Elia Zenghelis
Encyclopedia
Elia Zenghelis is a Greek architect and teacher. He studied architecture at the Architectural Association School of Architecture, London
, completing his studies in 1961. From 1961 to 1971 he worked for architects Douglas Stephen and Partners, London, while also (from 1963) teaching at the Architectural Association under Hermann Senkowsky. Zenghelis became a prominent teacher at the school for introducing more radical avant-gardism into the curriculum. From 1971 to 1975 Zenghelis collaborated with various architects in London, Paris and New York: George Candilis, Michael Carapetian, Aristides Romanos, Rem Koolhaas
, O.M. Ungers and Peter Eisenman
.
(OMA), which he founded together with his wife Zoe Zenghelis and husband-and-wife Rem Koolhaas (Zenghelis' former student) and Madelon Vriesendorp.
From 1980 to 1987 Zenghelis was partner in charge of OMA London, and from 1982 to 1987 OMA Athens. Of the OMA works, Zenghelis was a central influence in the early works: Extension of the Dutch Houses of Parliament, The Hague
, 1978; Lutzowstrasse, IBA Berlin, 1981; Parc de la Villette
, Paris, 1982; Checkpoint Charlie
housing, IBA Berlin, 1990.
Several of the paintings that Elia Zenghelis made with Zoe Zenghelis to illustrate the OMA projects - such as Hotel Sphinx (1975), and Sixteen Villas on the Island of Antiparos, Greece (1981) - are now included in the Art and Design collection of the MOMA
in New York.
project, in which the city set up a series of invited architectural competitions among avant-gardist architects of the time (including Aldo Rossi
, Peter Eisenman
and Rob Krier) to design infills on sites throughout the city. OMA designed a structure adjacent to the infamous Checkpoint Charlie
site - at a time when the border control was still operating.
However, from 1992 onward, Zenghelis withdrew from active participation in the office, and from design, in favour of his first and true vocation - education, which by then occupied him almost continuously. He continued to lecture on the work of the office however and make occasional contributions.
The office's most prestigious and critically received completed scheme has been the Ashikita House of Youth (1996–1998) in Kumamoto, on the island of Kyūshū
, Japan
, commissioned by Kumamoto ArtPolis. http://www.pref.kumamoto.jp/traffic/artpolis/english/links/052b.html
to London: providing not only cross-pollination but a system of support across borders. By the late 60s the Architectural Association had become a breeding ground for radical ideas and even before I met Rem Koolhaas as a student in 2nd year I had left my job and centred my life at the school." (Zenghelis, "Statement of Intent", 2003)
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, completing his studies in 1961. From 1961 to 1971 he worked for architects Douglas Stephen and Partners, London, while also (from 1963) teaching at the Architectural Association under Hermann Senkowsky. Zenghelis became a prominent teacher at the school for introducing more radical avant-gardism into the curriculum. From 1971 to 1975 Zenghelis collaborated with various architects in London, Paris and New York: George Candilis, Michael Carapetian, Aristides Romanos, Rem Koolhaas
Rem Koolhaas
Remment Lucas Koolhaas is a Dutch architect, architectural theorist, urbanist and "Professor in Practice of Architecture and Urban Design" at the Graduate School of Design at Harvard University, USA. Koolhaas studied at the Netherlands Film and Television Academy in Amsterdam, at the Architectural...
, O.M. Ungers and Peter Eisenman
Peter Eisenman
Peter Eisenman is an American architect. Eisenman's professional work is often referred to as formalist, deconstructive, late avant-garde, late or high modernist, etc...
.
Metropolitanism
Zenghelis came to critical attention with the work of the Office for Metropolitan ArchitectureOffice for Metropolitan Architecture
OMA , is a Rotterdam based architecture firm of Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas.The firm was founded in 1975 by Rem Koolhaas and Elia Zenghelis with Madelon Vriesendorp and Zoe Zenghelis.-History:...
(OMA), which he founded together with his wife Zoe Zenghelis and husband-and-wife Rem Koolhaas (Zenghelis' former student) and Madelon Vriesendorp.
From 1980 to 1987 Zenghelis was partner in charge of OMA London, and from 1982 to 1987 OMA Athens. Of the OMA works, Zenghelis was a central influence in the early works: Extension of the Dutch Houses of Parliament, The Hague
The Hague
The Hague is the capital city of the province of South Holland in the Netherlands. With a population of 500,000 inhabitants , it is the third largest city of the Netherlands, after Amsterdam and Rotterdam...
, 1978; Lutzowstrasse, IBA Berlin, 1981; Parc de la Villette
Parc de la Villette
The Parc de la Villette is a park in Paris at the outer edge of the 19th arrondissement, bordering the Boulevard Périphérique, which is a ring road around Paris, and the suburban department of Seine-Saint-Denis.-History:...
, Paris, 1982; Checkpoint Charlie
Checkpoint Charlie
Checkpoint Charlie was the name given by the Western Allies to the best-known Berlin Wall crossing point between East Berlin and West Berlin during the Cold War....
housing, IBA Berlin, 1990.
Several of the paintings that Elia Zenghelis made with Zoe Zenghelis to illustrate the OMA projects - such as Hotel Sphinx (1975), and Sixteen Villas on the Island of Antiparos, Greece (1981) - are now included in the Art and Design collection of the MOMA
Moma
Moma may refer to:* Moma , an owlet moth genus* Moma Airport, a Russian public airport* Moma District, Nampula, Mozambique* Moma River, a right tributary of the Indigirka River* Google Moma, the Google corporate intranet...
in New York.
Mediterraneanism
Zenghelis' turn to designing bourgeois summer villas in Greece in the early 1980s marked a change in the dynamics of his work: the British architectural journal Architectural Design (no. 51, 1981) noted in regards to his houses in Antiparos, that "Since Elia Zenghelis and Rem Koolhaas formally founded OMA over six years ago, their work, recently described by Bob Maxwell ‘as a series of paradoxes: reductivist yet metaphoric, polemical yet exquisite, modern, yet anti-modern’, has revealed subtle shifts of concern. This idiosyncratic evolution has now moved from Manhattanism to Mediterraneanism; their current project for a series of villas on Antiparos reflects a development of the OMA rationale skilfully crafted with Aegean traditions." This evaluation is somewhat misleading, however, in that after this work Zenghelis still worked in projects in West Berlin, especially the urban infill, part of the IBA BerlinInternational Building Exhibition Berlin
The International Building Exhibition Berlin was an urban renewal project in Berlin, Germany. Initiated in 1979, it was completed in 1987, matching the 750th anniversary of the founding of Berlin. The IBA followed two distinct strategies: "careful urban renewal" and "critical...
project, in which the city set up a series of invited architectural competitions among avant-gardist architects of the time (including Aldo Rossi
Aldo Rossi
Aldo Rossi was an Italian architect and designer who accomplished the unusual feat of achieving international recognition in four distinct areas: theory, drawing, architecture and product design.-Early life:...
, Peter Eisenman
Peter Eisenman
Peter Eisenman is an American architect. Eisenman's professional work is often referred to as formalist, deconstructive, late avant-garde, late or high modernist, etc...
and Rob Krier) to design infills on sites throughout the city. OMA designed a structure adjacent to the infamous Checkpoint Charlie
Checkpoint Charlie
Checkpoint Charlie was the name given by the Western Allies to the best-known Berlin Wall crossing point between East Berlin and West Berlin during the Cold War....
site - at a time when the border control was still operating.
Gigantes Zenghelis Architects
In 1987 Zenghelis went into partnership with architect Eleni Gigantes, in the office Gigantes Zenghelis Architects, London and Athens. From 2000 to 2011 they also had a branch office in Brussels, Belgium.However, from 1992 onward, Zenghelis withdrew from active participation in the office, and from design, in favour of his first and true vocation - education, which by then occupied him almost continuously. He continued to lecture on the work of the office however and make occasional contributions.
The office's most prestigious and critically received completed scheme has been the Ashikita House of Youth (1996–1998) in Kumamoto, on the island of Kyūshū
Kyushu
is the third largest island of Japan and most southwesterly of its four main islands. Its alternate ancient names include , , and . The historical regional name is referred to Kyushu and its surrounding islands....
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, commissioned by Kumamoto ArtPolis. http://www.pref.kumamoto.jp/traffic/artpolis/english/links/052b.html
Education
In 1989 he was appointed Baukunst Professor at the Kunstakademie in Dusseldorf (stepping into Jim Stirling's recently vacated chair), retiring in 2002. He also taught at the Berlage Institute in the Netherlands (1993-2010), and in 2003 was also appointed a member of its Board. From 1997 onward he also taught in Switzerland: as Guest Professor at EPFL in Lausanne (1997-8) and ETH in Zurich (1998-2000) and as Professor at the Accademia d'Architettura Mendrisio (2000-2007). In 2009 he was appointed Professor Emeritus at the University of Thessaly at Volos in Greece, where he leads special graduate courses. He continues to teach master classes around the world.Awards
- In 2000, Elia Zenghelis received the Annie Spink Award for Excellence in Education from the Royal Institute of British ArchitectsRoyal Institute of British ArchitectsThe Royal Institute of British Architects is a professional body for architects primarily in the United Kingdom, but also internationally.-History:...
.
Quote
"From the early 60's architecture was entering a period of crisis and the search for a way forward shifting out of the profession and into the schools. (...) Through he Architectural Association I was sent to Ulm and with the support of the school we were able to invite new radical architects like Coop Himmelblau and Adolfo Natalini of SuperstudioSuperstudio
Superstudio was an architecture firm, founded in 1966 in Florence, Italy by Adolfo Natalini and Cristiano Toraldo di Francia. Superstudio was one of major part of the Radical architecture movement of the late 1960s...
to London: providing not only cross-pollination but a system of support across borders. By the late 60s the Architectural Association had become a breeding ground for radical ideas and even before I met Rem Koolhaas as a student in 2nd year I had left my job and centred my life at the school." (Zenghelis, "Statement of Intent", 2003)
Selected list of works by Gigantes Zenghelis Architects
- Lanapark Masterplan and residential buildings, TiranaTiranaTirana is the capital and the largest city of Albania. Modern Tirana was founded as an Ottoman town in 1614 by Sulejman Bargjini, a local ruler from Mullet, although the area has been continuously inhabited since antiquity. Tirana became Albania's capital city in 1920 and has a population of over...
, AlbaniaAlbaniaAlbania , officially known as the Republic of Albania , is a country in Southeastern Europe, in the Balkans region. It is bordered by Montenegro to the northwest, Kosovo to the northeast, the Republic of Macedonia to the east and Greece to the south and southeast. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea...
, 2005. - Kinostudio, residential building, Tirana, Albania, 2005.
- Extension to Designcenter "De Winkelhaak", Antwerp, BelgiumBelgiumBelgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
, invited competition (First Prize), 2004. - Europol Headquarters, The HagueThe HagueThe Hague is the capital city of the province of South Holland in the Netherlands. With a population of 500,000 inhabitants , it is the third largest city of the Netherlands, after Amsterdam and Rotterdam...
, The Netherlands; Invited Competition, 2004. - Hellenikon Metropolitan Park and Urban Development, Attika, Greece, competition, 2004.
- Flemish Administration Centre in LeuvenLeuvenLeuven is the capital of the province of Flemish Brabant in the Flemish Region, Belgium...
, Competition, First Prize, 2002. - Bolzano ModerneKunstmuseum, competition, Italy, 2001.
- Venice Biennale Pavilion - Invited project for Biennale giardini, VeniceVeniceVenice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...
, Italy, 2000. - World Intellectual Property Organization Competition, GenevaGenevaGeneva In the national languages of Switzerland the city is known as Genf , Ginevra and Genevra is the second-most-populous city in Switzerland and is the most populous city of Romandie, the French-speaking part of Switzerland...
, SwitzerlandSwitzerlandSwitzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
, 2nd Stage, Invited, 2000. - Stuttgart 21 Bibliothek, StuttgartStuttgartStuttgart is the capital of the state of Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. The sixth-largest city in Germany, Stuttgart has a population of 600,038 while the metropolitan area has a population of 5.3 million ....
, GermanyGermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, 2nd Stage, 1999. - Waterfront of Thessaloniki, Invited International Competition, ThessalonikiThessalonikiThessaloniki , historically also known as Thessalonica, Salonika or Salonica, is the second-largest city in Greece and the capital of the region of Central Macedonia as well as the capital of the Decentralized Administration of Macedonia and Thrace...
, Greece, 1997. - LleidaLleidaLleida is a city in the west of Catalonia, Spain. It is the capital city of the province of Lleida, as well as the largest city in the province and it had 137,387 inhabitants , including the contiguous municipalities of Raimat and Sucs. The metro area has about 250,000 inhabitants...
(Lerida) University Library, SpainSpainSpain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
- Invited UIA Competition, Finalist, 1997. - Ashikita House of Youth, Kumamoto, on the island of KyūshūKyushuis the third largest island of Japan and most southwesterly of its four main islands. Its alternate ancient names include , , and . The historical regional name is referred to Kyushu and its surrounding islands....
, JapanJapanJapan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, 1996-1998. - 1995 Moabiter Werder Parliamentary Housing - Invited Competition, 1995.
- Maison de Retraite, Société d'Economie Mixte pour l'Equipement du Loiret, Paris - Invited Competition, 1993.
- Spreeufer-Hauptbahnhof, BerlinBerlinBerlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
- Invited Competition, 1992.