Boulouki | About

BOULOUKI| is an interdisciplinary research collaborative, whose work is focused on the study of traditional building techniques and materials. In Greek Boulouki means “gaggle”, travelling group, a name evoking the tradition of travelling companies of stone masons and craftsmen. Its aim is to trace and document the living carriers of such traditional knowledge; to study and to further disseminate it through workshops and actual building projects which are organized in collaboration with local communities. Based upon these thematic axes, the group’s course of action includes conducting research, organizing workshops, conferences and cultural events; promoting projects in collaboration with local communities and their stakeholders.

So far, Boulouki has mostly worked in Epirus, a mountainous area of Greece, once celebrated for its stone masons, and also a crossroads for various Balkan cultures. Our aim is to develop a ‘hands-on’ approach of cultural heritage, through the processes of making, repairing and building, to contribute to the study of traditional building techniques as an operative field of knowledge, orientated -apart from conservation and documentation- towards contemporary building practices.

Until this day, Boulouki has developed a network of partners from major academic institutions in Greece, such as the National Technical University of Athens, the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, the University of Patras and the University of Ioannina, while renowned professors from various disciplines and practitioners from the fields of restoration and heritage management have given lectures and presented their work in Boulouki’s workshops.

Since May 2018, Boulouki operates as an Urban Non-Profit Company, based in Athens.

founding members

THE TEAM|

Panos Kostoulas is an architect. He has graduated from University of Patras and completed his post-graduate studies in Materials Science and Technology at the NTUA, focusing on historic mortars. Since 2012, he has worked as an architect, both as an employee and collaborator with several architectural firms in India and Greece and also as a part-time lecturer in Ooty McGan’s School of Architecture in Tamil Nadu, India. He has participated and organised workshops related to natural and traditional building techniques in Greece and abroad. Panos is a co-founder of Boulouki.

Grigoris Koutropoulos is an architect. He graduated from the University of Patras (UP), where he also worked as a teaching assistant at the department of Architecture and participated in three research programs related to cultural heritage led by the institution. He has attended various workshops on restoration of traditional buildings in Greece and Albania. During the last years, he has worked as a collaborator with two architectural firms which are focused in surveys for the restoration of listed monuments in Greece, Cyprus, Turkey and Egypt. He is currently completing a post-graduate program on cultural management of monuments at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (NKUA). Grigoris is a co-founder of Boulouki.

Christoforos Theocharis is a civil engineer (Democritus University of Thrace - DUTH) and has been actively involved in the field of the built environment for more than ten years. Parallel to his job in an engineering office in Vienna, he completed his Master’s degree at Vienna University of Technology (TU Wien) with a major in Building Science and Technology. During his stay in Austria, he has planned and supervised the construction of several small and middle-range buildings in Vienna and its surroundings, as member of Bauklimatik GmbH. He has participated in several workshops on vernacular architecture and traditional building techniques in Germany, Austria, Albania and Greece. Christoforos is a co-founder of Boulouki.

Ionas Sklavounos graduated in architecture from the University of Patras (UP) and completed his post-graduate studies in Epistemology of Architecture at the National Technical University of Athens (NTUA), where he also worked as Teaching Assistant in the courses of Architectural Design and Analysis and Study of Historical Settlements and Ensembles. At the moment his pursuing doctoral studies at the University of Antwerp (UA) within the “Communities of Tacit Knowledge: Architecture and its ways of Knowing” Innovative Training Network. He is a co-founder and co-administrator of Boulouki.

Mina Kouvara is an architect and Junior Research Fellow at the Ragnar Nurkse Department of Innovation and Governance, Tallinn University of Technology. She is a founding and former core member of Boulouki. She is affiliated with the research collective P2P Lab and is a co-creator of the art initiative Quokka.

advisors

David Baxter MA Arch Hist: BA(Hons) T&CP: DIP UD: IHBC

David Baxter is a Conservation Professional with over 35 years experience in Historic Buildings and Traditional Architecture. He has been European Projects Director for the IHBC and Director of the International Built Heritage Conservation Training Centre at Banffy Castle Romania, training over 1600 students from 26 countries in traditional building craft skills. He has extensive experience in design/ implementation of projects funded by the EU/ International Foundations, in Community Development through Heritage, and Exchange of knowledge and Expertise at an International level. He was Director of Restoration to the Romanian Royal Family for Royal properties from 2007 -2014, and served as a Member of The Presidential Commission of Romania for Built Heritage, Historic Sites and the Natural Environment. He currently is an External Advisor to Boulouki and a Specialist Lecturer to CHWB.

Karen Knight BA, AMA, FRSA

Karen Knight is an experienced museum professional with a career focused on access to collections, buildings and research, and on the role of museums in learning at all age levels. She has a track record of achieving organisational focus and change, as well as a proven ability to influence and gain support from Government, public and private benefactors, and other stakeholders. In recent years she has worked with organisations in the UK and across the Balkans which focus on the retention of traditional craft skills and the renovation of heritage buildings.

Georgia Kanellopoulou is a Geo-Environmental Engineer (Diploma from Technical University of Crete, 2003) and has completed two postgraduate studies in Environmental Engineering (TUC, 2004) and Environment and Sustainable Development (National Technical University of Athens, NTUA 2014). She has gained a significant experience working in positions combining environmental protection, cultural and natural heritage interpretation and sustainable tourism development. She has planned a great number of projects and products of special interest tourism with an expertise in geo-environmental and cultural routes, implemented in remote and rural areas. Additionally, she has led participatory workshops involving local communities in integrated local development strategies in order to deploy sustainable territorial planning projects like Ecomuseums and Geoparks.

collaborators

Nikiforos Meimaroglou is a PhD candidate at the School of Civil Engineering in National Technical University of Athens (NTUA) and a research associate of 'Boulouki'. He holds a diploma of civil engineering (NTUA) and a MSc in “Protection of Monuments, Conservation of Building Materials” (NTUA). His research focuses on historic and traditional building materials with emphasis on earthen architecture. Part of his work has been published in international scientific journals and presented in international conferences. Along with his academic pursuits, he has professional experience in materials characterization projects from archaeological sites and monuments in Greece, such as the classical antiquity hydraulic mortars and earthen building materials from Lavrion, Attica and the historic mortars of Kaloutsiani Mosque at Ioannina city.

Faidon Moudopoulos Athanasiou is a PhD student at the Department of Archaeology, University of Sheffield. His research focuses in the early modern (Ottoman) archaeology of the Zagori mountains, NW Greece, funded by the White Rose College for the Arts and Humanities (AHRC) and the A.G. Leventis Foundation. He holds a BA in History and Archaeology from the University of Crete and MAs in Aegean Archaeology and Heritage Management from the Universities of Sheffield and Kent, respectively. His research interests range from post-medieval and early-modern archaeology to archaeological theory, the history of archaeology and cultural heritage management.

Ioanna Ntoutsi holds a diploma in chemical engineering and an MSc in the “Protection of Monuments – Materials and Interventions” from the National Technical University of Athens, (NTUA). She has participated as a research associate in various NTUA programs related to the characterization and the conservation of cultural heritage materials (mortars, stones and paintings etc.) and as a laboratory teaching assistant for the same institution. She has, also, worked in industries of the primary sector in the fields of minerals processing and lime production. She has participated in various workshops related to historical and traditional building techniques, as well as in excavations and field restoration projects, in Greece and in Albania. Her research focus on the study of historical technologies over material-knowledge systems under the perspective of their modern interpretation and use.

Panagiota Stylianidou (Athens, 1988) is an architect and an artist. She has graduated from the Department of Architecture, University of Patras (Diploma in Architect Engineering), where she continued with a Master Degree in “Lighting Design” (HOU). At the moment, she is completing her studies at the Athens School of Fine Arts (ASFA) where she was introduced first with a scholarship. She works in the field of arts, architecture, sculpture, painting and lighting design. Her research interest focuses on the production of the object of art, its viewing aspects, as well as the aesthetic experience under negotiation terms of form and space. She has been a research member at the Sidney Sussex College University of Cambridge at department of Classical Art and Archaeology, in excavations in Prosilio and Thebes, Boeotia. She has been distinguished in European and international architectural competitions as a research collaborator. She has done artistic exhibitions in Greece and abroad (Sydney, Athens, Cyprus).

Dimitra Tsiaouskoglou has graduated from History and Archaeology School (AUTH), with a specialization in History. Her postgraduate studies include Art History (Aristotle University), Curating (École du MAGASIN, Grenoble), and Socially Engaged Practices in Museums and Galleries (Leicester University, UK). She’s received grants and fellowships for various international workshops and exchanges in cultural management. Her professional experience spans from research and writing, mediation and education to production and curating. Her research and practice focuses in cultural initiatives which function as agents of social change, and her latest focus involves contemporary artistic practices in rural environments, and art interventions in healthcare settings. She has an extensive experience in administrative roles, and a recent experience in the management a non-profit cultural organization.

Nafsika Stefanidou has graduated from the Department of History & Archaeology of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, with a specialization in Archaeology. She has participated in excavations, field surveys, conferences and guided tours. She has completed an internship at the CMS research center of the University of Heidelberg and at the Teloglion Fine Arts Foundation. She is also a member of a cultural programming and production team (SNFCC Youth Council) at the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center, while she is also involved as a columnist in participatory activities on cultural issues, focusing on cultural heritage and public archaeology.

Tereza Sotiriadou is a graduate of the Department of Political Science, NKUA and has completed postgraduate studies in Lobbying and European Union Policy, NKUA. Over the last few years, she has been working in the non-profit sector, which has allowed her to develop a deep understanding of handling communication responsibilities and submit project proposals. Moreover, her professional experience abroad has taught her how to work in international environments and to communicate in multiple languages, including English, French, and Spanish. Additionally, she has experience in delivering training and facilitating workshops that promote non-formal education and intercultural dialogue.Tereza has been working for Boulouki as Organization - Administration Officer.