new balance between architecture, city and nature. We have to take up new ideas. We need new ideas as we are facing a new urban growth that has nothing to do with the past.
At the end, can you please provide your personal proposal of 10 buildings (constructed and visitable) which you think as the most important worldwide that someone must visit anyway?
- Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao
- Mies van der Rohe in Berlin
- Agia Sofia in Istanbul
But we cannot really say ten, because it will not be fair.
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