9th Biennale of Young Greek Architects

The 9th Biennale of Young Greek Architects is hosted once more at the Benaki Museum in Athens. The event is organised by the Hellenic Institute of Architecture (Heliarch), as part of its activities for the promotion of contemporary Greek architecture, while ek magazine is a strategic partner for the biennale. The exhibition is open to the public until 25 November.

The aim of the Biennale of Young Greek Architects is to gather a representative sample of contemporary designs and creations of young architects, support new firms and promote the exchange of views on the development of architectural thought in Greece today. Establishing the biennale was one of the first actions of the then-newly-founded Heliarch, in 1995. Hundreds of architects, spanning an entire generation, have since had the chance to showcase their work at the event. The 9th Biennale highlights the current status of Greek architecture, designed during a period of severe economic crisis.

In order to be eligible for participation at the Biennale, architects must not be of up to 45 years of age, and applications can be made for both conceptual and realised projects, provided that they correspond to actual design assignments. 139 participations were submitted to the 9th Biennale, among which 58 regarding completed projects from all parts of Greece, including some buildings from outside the country.

Due to the high overall quality of the participations, a total of 72 projects were selected, with sizes ranging from a miniscule summer residence hut to a theme park of thousands of acres. Approximately one third of the projects submitted are residential, while a large number of contestants have been distinguished in national and international competitions.

At this year’s edition, the Hellenic Institute of Architecture decided to upgrade the role of the selection committee, inviting important theorists and architects to examine the designs submitted and chose the projects for the exhibition. Thus, visitors of the exhibition have the opportunity to read the texts accompanying each exhibit, analyzing the judges’ choices.

The five-member committee consists of Elias Constantopoulos, President of the Hellenic Institute of Architecture and architects, Konstantina Kalfa, Theoni Xanthi, Panos Tsakopoulos and Kostas Tsiambaos.The curators of the exhibition are Christina Papadimitriou, Marianna Milioni and Elias Constantopoulos.

Click here for a complete catalogue of the selected projects (in Greek).