To reflect on our relationship with nature, to redefine the materials we use in construction, to take advantage of the possibilities offered by artificial intelligence without losing our creativity. This is the prompt of this year’s conference YOU, the largest event for architecture and design in Greece, with the theme “Back to Earth: Nature, Materials, Sustainability & Artificial Intelligence”.
At the Concert Hall on May 22, leading architects from abroad, from the offices Herzog & de Meuron, Renzo Piano Building Workshop, Snøhetta and Ora Ito. The invited guests, each from their own starting point, will respond to the contemporary challenges facing architecture and construction, such as the necessity of applying the principles of bioclimatic architecture and the use of materials of organic origin.
Ora Ito: The meter of design with its motto “simplexity”
Even if you don’t belong to the field of design, you already know the first foreign speaker at ESO – if you drive a Citroën or Toyota, if you jog in Nike or Adidas sports shoes, if you are fascinated by Louis Vuitton’s ergonomic laptop bags. Or if you’re just interested in politics and are closely following the course of Emmanuel Macron. The French president was born in the same year as our guest, Ora Ito, whom he met while he was still François Hollande’s finance minister. The designer’s peer, whom Wallpaper ranked among the 40 most influential designers in the world already in 2011, stigmatized the French president who has held crucial televised debates leaning on the Cassina chair, a creation of Ito.
Born in Marseille in 1977 to a goldsmith father and an architect uncle, Ora Ito did not follow the beaten track, never completing his studies and declaring himself largely self-taught. He started his career by proposing innovative designs to large companies for their products, thus quickly gaining their appreciation. Today, its portfolio includes everything from bags and chairs to bicycles and hotels. Establishing as his motto “simplexity”, a mix between simplicity and complexity, the 47-year-old Frenchman first experimented with “figurative designs” and went on to redesign classic furniture giving them his personal touch, emphasizing the details. One of the most successful are the cassina chairs. The state-of-the-art electric bicycle “Angell” also has a special appeal. The editor in the newspaper Le Figaro praises not only the design, but also the ergonomics of this modern two-wheeler, which is suitable for ecological movement within the city. “It’s so light you can even place it in your living room to admire it,” enthuses the reviewer, among other things.
Andreas Fries: From Switzerland, to the whole planet
“The world is always changing and I think that has a direct impact – it should have a direct impact – on architecture. As architects we always interact with society, with people, with needs, with environments, with our planet.” This was the exhortation of Andreas Fries, architect and senior partner of the architecture firm Herzog & de Meuron, to budding architects he met last December at the leading architecture school Yacademy in Bologna. Two fellow architects, childhood friends since the mid-1950s, established their office in their hometown of Basel, Switzerland. Some of their most important works can be found there, which reflect their particular aesthetic. So, the restoration and expansion of the historic Musiksaal (originally built in 1876) on the famous Cultural Mile on the southern outskirts of the old town, the creation of the Helvetia campus in the center of Basel city with six different towers and the erection of an office complex stand out. where the principles of bioclimatic architecture are applied, HORTUS (within the geographical limits of Basel-Stadt). Herzon & de Meuron stand out for their ability to combine the functionality of spaces with aesthetics, but also for their intention to upgrade the public space.
The speech of Andreas Fries at this year’s ESO conference is expected with great interest, as he is the head of the projects, which have been designed so far, with the prospect of being done in Greece. We remind you that Herzog & de Meuron had, among other things, participated in the competition of the national archaeological museum (together with the Greek office AETER Architects). The Swiss office’s proposal was not selected, but it stood out, as it focused on the close connection of the museum to the surrounding area, namely the adjacent park and the neighborhood of Exarchia. The Swiss office is currently active in over 50 countries with more than 500 partners. We may not be home to one of their creations in Athens yet, but we’ve all admired the new Museum of Modern Art building in London – which used to be a power station. The Herzog & de Meuron office was awarded the Pritzker Prize in 2001 due, among other things, to the excellent management of the existing building and its history during its conversion into a museum.
At the Concert Hall on May 22, top architects from abroad will be in attendance, from Herzog & de Meuron, Renzo Piano Building Workshop, Snøhetta and Ora Ito
Olaf de Nooyer: Connecting Renzo Piano and the Sparta General Hospital Project
Representing the office Renzo Piano Building Workshop, together with the architect Olga Tourlomousi, responsible for the general hospital of Sparta, which is being implemented in collaboration with the Greek office BETAPLAN, which is to be built within the framework of the “Initiative for Health” of the Stavros Foundation Niarchos, he could not be absent from the ESO Conference. Dutchman Olaf de Nooyer, partner at Renzo Piano Building Workshop since 1989, has an impressive portfolio. He worked on the Grande Bigo, the landmark of Genoa, was responsible for the construction of the National Science Center in Amsterdam and the Astrup Fearnley Museum of Modern Art in Oslo, Norway. The activity of the 64-year-old architect is not limited to the European continent – iconic buildings and installations bear his stamp, such as Aurora Place in Sydney, Australia. the Academy of Sciences in San Francisco, JNBY in Hangzhou, and the Whittle School in Shenzhen, China. Details are eagerly awaited on the long-awaited hospital, which is expected to change the way we view hospital buildings and become a model for hospital design and construction in the future.
Jette Hopp: A pioneer of ecological design and architectural innovation
“I often go to the beach, which is in front of the house we live on a small island outside of Oslo, when I want to think,” said Jette Hopp in a recent speech at an architecture event. The last presenter comes from Norway, but she has experience from large construction projects all over the world. The museum project at the King Abdul Aziz Center for Knowledge and Culture in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, the Elbtower in Hamburg, the Operntower Düsseldorf, but also the Roshen Concert Hall in Kyiv bear her personal stamp. Architect Jette Hopp has been part of the Snøhetta office since 2005, which became internationally known thanks to the design and construction of the new Alexandria Library in Egypt. Born in Norway to a Norwegian architect mother and a Danish-German historian father, Hopp excels at the influence of landscape as an architect’s source of inspiration. In front of the audience at “Architects, not Architecture”, Hopp confessed that she wanted to be an artist, but turned to architecture for livelihood reasons so that she could be financially independent. Her first architectural recruits came from Scandinavian-style cabins, without electricity, like the one her parents had built when she was young, by the sea. The Norwegian architect, responsible for commissions and projects in Europe as well as the United Kingdom, is today considered a pioneer of ecological design and architectural innovation. Powerhouse Kjørbo in Sandvika, the first renovated building that produces more energy than it consumes, is her work. He has been appointed president of the jury for the Italian Architecture Prize in 2021, but also a judge in other competitions. Höpp is restless and creative at the same time – she teaches at the University of Technology and Design in Wismar, is an appointed Member of the Architecture Council of the City of Oslo, the Community of Oslo and Chair of the Advisory Council for Urban Planning of the municipality of Kiel, Germany. She did, however, find time to be “present” at ESO and to contribute her perspective to the debate on the role of architecture in the midst of the climate crisis.
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Tags: ESO international starchitects coming Greece
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