Gernot Minke | Architect, Germany

Prof. Dr. Ing. Gernot Minke studied architecture and urbanism in Hanover and Berlin. From 1964-1968 he was the research assistant of Prof. Dr. Ing. Frei Otto at the Institute of Light Weight Structures, University of Stuttgart. Since 1967 he has developed: ribbed timber shells, cable-reinforced pneumatic structures, membrane structures for sport activities, street covers, bus stop shelters, self-help light-weight structures for houses and kinder-gardens.

From 1971 to 1972 he was the director of the Institute of Environmental Planning, Ulm, and since 1974 he's been professor at the University of Kassel and director of the Building Research Institute, department of Architecture. His research projects: potential use of living plants for low-cost housing, earth-quake resistant building techniques with loam, pumice and bamboo, bamboo gridshell structures, development of new and refined earth construction techniques, development of construction techniques for domes of adobes and stabilized soil blocks, passive climatization of building.

Since 1972 he has designed a number of lightweight buildings and shelters as membrane structures, which were implemented in Germany and Guatemala.

Since 1979 he runs his private office of ecological architecture (planning of ecological settlements; low-energy houses; earth and grass covered buildings; earth construction techniques for wall, vault and dome structures; low cost housing projects and energy saving buildings for developing countries).

He designed over 60 ecological buildings in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Germany, Ecuador, Guatemala, India and Hungary.

He was guest professor and lecturer in several contries and over 40 international conferences as a speaker. Besides his work as a freelance architect Gernot Minke is working as a professional author and reviewer.

Gernot Minke's website

Gernot Minke's lecture is made possible thanks to the cooperation and support of the Goethe Institute in Thessaloniki.

Orjan Nyheim | PirII Architects, Norway

Orjan has a master degree in architecture from NTNU, with a master thesis on studying the possibilities of building off-grid in Norway. He will represent the Norwegian architectural office Pir II, which uses a holistic approach to environmental friendly buildings. The office has received several awards for projects like Rockheim and the Meteorological Institute. The presentation will include built, and future projects with focus on reused materials, energy efficiency, local energy production and alternative ways of living.

www.pir2.no


Orjan Nyhein's lecture is made possible in cooperation and with the support of the Embassy of Norway and the Norwegian Institute.

Thomas Doxiadis | doxiadis+

Architecture and Landscape Architecture from Harvard, specializes in the site planning and integration of architecture and landscape design in a sustainable way. Teaches at Patras and Thessaly University.

www.doxiadisplus.com