Get the latest delivered to your inbox
Privacy Policy

Now Reading

ECOWEEK 2009 Empowering Youth: Ecology + Leadership + Architecture

ECOWEEK 2009 Empowering Youth: Ecology + Leadership + Architecture

Published 02-13-09

Submitted by Ecoweek

Copyrights: D.I.R.T. Studio and Katsuhisha Kida

- February 13, 2009 -

Introduction

We are witness to a reality that is changing; young people are seeking creative ways of expression and a different vision for the future. Environmental protection is calling for action. This year ECOWEEK 2009 will search for solutions, giving stage to the voice of young people, for a creative experiment that will envision a sustainable future.

Buildings consume 40% of produced energy and contribute to the emissions of GHG to the Earth's atmosphere, causing Global Warming and Climate Change, affecting the Earth's ecological systems.

The'ECOWEEK 2009 Empowering Youth: Ecology + Leadership + Architecture' conference and interdisciplinary workshops in Athens, Greece, will give the chance to young professionals and graduate students to work side by side with known architects, designers, and engineers from Greece and abroad, and to learn from them the principles and implementation of ecological building and sustainable design.

In Greece things are changing too. The European Directive 2002/91 for the Energy Performance of Buildings is finally implemented since November 2008, and buildings are obliged to exhibit their 'Green' Certificate. With new realities in Greece, in Europe, and other countries, with tools, such as LEED, BREEAM, and others, young architects are facing a challenge. This conference and workshops will offer young architects and graduate students tools the opportunity to learn directly from the experts the principles of 'green' architecture and sustainable planning and landscape design.


Attendance

The conference is open to young architects, designers and landscape architects and professionals of other disciplines, and graduate students from Greece and abroad. The conference will include public lectures and screening of documentaries open and free to the general public.


Content


The interdisciplinary workshops will deal with the former site of the international airport of Athens in Hellenikon. The groups will not attempt to repeat the international competition on the site; neither give tips to improve the official plans for the site; neither will attempt to impose architectural symbols and schemes from abroad. The workshops will rather attempt to re-approach this important site for Athens and the residents of the metropolitan city, based on ecology, locality, community and sustainability. The groups will produce three proposals (with possible variations): (a) A Metropolitan park of zero waste (b) A zero-emissions and zero-waste neighbourhood (c) A combination of the two.

The proposals will be presented at a press conference and public discussion at ECOTEC 09, on Monday April 6, at 12:00, at Expo Athens, Anthousa.


Parallel events


During ECOWEEK 2009 three Papasotiriou Bookstores in Athens will dedicate a special section for books on passive solar Architecture and ecological building. In addition, informal discussions are planned for the Papasotiriou bookstore in Panepistimiou, on March 31 and April 1, open and free to the general public.


Lectures / documentaries


During ECOWEEK 2009 conference a series of lectures and documentary screenings will take place, open and free to the general public, on ecological building, global warming, climate change and young entrepreneurs. The public will also have the opportunity to attend the workshops as spectators.


Program


Tuesday March 31 "“ Thursday April 2

Participants will attend organized tours and visits to a variety of sites, including passive solar buildings in Athens, ecological buildings in Aegina island, visit to wind farm in the Peloponnesus, a photovoltaic installation, a recycling plant in Attica, a biogas installation in Attica, and others.

Friday April 3 "“ Sunday April 5, Athinais (Votanikos)

Half-day interdisciplinary workshops that will include informal discussions with the visiting lecturers, exchange of ideas, preparation of proposals and an international studio experience. The general public may attend free of charge lectures, documentary screenings and also visit the workshops and informal presentations, interaction and learning.

Monday April 6, 12:00, Expo Athens (Anthousa)

Presentation of the workshop proposals at ECOTEC 09, at a press conference and public discussion, with the participation of architects, the mayors of the adjacent municipalities and the general public.


Conference speakers and workshop leaders


ECOWEEK 2009 like in the past, has invited a number of internationally acclaimed speakers to Athens. ECOWEEK has invited in the past Al Gore, Robert Swan, Ken Yeang and others.

This year participate in ECOWEEK 2009: landscape designer Julie Bargmann, environmental engineer Byron Stigge (Buro Huppold), architect Simon Tonks(Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners), the Director of the Institute for Urban Design in New York Olympia Kazi, the Director of BioRegional in London Benjamin Gill (in cooperation with the British Council), architect Nataly Gategno and architect Jason Johnson (Future Cities Lab & University of Michigan), architects from Denmark and the UK (in cooperation with the Royal Embassy of Denmark and the British Council respectively), architect Alexandros Tombazis, architect Agnes Couvelas, architect Katerina Spiropoulou, engineer of ecological building Costas Tsipiras and others. The participation of 'paper Architecture' Japanese architect Shigeru Ban, and UK architect Ivan Harbour (Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners "“ former Richard Rogers and Partners) is expected.

Sponsorships


The conference will be promoted, among others, to the 10,000 expected visitors of ECOTEC 09, and through the media sponsors of ECOWEEK 2009. Sponsorship opportunities available.

Conference language: English.


Registration is open:
www.ecoweek.gr and
http://www.ecoweek.netfirms.com/ecoweek/ecoweek2009_index.htm


Ecoweek logo

Ecoweek

Ecoweek

The Ecoweek mission is to raise public awareness and involvement in environmental protection, waste recycling, water and energy conservation, use of renewable energy sources, and promotion of 'green' building.

More from Ecoweek

Join today and get the latest delivered to your inbox