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Αρχή κειμένου
BIOCLIMATIC ARCHITECTURE IN ATHENS
The dominant trend in modern architecture in Athens was an attempt to become aligned with international currents while seeking to bring them in line with local conditions. At its best, this attempt resulted in a creative assimilation, or Hellenization of the prevalent modes: the eclecticism of the Ιcole des Beaux Arts of Paris at the end of the 19th century, Art Nouveau and the Jugendstil in the early 20th, Rationalism, modern Classicism and Art Dιco during the inter-war years, and finally the dominant trends of international architecture after WWII, i.e. the International Style, Neo-Historicism, Brutalism, Postmodernism, Late Modernism, Deconstructivism and Neo-Modernism. At its worst, we observe the incorrect application of international stylistic codes.
Two specific features distinguish urban architecture in the Greek capital: The heavy legacy of Athenian 19th century Neo-Classicism and the sentimental attachment of its creators to the indigenous vernacular tradition.
The role played by urban planners and architects in the development of modern Athens as well as the design of its most important buildings was marginal. This marginalization contributed to uncontrolled construction and the aesthetic downgrading of the urban landscape. Athens, however, never lacked for capable urban planners and gifted architects; rather the prerequisites for their creative activity were lacking, prerequisites that existed in other European cities. These unfavorable conditions give greater value to the struggle of true creators for architectural quality, and to their achievements and international honors. One of the objectives of this selection of buildings in Athens is to document the quality of the work of contemporary, and especially women architects, something difficult to perceive in the Greek capital’s chaotic landscape.
SOME EXEMPLES
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