ALEXANDROS TOMBAZIS CV
Alexandros Tombazis was born in India in 1939. He graduated from the Architectural School of the National Technical University of Athens in 1962. In 1991 he was elected an honorary fellow of the American Institute of Architects and in 2006 he was awarded an honorary PhD by the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. He lives and works in Athens. Apart from the office he consistently devotes time to painting and photography. He also travels frequently to lecture to University students, congresses e.t.c
INTERVIEW
What is design for your life? What does design mean for you?
My first approach to design, or rather to architecture, was through painting. As a child I wanted to become a painter and it was my painting teacher who at some point suggested I should become an architect. Architecture, then, for me was something too abstract and difficult to comprehend. But as I am a rather determined person I soon made up my mind and have never regretted it. However, I never stopped painting, which is one of the most important means of expression, and at the same time of relaxation, in my life. Painting is for me often an antidote to the extended period of time architecture needs to be realised and to the complexity which it involves. In painting I am alone with myself and I can do as I please.
Please describe the changes in design in the last 20 years?
During the course of the last twenty years design has gained more and more in importance and touches wider parts of the population. My personal approach to design has always been through architecture, and in this respect I believe that a very important development of the last decades is the turn towards a more sustainable and environmental friendly design. We still have a long way to go, but compared to thirty years back what is today called bioclimatic or ecological design has gained many followers.
Which designers/ architects have influenced your work the most?
In the early years the main influence in my work came from the Japanese metabolists. After that there exist so many important architects and designers that they cannot be named. In general I have tried not to follow any particular stream, although what we perceive will always leave its imprint on us in one way or the other.
What’s your perception about fashion and design magazines nowadays?
I have in general a poor relation with fashion. Undoubtedly fashion influences all of us to some extent as it is part of life, but I believe that architecture should not be ruled by fashion.
