ktiriothiki is a non-existent word that was created to describe a project related to the architectural heritage of Athens, Greece. It comes from the Greek words “κτήριο” (ktirio=building) and “θήκη” (théke=case) and it means a repository of buildings, a place were building information is stored, similarly to e.g. a bookcase.[…]
Pikionis: Filopappou-Acropolis
when the poetry of photography meets poetic architecture… How Hélène Binet’s photographs changed the way we look at architecture Πικιώνης: Φιλοπάππου-Ακρόπολη όταν η ποίηση της φωτογραφίας συναντά την ποιητική αρχιτεκτονική… Photo by Hélène Binet from Architectural Record ΙΙΙ.2019 “An image for me should never be[…]
Offsite construction: the dawn of a new era?
If you live and work in the UK, especially in the southern territories, you must have come across the severe housing shortage in one way or another and felt on your skin (and pocket) the lack of affordable and decent accommodation options. Despite the government’s flamboyant declarations to promote the[…]
The Art of Structural Engineering: Vaults
Every now and then I like to check edX’s MOOC course list and see what’s on offer. Depending on my mood I may pick a self-paced course to learn a completely new subject, such as Machine Learning & AI basics or pick a course from my favourite subjects, such as[…]
The legacy of Prof. David P. Billington: Integrating Engineering and Art
The books of David P. Billington* in chronological order: *Gordon Y.S. Wu Professor of Engineering, Princeton University For a more detailed review of his life and work, you may have a look at the paper below. Professor Ignacio Payá-Zaforteza & Professor Maria E. Moreyra Garlock (2019) Eminent Structural[…]
David P. Billington on Swiss Engineers
David Billington was a renown academic who coined the term “structural art”. A prominent scholar of Princeton University, a structural engineer and educator who taught generations after generations of engineers and transfused his passion for structures to students from 1958, when he joined Princeton as faculty, until his death, in[…]
Philippe Block: Reimagining Shell Structures
Professor Dr. Philippe Block leads the Block Research Group in ETH-Zurich. Philippe Block’s and BRG’s inspiring and innovative research draws its lessons from the study of long-forgotten engineering and architectural achievements, the art of masonry shell structures, and transcribes these lessons to a contemporary context, aiming to open new and[…]
Ludwig Wittgenstein’s resting place
Ascension Parish Burial Ground in Cambridge “…the limits of my language means the limits of my world…” — Ludwig Wittgenstein
C.P. Cavafy – Κ.Π. Καβάφης
Ιούνιος 1905 «Ένας νέος ποιητής μ’ επεσκέφθηκε. Ήταν πολύ πτωχός, εζούσε από την φιλολογική του εργασία, και με φαίνονταν σαν κάπως να λυπούνταν βλέποντας το καλό σπίτι που κατοικούσα, τον δούλο μου που τον έφερε ένα καλό σερβιτό τσάι, τα ρούχα μου τα καμωμένα σε καλό ράπτη. Είπε: «Τι φρικτό[…]
Kunstmuseum Basel, a feast of archi…texture!
In the LinkedIn archipelago of corporate information, we seldom see any articles about the actual design or the details of projects that impact our living environment. This is quite strange considering that our lives, professional and personal, are intrinsically connected to the built environment in multiple ways, either whether we[…]