Their First Buildings

An Architectural contest for graduate and post graduate students, from Greek schools of Architecture and Greek Students from foreign universities. An international jury will select the models to be exhibited in Athens Concert Hall. The curator of the exhibition, the architect Memos Filippidis, explains why "their first buildings" were selected as the theme of the first organization of Great.

The first initiative of Great chooses to highlight students of architecture. How important are “their first buildings, in which budget does not exist, bypassing -as evidenced by the statistics- squares, houses, apartment blocks? What is it that drives many architects to bypass the assignments that they would normally take after graduation and into their schools they are attempting to design larger-scale projects?

The opportunity to choose a site, a program and the size of a building is a unique and paradoxical moment when client and architect identify. Perhaps this is the invaluable moment when the personal talent may be unfolded. I would say that these are not just “Ideal projects”, but also that at that moment the ideal working method seems to be available “ideal” working method to reach the “ideal” result.

It is under these circumstances that innovation replaces compromise; integration into urban landscape takes the place of absolute indifference to context; sustainability replaces the total disregard of the environment.

Furthermore, Greek Architects, during their education, are usually closer to the international developments, either being students abroad or through bibliography and libraries. As such, they have the opportunity of an aperture to what’s happening at a global scale – something that later in their professional lives is limited.

The more we are concerned about the interchange between Greek and foreign architects (that until now is represented by distinguished international architects lecturing here in Athens in our country and our national participation in Architectural Biennale of Venice) the more importance these students’ projects gain and the more crucial is an international jury who will select the projects to be exhibited in Athens Concert Hall.