Costandis Kizis (Athens, 1982) is a practicing architect and educator, currently teaching at Leeds Beckett University, the Architectural Association, Central Saint Martins and the University of Hertfordshire. Costandis holds a PhD in History of Architecture (Architectural Association), a MSc degree in Advanced Architectural Design (Columbia University) and a Diploma in Architecture (NTUAthens, with honours). He is principal of Kizis Architects and has been repeatedly awarded, as an equal team member, in architectural competitions.
Modern Greek Myths: National Stereotypes and Modernity in Postwar Greece
Director of studies: Dr Marina LathouriSecond supervisor: Prof Sokratis Georgiadis
The thesis examines the architectural discussion on modernity and national identity in post-war Greece. In particular it focuses on four cases that try to reconcile national stereotypes with modern ideas and reflect the problematic process of absorbing modernity. Each case is examined in a separate chapter and each chapter is concerned with a distinct aspect of the myths of Greekness, which appear in the work and discourse of the four main architects - protagonists of the thesis: Aris Konstantinidis, Eero Saarinen, Alexandra Moreti and Konstantinos Doxiadis. The thesis seeks to contribute to the dissolution of myths and constructs in the architectural historiography of Greece, and to recent international scholarship on critical issues of national identity and modernity. PhD completed 2016.
