Kokkinou Kourkoulas Architects

The architectural office Kokkinou-Kourkoulas | Architects and Associates was founded by Maria Kokkinou and Andreas Kourkoulas in 1987. With studies in Athens and London, the founders have worked professionally on numerous public and private buildings, at every scale of design. Their work is regularly published both in Greece and abroad. Recently, the practice has incorporated the team of en-route architecture with Katerina Kourkoulas and Hannes Livers Gutberlet, continuing Kokkinou-Kourkoulas’ pursuit of new typologies, inventive construction solutions, and innovative materials. We spoke with Andreas Kourkoulas about the long journey of the practice and its future, as it is shaped by three decades of accumulated experience.

S.M.: You belong to a generation that explored in many ways the relationship between architecture and the city. To what extent did your studies in London allow you to interpret Athens differently? What do you think of its evolution over time?

Andreas Kourkoulas: I belong to a generation that lived through the nightmare of applying the ideas of modern urbanism -the ideas that dominated the development of industrial cities especially after World War II. These applications led to tragic social phenomena: loneliness, abandonment, vandalism -and ultimately, to a large extent, they were demolished. In the 1980s, both internationally and particularly in London, the realization of this tragic failure led to the rise of architectural movements that opposed the views of modern urbanism. Greece, due to the “antiparochi” (apartment-for-land-exchange) system, avoided this nightmare. The structure of the city block and the street ensured a certain social vitality in the city. For this reason, the discussion around the problems of urban design did not concern us. The issue of the character of Greek cities, and Athens in particular, first appeared in the early 1990s, in the introduction written by Kenneth Frampton to the Greek edition of History of Modern Architecture(Themelio Publications). There, the author praises the structure of the city and its strong social character. I believe that the advent of the internet, a new and powerful mechanism of intangible relationships, places urban design on a new footing. The structure of the city block and the street seems to ensure a kind of social vitality that is absolutely essential in new societies, where online communication reduces physical encounters.

S.M.: Alongside your architectural work, you have also had a significant teaching role at the School of Architecture at NTUA. What do you consider the most important problems in architectural education in Greece, and where do you think architectural education is heading internationally?

A.K.: In Greece, for reasons we do not fully understand, architectural studies have a very strong appeal. The existence of six schools throughout the country, as well as the large number of Greeks studying architecture abroad, is something inexplicable to us. It should concern us, but above all, we must find a way to utilize this vast potential that exists internationally -Greeks who hold important positions at leading universities and architectural practices worldwide. We must break our introversion and participate actively in the international architectural discourse. Spain and Portugal did this with great success, with spectacular results.

S.M.: Greek legislation provides different procedures for the commissioning of studies for public spaces and buildings. In which cases do you think open architectural competitions are the best procedure? Is it important for architects’ professional bodies to act as institutional advisors to the state?

A.K.: The issue of open architectural competitions for public spaces and buildings should concern us. On the one hand, they are the cornerstone of a democratic, participatory process, offering opportunities for expression to everyone —especially to young architects. On the other hand, we must reflect on and evaluate the outcomes of this process, which was adopted after the restoration of democracy. Something went wrong, something undermined this procedure, and its results do not justify it. We need to re-examine the process and upgrade it. This is very important for Greek architecture, and particularly for young architects.

Read the full interview in ek issue 293 | December 2024.