Greek Institute of Architects in New York to Launch Series of Events

After the successful exhibition at the Consulate General of Greece in New York City, the Greek Institute of Architects in New York (GIANY) is preparing a series of events, while trying to build a “bridge of cooperation” with Greece.

The next event planned is a lecture by world-renowned architect Elias Zengelis. In April, GIANY members will give a lecture at Harvard University in Boston.

Speaking to Athens-Macedonian News Agency, a member of the GIANY organizing committee said that they seek “an ongoing dialogue between New York and Greece, and a platform for exchanging ideas, experiences and expertise.”

Dozens of young Greek architects who live or study in New York City participated in the first exhibition, held in the building of the Consulate General of Greece in Manhattan. Apart from Institute members, several academics, architects and artists – many non-Greeks among them, and representatives of Greek-American institutions.

In the opening ceremony, organizers and guests were welcomed by the Consul General of Greece in New York, Georgios Iliopoulos.

Members of the exhibition’s organizing committee and curators were Electra Kontoroupi, Konstantinos Bouras, Ioannis Oikonomou, Fotinos  Soulos, Dimitra Tsachrelia and Evita Fanou.

Bouras, who studied architecture at the National Technical University of Athens and Urban Planning in the School of Architecture at Harvard University, said: “Curating the exhibition was a very interesting challenge due to the range of proposals that include built projects and utopias, research topics and ideas for competition, projects of all scales – from furniture design to redefining a city, in platitudes across the planet.”

Kontoroupi, a graduate of Columbia University said: “What was really interesting was that the exhibition involved graduates of most Greek schools of architecture, such as Athens, Thessaloniki, Patras and Volos, demonstrating the fact that architectural education in Greece has a very strong foundation.”

Tsachrelia, who graduated from the School of Architecture at the University of Patras and also does graduate studies at Columbia University, said: “The goal is to present the work of young Greek architects and develop a dialogue on culture, new ideas and activities between colleagues in Greece and New York.”

GIANY was founded in 2013. Its members are architects who work in architectural offices in New York, teaching at American universities and work as freelancers in the United States and Greece. GIANY plays a central role in the Greek architecture community as a platform for exchanging ideas, project support and promotion of Greek architects in both the United States and Greece.