Aris Konstantinidis (; 4 March 1913 – 18 September 1993) was a Greek

modernist Modernism is both a philosophical and arts movement that arose from broad transformations in Western society during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The movement reflected a desire for the creation of new forms of art, philosophy, an ...

architect. Aris Konstantinidis was born in Athens and studied architecture at the

Technical University of Munich The Technical University of Munich (TUM or TU Munich; german: Technische Universität München) is a public research university in Munich, Germany. It specializes in engineering, technology, medicine, and applied and natural sciences. Establis ...

from 1931 to 1936, where he came into contact with the

Modern Movement Modernism is both a philosophy, philosophical and arts movement that arose from broad transformations in Western world, Western society during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The movement reflected a desire for the creation of new fo ...

in architecture. He returned to Greece in 1936 and worked for the Town Planning Department of the city of Athens and for the Ministry of Public Works. He was appointed head of the Workers Housing Organisation from 1955 to 1975 and from 1957 to 1967 of the Technical Service of the

Greek National Tourism Organisation The Greek National Tourism Organisation ( el, Εθνικός Οργανισμός Τουρισμού, ''Ethnikos Organismos Tourismou''), often abbreviated as GNTO ( el, EOT) is the governmental Board for the promotion of tourism in Greece. It fun ...

, where he planned and oversaw the construction of a series of workers' houses and Xenia hotels. At the same time, Konstantinidis planned and realised several private projects like the emblematic Weekend House in Anavyssos.Giamarelos, S. (2014). The Art of Building Reception: Aris Konstantinidis behind the Global Published Life of his Weekend House in Anavyssos (1962–2014). Architectural Histories, 2(1), Art. 22. DOI: http://doi.org/10.5334/ah.bx He devoted extensive study to the anonymous architecture of Greece and between 1947 and 1953 published three books in which he examined particular examples of this type of architecture. In 1975 he published a comprehensive book concerning the anonymous architecture of Greece, entitled ''Elements of Self-knowledge: Towards a true architecture'', in which it is apparent how much he was influenced by the architectural tradition of his homeland and how he drew lessons from the past to develop an architecture for his time. In his last book, entitled ''Theoktista'' ("God-built"), the architect once again underlined his belief that anonymous architecture as well as the landscape of Greece itself constituted the foundations on which modern architectural practice could and should be grounded. He taught at the Zurich Polytechnic as a visiting professor. In 1978 he received an honorary doctorate from the

University of Thessaloniki A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, the ...

. He was appointed a corresponding member of the

Academy of Fine Arts, Munich The Academy of Fine Arts, Munich (german: Akademie der Bildenden Künste München, also known as Munich Academy) is one of the oldest and most significant art academies in Germany. It is located in the Maxvorstadt district of Munich, in Bavaria, ...

. Through his work, Aris Konstantinidis created architectural solutions unique in Greece, which gave birth to a modern Greek architecture.

Personal life

In 1951 Konstantinidis married the famous Greek sculptor

Natalia Mela Natalia Mela (Greek: Ναταλία Μελά; 1923–14 April 2019) was a Greek sculptor. She was the granddaughter of the fighter of the Macedonian Struggle Pavlos Melas and wife of architect Aris Konstantinidis. Biography Natalia Mela born ...

. They had two children: Dimitris Konstantinidis is also an architect and Alexandra Tsoukala is a light designer.

Notable works

* Weekend House in Anavyssos * Ioannina Archaeological Museum *

Xenia Hotel {{for, Xenia Hotels & Resorts in Florida, Xenia Hotels & Resorts Xenia (Ξενία) was a nationwide hotel construction program initiated by the Hellenic Tourism Organisation (Ελληνικός Οργανισμός Τουρισμού, E.O.T.) ...

Kalambaka Kalabaka ( el, Καλαμπάκα, ''Kalabáka'', alternative transliterations are ''Kalambaka'' and ''Kalampaka'') is a town and seat of the municipality of Meteora in the Trikala regional unit, part of Thessaly in Greece. The population was ...

Mykonos Mykonos (, ; el, Μύκονος ) is a Greek island, part of the Cyclades, lying between Tinos, Syros, Paros and Naxos. The island has an area of and rises to an elevation of at its highest point. There are 10,134 inhabitants according to the ...

* Komotini Archaeological Museum *

Olympia The name Olympia may refer to: Arts and entertainment Film * ''Olympia'' (1938 film), by Leni Riefenstahl, documenting the Berlin-hosted Olympic Games * ''Olympia'' (1998 film), about a Mexican soap opera star who pursues a career as an athlet ...

* Low-income housing in

Athens Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...

* Low-income housing in Irakleio * Low-income housing in

Serres Sérres ( el, Σέρρες ) is a city in Macedonia, Greece, capital of the Serres regional unit and second largest city in the region of Central Macedonia, after Thessaloniki. Serres is one of the administrative and economic centers of Northe ...

* Low-income housing in Pyrgos

Written works

* 1947- ''Two "Villages" from Mykonos'' (''Δυο "Χωριά" από τη Μύκονο'') * 1950 - ''Old Athenian Houses'' (''Τα παλιά Αθηναϊκά σπίτια'') * 1953 - ''Country churches of Mykonos'' (''Ξωκλήσια της Μυκόνου'') * 1972 - ''Vessels for Life or The problem of a genuine architecture'' (''Δοχεία Ζωής ή το πρόβλημα για μια αληθινή αρχιτεκτονική'') * 1975- ''Elements for self-knowledge - towards a true architecture'' (''Στοιχεία αυτογνωσίας - Για μιαν αληθινή αρχιτεκτονική'') * 1978 - ''True contemporary architecture'' (''Σύγχρονη Αληθινή Αρχιτεκτονική'') * 1987 - ''On architecture'' (''Για την Αρχιτεκτονική'') * 1987 - ''Sinners and thieves or The take-off of architecture'' (''Αμαρτωλοί και κλέφτες ή Η απογείωση της αρχιτεκτονικής'') * 1989 - ''Forwards from forthcoming books'' (''Τα προλεγόμενα / από τα βιβλία που βρίσκονται στα σκαριά'') * 1991 - ''Wretched timeliness - The golden Olympics - The Acropolis Museum'' (''Η άθλια επικαιρότητα - Η χρυσή ολυμπιάδα - Το μουσείο της ακρόπολης'') * 1992 - ''Experiences and facts - an autobiographical narrative'' (''Εμπειρίες και περιστατικά - μια αυτοβιογραφική διήγηση'') * 1992 - ''The architecture of architecture - Notes from a Journal'' (''Η Αρχιτεκτονική της Αρχιτεκτονικής- Ημερολογιακά σημειώματα'') * 1992 - ''Aris Konstandinidis - Projects & Buildings'' (''Αρης Κωνσταντινίδης: Μελέτες και κατασκευές') * 1992 - "God-Built" ("Θεόκτιστα")

References

2. Kiourti, M. and Tsiambaos, K. "The architect, the resident, and a murder: the case of a house by Aris Konstantinidis". ''arq: Architectural Research Quarterly'', Volume 24, Issue 1, March 2020, pp. 83-94. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/S1359135520000093 * ''Aris Konstandinidis - Buildings & Projects'', Athens, Agra, 1991
"Biography (in Greek) of the architect"

External links

Xenia Hotel in Paliouri
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Konstantinidis, Aris 1913 births 1993 deaths Architects from Athens Greek art critics Technical University of Munich alumni ETH Zurich faculty 20th-century Greek architects Herder Prize recipients

Personal life

Notable works

Written works

See also

References

External links