the blog

ORIZZONTALE (Italy)

Orizzontale is an architecture collective based in Rome whose primary interests are reactivation processes involving urban scrap. Intercepting places, ideas and things rejected from metropolitan (re)productive cycles, Orizzontale activates collaborative “public acts” in the form of semi-permanent architecture or installations, in which material and immaterial wastes mutually restore each other’s meaning. Since 2010 Orizzontale has been promoting do-it-yourself projects of common relational spaces, giving form to both dismissed and unseen images of the city. These projects represent the ground for experimenting new kinds of interactions between city dwellers and urban commons as well as occasions to test the boundaries of architectural creation process. more

W1 theme : Dimarxeiou Municipal Park The workshop will focus on the construction of a DIY relational device to investigate possible interactions between city dwellers and urban common spaces. Since most of these projects are mobile and temporary, the use of recycled material becomes important in terms of environmental and economic sustainability. It also stimulates creativity and reduces standardization, imposing a particular substance and resiliency components to the design process. map | W1 Proposal | Video 1 | Video 2

Jorge Martin MARKO & PLACEMAKERS (UK)

 Jorge Martin MARKO & PLACEMAKERS (UK)

Jorge is an architect, urban designer and researcher working in the interdisciplinary realm amongst urban studies, political science, social sciences and design, keen on bridging disciplines and knowledge. Holds an MSc in City Design and Social Science at London School of Economics and PhD from the Bartlett School of Planning at UCL. Jorge practiced with West8 (Rotterdam), Cero9/AMID Arquitectura (Madrid) and Josep Llinàs (Barcelona). Jorge joined Marko&Placemakers in 2013 to work on both urban design and research-led projects. His research focuses on the relationship between collective action and urban design, its implications on urban governance and the construction of social networks regarding urban public space. more

Jorge will be joined by Mehtap Leyla Turanalp (Turkey & USA) is a City and Urban Planner graduate of Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University in Istanbul. She is Currently working as a Research Assistant for Prof. Rafi Segal at MIT in Boston. Leyla is also an Associate of ECOWEEK and contributing author in the ECOWEEK Book#1.

W2 theme : The Water-Front in Sissi The workshop project is in the agenda of the Municipality to develop. The aim of the workshop is to discuss and reconsider the design project of the waterfront and begin (or continue) a process of public engagement that might help the municipality and the local actors to develop a new project for the area, one that manages to (a) respect the natural environment of the area, (b) organise the urban environment for its human activity. The main idea is to design a strategy for the public engagement and participation, which can include design principles and preliminary design ideas for the area. map | W2 Proposal

Chris Doray CHRIS DORAY STUDIO (Canada) 

Chris Doray CHRIS DORAY STUDIO (Canada) 

Born and raised in Singapore, completed his graduate studies at the Bartlett School of Architecture in London. He established CDS in 2007 and began a new era of national and international collaborative work, notably in Asia where there are many of the greatest opportunities for experimental designs which have real development possibilities. During all this time, his teaching escapades at Emily Carr University of Art + Design and in Europe has remained a constant and passionate endeavour while presenting the perfect venue for nurturing a new and bold generation of designers and architects. He has participated as guest critic in schools, presented at conferences, and invited to jury panels on international competitions. He is also a Chartered Member of the Royal Institute of British Architects. Chris will be joined at this workshop by his Design Associate, Pooya Khaliliaraghi who brings a wealth of sensibilities from a host of multi-faculty skillsets ranging from virtual architecture to film during the design process. more

W3 theme : The Water-Front as a City-Facade The workshop will engage with an actual project that is in the agenda of the local Municipality to develop. Ideas and proposals from the workshop may be further developed and implemented. Workshop brief: The current global paradigm appears to be revolving around ideas that seek alternate solutions. While the built-environment in the c.20th focused solely on form and function, the present architectural debates deal more with boundaries, adjacencies and clean-energy. Clearly this paradigm-shift is an unconditional attempt to amalgamate culture, nature and technology.  The workshop will attempt to incorporate a traditional Greek 'Maiandros' and empower it with an Eastern culture to re-think and re-invent; both the meaning and the role that “patterns and layering” might play as spatial organizers and generative elements in the civic realm.  A new ‘urban armature’ with its privileged position between land and the sea will be fashioned to become a transitional space - a natural space that borders the two opposing worlds. map | W3 Proposal

Dr. Galia Hanoch Roe SOCIETY FOR PROTECTION OF NATURE (israel) 

Dr. Galia Hanoch Roe SOCIETY FOR PROTECTION OF NATURE (israel) 

Director of the Tel-Aviv–Jaffa Metropolitan Area Chapter. Galia  is a landscape architect, a graduate of Rutgers University Lanscape Architecture program, and a graduate of Yale Univesity and CUNY Graduate School with a doctorate in Music.  She has worked as a landscape architect at LRK Princeton and "Minaad" firms in Israel and has led her own private firm which specialized in participatory planning of public spaces.  Galia has lectured and published widely. As director of the Tel-Aviv Municipal Area Community of the  SPNI, Galia is leading an array of activities in the realm of nature preservation, community and sustainability, community gardens and residents'  forums.

Galia will be joined by Elias Messinas  ECOAMA & ECOWEEK (Greece) architect and environmental consultant, educator and social entrepreneur, member of the American Institute of Architects, graduate of Yale School of Architecture, Environmental Design Dept. of Bezalel Academy, and holds a doctorate from the National Technical University of Athens. He attended the M.Sc. program on Environment and Development at NTUA. Elias teaches sustainable design and is the author of numerous articles, two books, and the editor of several catalogues and the first upcoming ECOWEEK publication ECOWEEK The Book#1: 50 Voices for Sustainability. Elias is the founding chairman and coordinator of ECOWEEK. more

W4 theme : Re-thinking the green school : The workshop will engage in design and hands-on construction with ecological and recycled materials of medium-scale interventions in a public school open space. The design and construction will take place in collaboration with the students and parents. The workshop is an opportunty to learn on sustainable design and to work with real materials, while leaving behind structures that will benefit the local student community. map | W4 Proposal

Theodora Kyriafini & Fotini Lymperiadou EUZEN ARCHITECTURE (Greece)

Theodora Kyriafini & Fotini Lymperiadou EUZEN ARCHITECTURE (Greece)

EuZen is an International award-winning architecture office integrating landscape, natural laws and human needs in a sustainable way. 'euZen Architecture' aims to create spaces that offer wellness, health and joy through bioclimatic, ecological and holistic design. ‘euZen Architecture’ was founded by Theodora Kyriafini, Dipl.-Ing. Technische Hochschule Darmstadt, Germany, Fotini Lymperiadou, DipArch University College London, UK and Androniki Lymperiadou, DipArch Kingston University, UK in 2006 in Thessaloniki  In 2013 the office developed into a limited partnership company with two more members, Constantinos Despotidis and Antonia Efthimiadou, both Dipl. Arch. A.U.Th. in order to undertake large scale architectural public works. 'euZen Architecture' specializes among others in high quality resort, spa and holistic wellness centers, as well as in education facilities. Collaborator: Nikolaos Protogeros, MSc in Environmental Engineering, Simulation Consultant. more

W5 theme : Re-thinking of the public school in Agios Nikolaos: Design interventions in a school yard and a sustainable retrofit for the school facade. Learn how to design and evaluate green interventions, with the possibility of some of the proposals to be implemented by the local Municipality. map | W5 Proposal | Video

SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY OF CRETE (Greece)

Panos Parthenios is Associate professor of Architectural Design with Digital Media and the director of Graduate Studies at the School of Architecture. He runs the Digital Media Lab since 2010. A 2000 Fulbrighter, holds a doctorate degree from Harvard GSD and a recipient of “Europe 40 Under 40” Award from the European Centre for Architecture Art Design and Urban Studies in 2009. Co-founder of Parthenios architects+associates, working on a wide range of of projects. His research interests focus on smart and sustainable buildings, interactive media, music and architecture, advanced 3D visualizations for architecture and cultural heritage.

Anna Karagianni Adjunct Lecturer at the School of Architecture of the Technical University of Crete, teaches Architectural Design and Digital Media, while conducting her PhD thesis, focusing on the interrelation of computation, sustainability and design in the field of Smart Cities and Social Innovation. She earned her Master of Science degree in Advanced Architectural Design from the Graduate School of Architecture Planning and Preservation of Columbia University in New York under Mentzelopoulos scholarship. Collaborated with Carlos Ferrater (Barcelona) and Buerger-Katsota Architects (Athens), and is as a co-founder of EA2K Architects and as a partner of ANT Construction Engineering Gp.

W6 theme : Environmental Interiorities: The workshop intends to explore the interrelation between tourist behavioural patterns and the environment. In the framework of One-Planet-Living Principles, participants will design, restore and regenerate actual sites of the city, while identifying the basic environmental and social parameters that enhance space attraction. Parameters such as CO2 concentration, sunlight, temperature, humidity and noise levels will act as the agents of the interactive, multi-layer, urban mapping and will set the goals of new urban sustainable strategies. map | W6 Proposal | Video

Kristell VanHove LIMNI (Belgium) with local architect(s) / builder(s) 

Kristell VanHove LIMNI (Belgium) with local architect(s) / builder(s) 

Kristell moved to Crete 14 years ago and is intensely involved in the revalidation of an old olive tree field for the past 7 years. In the meantime, this initiative evolved to an eco-agro-tourist project, called LIMNI (means ‘lake’ in Greek). This is an holistic and dynamic approach based on  respect for this beautiful and inspiring place, for nature, tradition, ancient inhabitants and future generations. At the moment, the LIMNI site has two eco houses and a shelter for seminars and activities under construction. Main materials used are stone, wood, straw and earth. more | more | map

W7 theme : Actual hands-on work at the Limni site in Agios Nikolaos. Experience natural materials in company of the eco-builders of LIMNI and engage in the construction of an outdoor oven and a free-style sitting area among olive trees. Will be working with stone, wood, straw and earth, learning the different materials and building techniques. The outline and footprint will be discussed and laid out at the beginning of the workshop and the creativity of building will focus more on working out details on one-to-one scale with the actual materials on the site. The workshop will take place at LIMNI. Greek, French, English and Albanian are spoken and no specific knowledge of architecture or construction is prerequisite except the desire to 'get hands dirty', learn from the masters, and get in close contact with natural materials and their secrets.| W7 Proposal

Yiorgos Sakellaris

W8 : Yiorgos Sakellaris NATURAL BUILDING OF CRETA (Greece) with local architect(s) / builder(s) (Greece)  more | more | More details will be posted shortly.

W8 theme : Work in a site about 1.5 klm from the center of Agios Nikolaos with natural materials where the group will engage in actual construction of a small pilot residential structure using ecological materials such as earth tubes (γεώσακους), wood and stone. The outline and footprint of the structure may be partly delineated before the workshop and discussed in detail during the workshop, and part of the foundation built but will be presented and explained to the group. The educational part of the work will be in 3 parts: (a) Presentation and explanation of ecological construction methods and materials (b) Wall contruction, including integration of electromechanical systems, window and door openings, and (c) Plastering of walls. The group will be learning about ecological materials, of techniques and tricks and working out details on one-to-one scale. | W8 Proposal