The architectural firm Adamakis Architects & Associates, led by Stefanos Adamakis and advised by Emeritus Professor Konstantinos Adamakis and Professor Aristidis Tsagrasoulis from the Department of Architecture at the University of Thessaly (UTH), has achieved a prestigious international distinction. The firm has been named among the winners of the "Architecture at Zero 2024" competition, which took place in Los Angeles, USA. The competition focused on designing an innovative school facility with bioclimatic features, promoting sustainability and architectural excellence. Among 122 international submissions, the Greek proposal stood out as one of the top three, alongside two American entries.
The team presented the project "MISFITS – Middle School for Fun, Innovation, and Technological Sustainability", an innovative net-zero energy educational space for East Los Angeles. The design aims to integrate creative education with sustainability, social inclusion, and architectural expression. Three projects were equally awarded in the competition, with Adamakis Architects & Associates’ recognition affirming the global impact of Greek architectural design.
The project's success was based on the collaboration of specialized professionals, academics, and students from the Department of Architecture at the University of Thessaly. The team leader was Stefanos Adamakis, an architect with studies at the University of Cambridge and a PhD candidate at the Department of Architecture, UTH. The project’s advisory team included:
- Konstantinos Adamakis, Architect (NTUA), PhD (AUTH), Emeritus Professor (UTH)
- Aristidis Tsagrasoulis, Professor of the Department of Architecture, UTH (Energy Systems)
- Nikolaos Chatzinikolaou, Civil Engineer (Structural Analysis)
- Dimitrios Tragoudaras, Mechanical Engineer (AUTH) (Electrical/Mechanical Systems Study)
The architectural design team consisted of Elpiniki Pavlou, Efthymia Vrouza, Alexandros Kourtis, Symeon Grigoriadis, Ioanna Kostopoulou (Architects, UTH), and Nikoleta Christodoulou (Economist, UTH). The student team from UTH that contributed to the project included Athanasios Pistolis, Erika Kostikoglou, Vasilis Chrysokeris, Aikaterini-Eirini Melissari, Foteini Katsimani, Christina Gkeka, Maria-Nefeli Tsouloufi, Asteria-Eleni Dimitropoulou, and Marios Kamilis.
The recognition of the "MISFITS" project in the "Architecture at Zero 2024" competition is a significant achievement for the Greek architectural community, demonstrating that innovation, sustainable development, and educational architecture can be combined in a world-class design.
