Editorial of Yiannis Kourtalis for VILLAS 2015 magazine
Editorial of Yiannis Kourtalis for the annual edition of VILLAS 2015 magazine:
Editorial
We are experiencing a period of intense turmoil and change in various areas of human activity, mainly involving the constant fluctuating economic reality that is now on an international level. In a contemporary environment of general change, the new generation of architects is called upon to take advantage of the challenges but also the opportunities that are given, in order to develop a new dynamic for the future and prepare the grounds for architecture’s evolution.
The modern technological applications’ potentials in the field of architectural design have freed the forms and the capability of residences to adapt and integrate in the built environment, linking design and construction. New materials, combined with modern construction techniques, lead the architect to move between various and, sometimes, diverse fields of knowledge. This fact constitutes a challenge and, at the same time, provides the necessary flexibility to stimulate the creation of innovative design solutions. The main characteristic of today’s houses, coming from a generation raised in a multiethnic urban environment, is the constant effort of dialogue and communication between the “inside” and the “outside” and the unification of the indoor and outdoor activities and functions of the houses. Unified spaces with interchangeable functionalities, unobstructed optical communication, integration of the indoor and the outdoor, clarity, light, experimentation with new materials and technologies are the elements that define the contemporary architectural design of residences.
In this context, the residences that are presented in “Villas 2015” are a clear example of the current design trends and references in housing. With purity, clarity and functionality rather than unnecessary ‘’dressings’’, they claim their uniqueness without resulting to the intentional and direct impressiveness of the past. They provide a sample of a new and promising architectural view that can adapt in various environments and, at the same time, integrate in a multidimensional architectural culture, surpassing the boundaries of their location. The villas that are presented manage to differentiate themselves, in spite of their apparent uniformity that modern living norms set that are now almost universally accepted. This is the key challenge of our times: the capability to differentiate in a uniform yet multidimensional built environment.