Aristides Dallas: "Architecture actively participates in shaping the culture of each place"

Vision & Values

Mr. Dallas tell us about the vision and values that Aristides Dallas Architects stands for.

As architects, we have to listen to and interpret the needs and dreams of each employer, so that we can use our own thinking to create the ideal living experience for them. At the same time, we place our works on the axis of time. Our references are based on the past, but we build in the present with a constant eye on the future. During the composition process, the instinct of the artist "collides" with the knowledge of the craftsman and the scientist. For us, an architectural project, in order to "be moving", as Le Corbusier would say, places the needs of the user in a shell integrated with respect to its landscape and constructed with detail and care. It is successful when this combination is harmonious and consistent with its central idea.

Athens & Tinos

You have offices in Athens and Tinos. What is your relationship with these two heterogeneous regions and what are the specific characteristics that you take into account in the projects you undertake in each of them?

When we see a place, we always look for an idea so that the architecture can be harmoniously integrated. Every place needs a new compositional finding, a new central idea. Each architectural proposal thus becomes an occasion for a new interpretation. The fact that we work simultaneously in an office in the city centre and on an island where the natural landscape dominates, multiplies our references and stimuli. We develop thinking mechanisms that are adapted to the environment. In this way our works acquire an identity and are integrated into their environment in a unique way. Sometimes you build between high-rise concrete buildings, sometimes between trees and rocks.

Lap Pool House and ALUMIL

In 2022 the European Union's Mies van der Rohe Awards for Contemporary Architecture will take place and you have been nominated with your Lap Pool House project, an impressive residence in Tinos. In the project you worked with ALUMIL, using the company's advanced systems. With what design philosophy did you approach the task and how do you evaluate the contribution of ALUMIL's systems to the final result?

We are very happy that the project is nominated for the awards. The work is inspired by the particular geographical relief of the region and the strong rock formations. The structure of the building emerges from the natural landscape as a man-made cave, creating spaces that are closed, but also extroverted. The culmination of this direct relationship with the exterior is the living room. The boundary between inside and outside is lost and the space under the single plate of concrete appears to be uniform. This design intention was completed with the use of ALUMIL's special system for opening the space. This angular opening highlights the abstract design of the building and emphasizes the unification of the relationship between the inside and the outside and with the view to the horizon

Ecological crisis

The great challenge of our time is to address the ecological crisis through a complete restructuring of our habits and the adoption of environmentally friendly processes in all aspects of our lives. How do you perceive the current situation around the issue of sustainability and how do these issues affect your work?

Reading the needs of today, we consider it our duty to reduce the environmental footprint of every project and adopt strategies that will help us create environmentally and user-friendly buildings. The issue with architecture is twofold. On the one hand, how can we manage to build "green" buildings, on the other hand, how can we reuse the shells that remain and weigh down the built and natural environment. It is imperative that we use new material and manufacturing technology and find a way to integrate it into our design. This is the moment for all of us to act in this direction.

The importance of architecture

In 2020, ALUMIL organized ArXellence 2, an international architectural competition, on the redesign of the western coastal front of Thessaloniki, in terms of sustainability and sustainable development. Do you believe that there is hope for the transformation of degraded areas in the urban environment of Greek cities?

Architecture - not only today but since its birth - is addressed to the resident. To every resident. Therefore, architecture is directly linked to the aesthetic and cultural education of each place. A building that is built, inhabited by its user but at the same time participates in the spatial collage of its wider environment. It is returning a part to the community. This condition automatically opens an unconscious dialogue between buildings and citizens. Thus architecture, like any art or science, actively participates in shaping the culture of each place. It jointly formulates the vision of society, i.e. the image of the future. The hope comes from the effort that society and the state as an institution will make to upgrade this culture.

What is good architecture

Which iconic architectural work of the past do you admire over time?

Studying architecture teaches you to observe and study existing examples of architecture implemented or not by past teachers. You look to them for the principles of design, the starting point of the thread for how to design space. The proportions, the relationship between spaces, light and shadow are the qualities that one seeks and reads in the works. I could say that there is not one work that I personally pick, and it is certainly not necessarily iconic. Good architecture is found in the structure of the building and not on how famous it is.

Influences

As an architect, what do you consider to be your main influences? Is there an architect who early in your career played a role in shaping your personal style?

The architect who influenced my thinking on architecture the most is my professor Tasis Papaioannou. He made me understand the importance of observation. That architecture is in front of us if we find the right way to read it, to interpret it. In his thinking and work I saw common elements with Le Corbusier and Tadao Ando, two architects from the long list of architects who influence our own work. What I understood about these teachers is that their works showed their way of thinking, their central idea. This is the direction that I would like to follow in all my thinking about architecture.

The role of the team

In conclusion, Mr. Dallas, we would like you to say a few words about the people in your team. As we know you have a large team of young, as well as experienced architects at your side. Ultimately, the ingredient for success lies in talented partners, provided they are led by an inspiring coordinator?

In recent years the team has been growing. The way of working is changing and adapting to new circumstances. We see the group as a small orchestra. Everyone has a role but the result is always the combination of all of us. In a large team, the synthesis of all the different thoughts and opinions helps to produce well thought out and well-rounded projects.  This is unique and helps us to keep moving forward and discover new things all the time. The team helps to ensure that creative thinking receives constant feedback of new stimuli.