ECOWEEK ...habits change ... climate change

ECOWEEK was created in 2005 with the passion to change people's habits ('habits change climate change' is our motto) and the mission to raise environmental awareness, and to engage the public in promoting the principles of social and environmental sustainability through design. ECOWEEK has developed programs in 17 countries and a network in 56 countries.

Through collaborative design process and design-build interventions and placemaking in public spaces and public institutions ECOWEEK innovates in environmentally and socially-conscious design and action.

In 2020, with COVID-19 restrictions on travel and social gathering, ECOWEEK developed online and hybrid programs. This year we are celebrating 19-years of activity!

ECOWEEK Distinguished Speakers

ECOWEEK hosts award-winning, distinguished speakers to inspire and empower as the leaders of sustainability and design.

ECOWEEK 2007 hosted a keynote lecture by Antarctica Explorer and Leadership Expert Robert Swan, OBE, an inspiring leader who walked to both the North and the South Poles. Robert's article 'Preserving Antarctica' is featured in the ECOWEEK BOOK#1 read (image courtesy Robert Swan)


ECOWEEK 2010 hosted a keynote lecture by award-winning architect Bjarke Ingels founder of BIG Group.
Bjarke was one of the most inspiring speakers of ECOWEEK and we are extremely proud to be one of the first to host Bjarke, before he took off to New York to become a Starchitect! Bjarke's article 'Hedonistic Sustainability' is featured in the ECOWEEK BOOK#1 read (image Nicklas Rudfell courtesy BIG)

ECOWEEK 2007 and the Athens Concert Hall hosted a keynote lecture by former US Vice-President and Nobel Laureate Al Gore, on climate crisis. ECOWEEK also joined the Climate Reality Leadership Project and was one of the most effective disseminators of the documentary 'An Inconvenient Truth' by director David Guggenheim, on global warming (2006) holding about 100 screenings in Greece and abroad for tens of thousands of particiants - primarily schools, followed by Q&A (image ECOWEEK)


ECOWEEK 2011 and ECOWEEK 2012 hosted a keynote lecture by the late architect Francoise-Helene Jourda a distinguished award-winning architect, a leader in sustainable design, featured in the documentary 'Last Call for Planet Earth' by director Jacques Allard (2008). Francoise's article 'About Sustainability' is featured in the ECOWEEK BOOK#1 read (image courtesy FHJ Architects)




ECOWEEK 2011 hosted a fascinating keynote lecture by the Pritzker-recipient architect Diebedo Francis Kere an inspiring speaker with ground breaking work in Africa and around the world, with an empowering story. Francis' article 'School in Gando, Burkina Faso' is featured in the ECOWEEK BOOK#1 read (image ECOWEEK)

ECOWEEK Publications & Workshops

ECOWEEK BOOK#2: 15 Paths to Sustainability: From Innovation to Social Design

Published in 2021 the second ECOWEEK book is edited by Elias Messinas and Despoina Kouinoglou. Hosting 15 architects, landscape architects, designers and environmental leaders from around the world, the book shares their vision and extraordinary work to inspire, provoke and educate. ISBN: 978-618-83112-2-0. More

ECOWEEK BOOK#1: 50 Voices for Sustainability

Published in 2016 the first ECOWEEK book edited by Elias Messinas and Dan Price, hosts 50 architects, landscape architects, designers and environmental leaders from 15 countries around the world, to share their vision and extraordinary work to inspire, provoke and educate. In articles, interviews, project presentations and manifestos, they immerse us in their vision on sustainability, sustainable design, urbanism and architecture. Among the contributing authors are Kengo Kuma, Bjarke Ingels, the late Francoise-Helene Jourda, Diebedo Francis Kere, the late Michael Sorkin, Gernot Minke, Prof. David Orr, Robert Swan, and more. ISBN: 978-618-83112-0-6. More


ECOWEEK THE WORKSHOPS (2009-2021)

ECOWEEK The complete Workshops catalogue edited by Elias Messinas, features hundreds of ECOWEEK workshop projects from cities and sites from around the world from 2009 to 2021. Includes projects by Greenhouse, GENIUS and more. ISSN: 2529-2137

If you joined ECOWEEK during 2009-2021, your team, your name, and images of your project may be in this publication! More


ECOWEEK VIRTUAL EXHIBITION CATALOGUE

Read through the first ECOWEEK virtual exhibition catalogue. Features a dome entry pavilion and design pavilions that host panels of ECOWEEK workshops 2005-2020. ISBN: 978-618-83112-1-3. More





ECOWEEK EXHIBITION: REVISITING AEGINA (2005-2020)

To celebrate the 15-year anniversary of ECOWEEK architect Pavlos Symianakis of Zaha Hadid Architects, UK, and a team of young architects and designers have created a unique virtual reality exhibition. Catalogue edited by Pavlos Symianakis, Elias Messinas, Despoina Kouinoglou, Athanasios Petsinis and Spyridon Tsamadias. Visit the online exhibition.


ECOWEEK WORKSHOPS

ECOWEEK workshops are creative, challenging, engaging, educating and making a positive impact in communities and the urban space around the world. Check them out! If your work is included, share it with your friends. Visit online

ECOWEEK 2016 : THE WORKSHOPS

ECOWEEK The Workshops, edited by Elias Messinas, features tens of ECOWEEK workshop projects from cities and real sites around the world from 2009 to 2016. Includes projects by Greenhouse teams in Greece and Israel. ISSN: 2529-2137

If you joined ECOWEEK in Greece, Israel, Italy, Denmark, UK, Poland, Romania, Kosovo, or Turkey, your team and images of your project may be in this publication! Read online.

ECOWEEK 2014-2015 CATALOGUE in Prishtina Kosovo

ECOWEEK 2014-2015 Catalogue of the ECOWEEK workshops on sustainable design in Pristhina, Kosovo. Edited by the team of architect Argjira Krasniqi. Read online.

ECOWEEK Impact

" I thought we would design a building like in School. But the workshop was different. We designed, we built it and then the community came! It was a real surprise and quite amazing it all came together!
ECOWEEK Participant


"I am still overwhelmed by the amazing challenging week. It was refreshing and educating for me as much as hard and exhausting. Thanks to ECOWEEK it is proven again and again that changes can be made. Step by step.
ECOWEEK Participant


"ECOWEEK is like a laboratory of design, where students can get an actual idea of practice of what is the reality of Architecture and Design. ECOWEEK should be known to all architectural university programs!
ECOWEEK Participant


"I am sincerely grateful to ECOWEEK for my path of development - how much it can do to enrich, to inspire, to educate and to direct each person. I sincerely hope that all participants will have the same wonderful experience through their own path!
ECOWEEK Participant


"Thanks to ECOWEEK my life went into a really great path! You helped me get an internship at MVRDV, then I moved to Munich to work for Henning Larsen Architects, and now I am in Basel workinig for Herzog and de Meuron.
ECOWEEK Participant


"It was a pleasure to enter the ECOWEEK world! I really hope we will go on sharing ideas and building opportunities together!
ECOWEEK Participant


"ECOWEEK thank you for the amazing Chinese group iinternship! I learned new skills to work with a team, learned about sustainability and felt confident to share my opinion!
ECOWEEK Participant


"What attracted me to ECOWEEK was the opportunity to design out of the usual university courses and on environmental issues.
ECOWEEK Participant


"I wish to thank you ECOWEEK on behalf of my team for the educational and creative week!
ECOWEEK Participant


"We really learned that with very few resources we can add value to the city!
ECOWEEK Participant

ECOWEEK Partners

We thank our partners around the world for the successful and fruitful collaborations!
These are some of the ECOWEEK partnrs around the world: