Zaha hadId archItects In aZerbaIjan

Post World’s End ArchitEcturE

Greece

Words Gonzalo Herrero Delicado

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Though it’s the birthplace of democracy, today Greek citizens find it a hard concept to believe in, living, as

they do, in a country where financial independence is an impossible fiction, and where youth unemployment

has reached staggering heights. Nevertheless, as the fourth instalment of Post World’s End Architecture

shows, an emergent architectural scene is transcending the economic situation with

imagination and innovation

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Although architectural production has been deeply damaged by current socio-political and economic conditions, as a sector it is historically one of the most propitious in adapting to new circumstances. As in the other editions of the this series, examining emergent and resilient practitioners in Portugal, Spain and Italy, the 2008 financial crash and its ongoing reverberations have mainly affected small to medium-sized practices in Greece, with a marked emphasis on emerging firms. This emerging scene is adept however at turning disadvantages into advantages: renewing core architectural concerns, rethinking how the city and society should evolve, and experimenting with new methods of working that would, in more profitable and economically dynamic times, be rejected.

Two adjectives that could currently define the emerging architecture practices in Greece are radical and ethical. Young practices are exploring, without prejudices and often without the limitations of real commissions, new architecture goals and formats. Despite the undesirable absence of paid work — fallow periods are often romanticised without heed for practical necessities — it is undeniable that this sort of experimental and ideological creativity would not have been possible 10 years ago, when the prospect of making a profit was still a motivating possibility.

In the work of Aristide Antonas or Point Supreme for instance, one finds echoes of the Utopian urban projects of the Sixties and Seventies, when similar economic constraints on the possibility of construction led to a flourishing of polemic paper architecture. On the other side of the spectrum, we find risky proposals exploring new formats, which transgress the boundaries of architecture to enter into a field of art practice, as seen in the work of A Whale’s Architects or Andreas Angelidakis — the latter having taken part in the last edition of the Frieze art fair in London.

But perhaps a more accurate definition of the Greek predicament can be labelled as a process of ethical reflection. What went wrong? Why is it that our cities and buildings are not fulfilling societal needs? The importance of recognising local history, and of linking local relationships with larger global contexts, is nowadays more necessary than ever — inasmuch as every local action conceived as an accurate solution for specific

needs of a client, whether public or private, will have an effect on its broader environment. This can be recognised in the work of architects such as draftworks*, AREA or Divercity, among others.

Having researched the Post World’s End Architecture series across several issues of Blueprint and, in particular, engaging with many emergent practitioners within the particularities of the southern European context, one common thread seems to emerge: that the architect, as the traditional figure we know, will nevermore be able to practice an autonomous discipline. Rather the architect emerges as a detector of urban conditions to be improved as well as a connecting node between different professionals and experts. The phenomenon of the collective has developed — or regained, in opposition to the genius author of icons — a major role in the future of architecture, as seen in various permutations all across Europe. Although not as prevalent in the Greek contemporary scene as they are in Spain and Portugal, there are examples in this country that highlight the relevance of collaborative and cross-disciplinary practices; one such example discussed in the survey below is SARCHA (School of Architecture for All).

Optimism is something that has been broadly absent in recent years; however, new light can be seen at the end of the tunnel. The situation of architecture has changed radically and broadly optimistically since the early phases of the crisis. The concerns and overarching remit of the architects is completely different, and though undeniable difficulties persist, the future of European architecture as analysed in Post World’s End Architecture series seems, in some holistic way, more promising than ever before. A whole new generation of architects is ready to adapt to the human and spatial challenges found in any possible economic, social or urban condition.

1 (previous pages) & 2 – Athens Charting, by AREA, catalogues numerous informal urban actions. The hand-drawn model underlines the idea of direct action on the city fabric 2

& 3

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Research after city: AREAAfter studying in the United States, Styliani Daouti, Giorgos Mitroulias and Michaeljohn Raftopoulos established their professional design practice, AREA (Architecture Research Athens) in 2006. Part of their decision to relocate to Athens

was a will to actually realise their projects in the near future — seemingly impossible in the saturated and unforgiving context of New York where they met — but also because they wanted to be part of the recent dynamic transformations of the architectural landscape in their native country. AREA’s approach is heavily based on openness and discourse, through which both clients and designers expand their perception of projects into unforeseen territories. Although at first sight their work looks globalised, thanks to their international training, they have used a polished design aesthetic to bring the focus of Greek architecture to matters such as social engagement and environmental efficiency. One of AREA’s most acclaimed works is Athens Charting, a strategy to create a public space and regenerate a whole area by connecting four private buildings.areaoffice.gr

2 – Part spectacle, part urban survey; a painstaking paper model of Athens Charting, at the 13th Venice Architecture Biennale in 2012

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3 – Mosaic, AREA’s commended model for an bioclimatic school complex in Crete

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Zaha hadId archItects In aZerbaIjan

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