ECOWEEK
Speakers

ECOWEEK has invited
distinguished speakers
to Greece
thanks to the cooperation
and support
of the following
institutions:












Royal
Danish
Embassy











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ECOWEEK DISTINGUISHED SPEAKERS (updated April 2011)

Since 2005 ECOWEEK has invited internationally acclaimed speakers, expert architects, landscape architects and engineers to give lectures about their projects, explain how 'green' buildings work and how we design and operate them, to lead design workshops and share their experience, expertise and skills with young professioinals, and to give us insights and inspire us about sustainable solutions in design and beyond. Meet some of the distinguished ECOWEEK speakers:

These important people bring the message of environmental awareness, responsibility, good practice, 'green' building and sustainable design to professionals, young professionals and to the general public at ECOWEEK events.

Below, please find more information on ECOWEEK speakers since 2005.


[2005] [2006] [2007] [2008] [2009] [2010] [2011]

2011
ECOWEEK 2011 in Thessaloniki Speakers			click here
ECOWEEK 2011 in Thessaloniki Workshop Leaders			click here
2010
ECOWEEK 2010 Speakers			click here
ECOWEEK 2010 Workshop Leaders			click here
ECOWEEK 2010 in the Middle East Speakers			click here
ECOWEEK 2010 in the Middle East Workshop Leaders			click here
2009
ECOWEEK 2009 Speakers & Workshop Leaders
	Keynote Speaker: Shigeru Ban Shigeru Ban Architects Graduate of Southern California Institute of Architecture and Cooper Union worked for Arata Isozaki, and in 1985 established his private practice in Tokyo. Has taught Architecture at Tama Art University, Yokohama National University, Nihon University, Columbia University, and Keio University. Consultant of United Nations High Commissioner for Refgees (UNHCR), and established NGO VAN. He is the first architect in Japan to construct a building primarily out of paper, approved by Japan’s building code. Ban uses paper because of its low-cost, its recyclable, low-tech and replaceable. Ban’s attraction to ecological architecture led him to work with paper and other materials based on sustainability and because they produce very little waste.
	Keynote Speaker: Ivan Harbour Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners (former Richard Rogers Partnership) Joined the Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners (former Richard Rogers Partnership) in 1985 and was made a Director in 1993. Ivan is currently Design Director of a number of prestigious architecture and master planning projects around the world including the Ching Fu Headquarters and I-Shou library in Taiwan as well as several projects in New York, Washington and Europe. Ivan is integrally involved in these projects from concept design stage through to the built scheme. He has taught in Europe, and Australia. Landmark buildings in which he has led the design include National Assembly for Wales, Madrid Airport, winner of the 2006 Stirling Prize, Mossbourne Community Academy, the Law Courts in Antwerp and Bordeaux and the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg. Ivan Harbour's lecture took place in cooperation and with the generous support of the British Council.
	Alexandros Tombazis Meletitiki SA Born in India. His interest in technology and the first oil crisis made him turn towards the use of solar and alternative energy sources, which have become an integral part of his architectural design. Awarded prizes in more than 110 national, international or invited competitions. Projects in Greece, and abroad. Honorary fellow of the American Institute of Architects.
	Agnes Couvelas Couvelas Architects Graduate of NTUA in Athens founded her own firm operating in a wide variety of projects, including commercial, administrative and residential buildings, cultural centers and historic sites throughout Greece. Primary requirements are durability, livability, and energy conservation in environmentally friendly designs. Lectures in Greece and abroad.
	Costas Tsipiras C.&Th.Tsipiras Architects Celebrates this year 30 years in the profession with more than 200 passive solar and ecological houses in Greece and abroad. Graduate of Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and Ecole du Batiment (Paris), and doctorate from the University of Grenoble. He has authored and co-authored 14 books, among them several books on ecological Architecture.
	Nataly Gattegno Future Cities Lab She is a founding partner of Future Cities Lab, recently awarded the Van Alen Institute's New York Prize Fellowship. She has taught at the University of Virginia and is currently the Muschenheim Fellow in Architecture at the University of Michigan, leading design studios that explore issues of ecology, landscape urbanism, fabrication and technology in design. Received the AIA Medal from Princeton
	Byron Stigge Buro Happold Graduate of Washington University majored in architecture and structural engineering, he is an environmental engineer and designer. He has worked on the Millennium Dome in London and the Team Think World Trade Center memorial project with engineering firm Buro Happold. Other projects include the Great Park, a Las Vegas hotel and a mixed-use project in Seoul.
	Olympia Kazi Institute for Urban Design A critic and curator of architecture, is the Executive Director of the Institute for Urban Design in New York. Trained as an architect at the University of Florence, was Fellow of Architecture and Urban Studies at the Whitney Museum of American Art, and a member of the Exhibition Committee of the Architectural League of New York. She has written for The Architect's Newspaper, and AD.
	Benjamin Gill BioRegional Consulting Ltd Director of BioRegional Consulting Ltd he has been managing a diverse mix of projects, such as developing sustainability strategies for large scale developments, assessing the biomass supply chain for London, assessing the sustainability proposals of developers for Local Authorities, and ecological footprinting study and sustainability appraisal of new developments. Benjamin's lecture took place in cooperation with the British Council.
	Caterina Vei Spiropoulou Elius Architects and planners Founding member of OMADA 1 -Architects and planners and ELIUS Co, has worked on many architectural and urban design projects. Being one of the first Greek architects to use bioclimatic design she has been involved as well in the conception of large scale projects with the use of Renewables and the dissemination of their use in the local communities. She has various publications and presentations in conferences and seminars.
	Uffe Bay-Smidt aart a/s - Architects maa Team member in aart a/s a young architects practice in continuous, dynamic development towards new experiences and goals and a staff of 25. The firm engages in construction art, landscape planning and urban planning. The firm has won several first prizes in Danish and international architecture competitions. Uffe Bay-Smidt's participation was made possible through the support of the Danish Architectural Center and the Royal Danish Embassy in Greece.
	Anders Lonka ADEPT Architects Anders is an architect founder and partner in ADEPT an architecture firm based in Copenhagen, Denmark, working in the fields of architecture, Urban planning and landscape design, winning numerous awards. His primary focus is sustainable architecture, planning and strategic urban development. He teaches at the Royal Academy in Copenhagen. Anders Lonka's participation was made possible through the support of the Danish Architectural Center and the Royal Danish Embassy in Greece.
	Michael Fotiadis Michael Fotiadis Architect A graduate of MIT he has designed some of the most prominent buidlings in Greece, among them: ''GAIA'' research center of the Natural History Museum in Kifissia, the Vorres Art Museum in Peania, the headquarters offices for BP Hellas, Fiat Hellas, and was the partner architect for the New Museum of Acropolis with architect Bernard Tchumi. He teaches in Europe and the US.
	Simon Tonks Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners (former Richard Rogers Partnership) Graduate of Barlett School of Architecture, joined Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners (former Richard Rogers Partnership) in 2005 having previously worked for some London's key practices. He has worked on a variety of projects, including the 60K house project in Milton Keynes, a large scale mixed-use development in Korea and a competition to redevelop an aerospace campus in France. Simon Tonk's lecture took place in cooperation and with the generous support of the British Council.
	Marina Topouzi Architect and Environmental Consultant she is a graduate of Aristotle University, University of Florence and Oxford Brookes University with MSc in Energy Efficient and Sustainable buildings. She has worked in offices in Greece and as project leader and team consultant for Athoniki Techniki S.A.She is a member of CIBSE and IEMA.
	Vassilis (Basil) Zotos Architects Design + Planning Unit -'ADPU' A pioneer in the field of environmental and urban regeneration since the 1960's' participating in a range of projects and proposals on these issues. Studied architecture in London with Arthur Korn, co-founder of the Bauhaus. Awarded distinction for post-graduate Town Planning Studies in London. Elected Fellow of the Royal Town Planning Institute in 1977. Founder member of SEPOX. Over 50 prizes and awards in architectural and planning competitions. Taught urban design and environmental management in the UK.
	Thomas Doxiadis doxiadis+ A graduate of Architecture and Landscape Architecture from Harvard University, he has received a number of academic awards. Thomas is specializing in site planning and the integration of architecture and landscape architecture, having realized pioneering Greek projects based on natural processes. He has won prizes in national competitions, and has taught Landscape Architecture at the University of Patras and the University of Thessaly.
	Petros Babasikas Drifting City Founding partner: 2006. Drifting City is based in Athens and Los Angeles, exploring site-specific correspondences between the two, in architecture, media and public space. Petros studied at Columbia and Princeton Universities. He teaches design studio and theory at the School of Architecture of Patras University.
	Constantine Vakiris Graduate of Lincoln and Heriot-Watt Universities. Private housing in Greece and U.K. Competition entries for the Manchester International Competition and Aqua Center DK. Feasibility Study for the new LJMU School of Architecture. Taught at the Lincoln and John Moores Universities. Visiting critic Sheffield and Liverpool Universities.
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2008
ECOWEEK 2008 Speakers & Workshop Leaders
	Keynote Speaker: Ken Yeang T.R.Hamzah & Yeang, Malaysia and Llewelyn Davies Yeang, UK Architect-planner, and one of the foremost ecodesigners, theoreticians and thinkers in the field of green design. Yeang is the author of several books on ecological design,including The Skyscraper, Bioclimatically Considered: A Design Primer (1996) published by Wiley - Academy, and The Green Skyscraper: The Basis for Designing Sustainable Intensive Buildings (1999) published by Prestel (Germany). Ken Yeang is well known for designing signature green high performance buildings and master plans, and for his pursuit of an ecological aesthetic in his designs.
	Keynote Speaker: Julie Bargman D.I.R.T. Studio, VA Internationally recognized as an innovative designer in building regenerative landscapes and with interdisciplinary design education. She challenges restrictive policies and conventional remediation practices that plague Superfund sites and Brownfields, giving legible form to complex processes and offering renewed relationships for communities in tired and toxic surroundings. Leads projects at the D.I.R.T. studio (Dump It Right There) that explore past and present industrial operations and urban processes in relationship to ecological systems, cultural constructs and emerging technologies. Holds a degree in sculpture from Carnegie-Mellon University, Masters in landscape architecture at Harvard Graduate School of Design followed by a Fellowship at the American Academy in Rome. Awarded the 2001 National Design Award by Smithsonian’s Cooper-Hewitt Museum. TIME, CNN and Newsweek, along with national and international design publications have recognized her as leading the next generation in making a difference for design and the environment.
	Alexandros Tombazis Meletitiki SA Born in India. His interest in technology and the first oil crisis made him turn towards the use of solar and alternative energy sources, which have become an integral part of his architectural design. Awarded prizes in more than 110 national, international or invited competitions. Projects in Greece, and abroad. Honorary fellow of the American Institute of Architects.
	Costas Tsipiras C.&Th.Tsipiras Architects Celebrates this year 30 years in the profession with more than 200 passive solar and ecological houses in Greece and abroad. Graduate of Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and Ecole du Batiment (Paris), and doctorate from the University of Grenoble. He has authored and co-authored 14 books, among them several books on ecological Architecture.
	Jacques Allard, Director ArchiWorld Last Call for Planet Earth By Jacques Allard The planet is in danger. The challenge is very simple and it's a matter of survival. There is only one possible escape: the quick and energetic mastery of sustainable development. Its application to architecture and town planning. What to do? Working differently in order to build differently and do everything in order to protect our vulnerable environment. Solar energy, renewable materials, targeted changes in city design, passive houses and bioclimatic architecture, are some of the answers that 12 world acclaimed architects suggest in Jacques Allard's new documentary "Last Call for Planet Earth". Greek subtitles - 70'
	Benjamin Gill BioRegional Consulting Ltd Director of BioRegional Consulting Ltd he has been managing a diverse mix of projects, such as developing sustainability strategies for large scale developments, assessing the biomass supply chain for London, assessing the sustainability proposals of developers for Local Authorities, and ecological footprinting study and sustainability appraisal of new developments. Benjamin's lecture takes place in cooperation with the British Council.
	Caterina Vei Spiropoulou Elius Architects and planners Founding member of OMADA 1 -Architects and planners and ELIUS Co, has worked on many architectural and urban design projects. Being one of the first Greek architects to use bioclimatic design she has been involved as well in the conception of large scale projects with the use of Renewables and the dissemination of their use in the local communities. She has various publications and presentations in conferences and seminars.
	Julian Weyer C.F. Moller Architects Architect and photographer. He holds a diploma from the School of Architecture at Aarchus. In 1994 he established his personal studion in Aarhus, since 1995 he is a chief architect at C.F. Moller Archiects and since 2007 a partner in the firm. He has taught at the Aarchus School of Architecture, and has been a competition jury member for the Danish Association of Architects and the German Association of Architects. He is a member of the Danish Artists Convention. Julian Weyer's participation was made possible through the support of the Danish Architectural Center and the Royal Danish Embassy in Greece.
	Vibeke Grupe Larsen VGLCPH Architects Architect, with a degree from the School of Architecture, Royal Academy of Fine Arts, Copenhagen and California Polytechnic State University, USA. Since her graduation Vibeke has worked with several high profile architecture offices in Copenhagen, among others Vilhelm Lauritzen Architects, KHR Architects and Vilhelm Wohlert Architects for several years with a focus on sustainable architecture. Vibeke has also worked as faculty at the Danish Institute for Studies abroad and at the School of Architecture at Aarhus, teaching sustainable design. Vibeke's firm, VGLCPH, focuses on environment and sustainability, bridging the gap between hard core environmental science and qualitative architectural design. Vibeke Grupe Larsen's participation was made possible through the support of the Danish Architectural Center and the Royal Danish Embassy in Greece.
	Michael Fotiadis Michael Fotiadis Architect A graduate of MIT he has designed some of the most prominent buidlings in Greece, among them: ''GAIA'' research center of the Natural History Museum in Kifissia, the Vorres Art Museum in Peania, the headquarters offices for BP Hellas, Fiat Hellas, and was the partner architect for the New Museum of Acropolis with architect Bernard Tchumi. He teaches in Europe and the US.
	Nikos Findikakis Architect, UIA-ARES		Liza Siola Architect, UIA
	Steve Miller FAIA, RIBA, Architect Director, International FXFOWLE International, LLC		Leo Argiris Engineer, PE Principal, ARUP
	Prof. Denia Kolokotsa Architect, Technical University of Chania		Michalis Souvatzidis Architect
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2007
	The Honorable Al Gore - 45th Vice President of the United States - 2007 Nobel Peace Prize Winner " Author, An Inconvenient Truth - Chairman, Current TV " Chairman, Generation Investment Management - Partner, Kleiner Perkins Caufield Byers Former Vice President Al Gore is Chairman of Current TV, an Emmy award winning, independently owned cable and satellite television nonfiction network for young people based on viewer-created content and citizen journalism. He also serves as Chairman of Generation Investment Management, a firm that is focused on a new approach to sustainable investing and a Partner at Kleiner Perkins Caufiled Byers. Al Gore is a member of the board of directors of Apple and a senior advisor to Google. He is a Visiting Professor at Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, and chairs the Alliance for Climate Protection, a non-profit organization designed to help solve the climate crisis. Al Gore was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1976, 1978, 1980 and 1982 and the U.S. Senate in 1984 and 1990. He was inaugurated as the forty-fifth vice president of the United States on January 20, 1993, and served eight years. During the Administration, Al Gore was a central member of President Clinton's economic team. He served as President of the Senate, a Cabinet member, a member of the National Security Council, and as the leader of a wide range of Administration initiatives. He is the author of the bestsellers Earth in the Balance and An Inconvenient Truth and is the subject of an Oscar-winning documentary. His current book, The Assault on Reason, is an indictment of the Bush-led radical Right's disdain for the principles of reasoned decision-making, and a reckoning with the degradation of the public sphere that facilitates their rule of unreason. Al Gore and his wife, Tipper, live in Nashville, Tennessee. They have four children and three grandchildren. Al Gore's lecture lecture took place in cooperation and with the generous support of the Megaron Plus in June 13, 2007. Al Gore's lecture marked 2007 as International Polar Year and focused on global warming and climate change.
	Robert Swan, OBE Environmentalist, Explorer, Leadership Expert A great contemporary explorer in Athens Robert Swan is a living legend who has earned his place in history alongside the great explorers and adventurers who have tested their physical and mental strength to the limit in the planet's most hostile environments. By the age of 33, he had become the first person to walk to both the North and South poles. His 900-mile journey 'In the Footsteps of Scott,' across the treacherous Antarctic ice cap to the South Pole stands as the longest unassisted walk ever made. The successful completion of his North and South Pole expeditions marked the beginning of a new phase in his life, shaping a lifetime goal for him – to work for the preservation of the Antarctic as the last great wilderness on earth. Robert Swan's lecture lecture took place in cooperation and with the generous support of the British Council in 2007. Robert Swan's lecture marked 2007 as International Polar Year and focused on global warming and climate change.
	Alexandros Tombazis Meletitiki SA Born in India. His interest in technology and the first oil crisis made him turn towards the use of solar and alternative energy sources, which have become an integral part of his architectural design. Awarded prizes in more than 110 national, international or invited competitions. Projects in Greece, and abroad. Honorary fellow of the American Institute of Architects.
	Costas Tsipiras C.&Th.Tsipiras Architects Celebrates this year 30 years in the profession with more than 200 passive solar and ecological houses in Greece and abroad. Graduate of Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and Ecole du Batiment (Paris), and doctorate from the University of Grenoble. He has authored and co-authored 14 books, among them several books on ecological Architecture.
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2005-6
	Costas Carras Vice-President of Europa Nostra, Athens Founder of the Hellenic Society for the Preservation of the Environment & the Cultural Heritage, Athens
	Lydia Carra Chairman of the Communication Council and Co-founder of the Hellenic Society for the Preservation of the Environment & the Cultural Heritage, Athens
	Alexandros Tombazis Meletitiki SA Born in India. His interest in technology and the first oil crisis made him turn towards the use of solar and alternative energy sources, which have become an integral part of his architectural design. Awarded prizes in more than 110 national, international or invited competitions. Projects in Greece, and abroad. Honorary fellow of the American Institute of Architects.
	Costas Tsipiras C.&Th.Tsipiras Architects Celebrates this year 30 years in the profession with more than 200 passive solar and ecological houses in Greece and abroad. Graduate of Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and Ecole du Batiment (Paris), and doctorate from the University of Grenoble. He has authored and co-authored 14 books, among them several books on ecological Architecture.
	Miltos Tsoskounoglou Director of the Environmental Protection and Safety Dept. at Toyota Hellas		Christos Gandas Environmental Consultant and author
	Prof. Dimitris Rokos Author and professor at the National Technical University of Athens		Vasso Kanellopoulou Reporter, producer of documentaries and author

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