There is hope for Athens
Richard Economakis: «Even our city, Athens, can be saved, as long as there is good will, a knowledge of tradition and good taste. The greatest obstacle is the inability of the professional establishment to accept traditional means of expression as applicable to new buildings and not only the restoration of old ones. Let us not forget that modern Greek concrete jungles consist of buildings that are rendered useless by the slightest damage because builders do not use traditional construction techniques. Therefore they are only habitable for about 40 or 50 years. So postwar Athens will unavoidably have to be rebuilt. «If we manage to overcome the modernist complex of the zeitgeist and turn to tradition, not just as a means of aesthetic improvement but as a real springboard for the creative spirit, then our cities will gradually become more human. I remember something that Sloane Elliott, editor of the magazine «The Athenian» once told me: ‘How tragic that after centuries, Greece should have prospered during the ugliest architectural phase in history,’ he said. «One often hears the argument that the ugliness of modern cities is not due to architects but to civil engineers who are responsible for most of the buildings. However, the official acceptance of modernism, as formulated by architects, and the rejection at state level of the model of traditional architecture, has allowed our engineers to get away with all forms of mediocrity. Their designs are pervaded with with the same, raw industrial aesthetics espoused by modernism. «We must urgently revise the building code and town planning regulations and destigmatize the idea of tradition in a technologically advanced age,» he said. Michael Lykoudis: «Judging from what we see around us, things are serious. The spread of suburbia, poor construction and the lack of a common architectural and town-planning language have created one of the most problematic environments. The problem is not only architectural. Central Athens still functions as a traditional city. People who live in Pangrati or Koukaki can still do most of their business on foot. «Suburbanization is the greatest problem we are dealing with. Fortunately, many suburbs are also built in the «traditional» manner – shopping centers close to homes so people don’t need to use their car for everything. Yet there are serious problems stemming from the absence of a town plan which could solve environmental problems such as the flooding during heavy rain. The crude architectural environment forces people to escape the ugliness and disorder at weekends. «The architectural problem could be solved relatively quickly if a common will existed. It begins with architectural education at universities and continues with new, well-designed architectural works that are actually carried out, which is partly a political issue. Another problem is that at the moment there is no dialogue on this issue so that the public can acquire new ideas. Once a dialogue is initiated, I think that slowly things will change. Greeks need the possibility of choice in architecture; at the moment that choice does not exist.»
