Interviews with George Sinas

As far as I can remember I always wanted to be an architect. I often joke when asked this question by saying that I always wanted to be an architect especially when I made a large scale model of the Acropolis with white Legos at the age of five.

None of my parents or my immediate family were design oriented or artist so I wasn’t influence in that way. My mother saw potential in me and she pushed me towards that direction.

Once I finished school I applied to architecture school in Greece. Back then there were only two Universities. One in Athens and one in Thessaloniki. And in order to be accepted you had to perform well in the national exams. I was accepted in the University of Thessaloniki school of Architecture. After that and having finished my two years military service as a cadet of the Engineers corps I moved to the USA and pursued a second Master’s degree in Architecture. I was in love with SCI-Arc a very well-known avant-garde Architecture school in Los Angeles.

Oh the stories I can say about those years… I will have to restrain myself and simply say that it was a life changing experience that affected me ways that I still discover.

What kind of emotions you say?

Why, the whole spectrum I think.

From excitement of the new, to fear of failure. And from devastation, because maybe a most preferred proposal got rejected, to absolute joy once the authorities have approved a building license.

I think the worst emotion is when I feel I’m in a design dead end and need to back step. And the best emotion that comes with a great high is when there is that one concept idea that just stands out and you know deep in your gut it’s “the one”.

It’s an emotional roller coaster. Quite draining. And the funny (or sad) thing is that the good emotions last much less than the negative ones. One would say that in order to be an Architect you must have a masochistic nature.

I know that you want to show the world that you matter and you have amazing ideas. But before you try to make it on your own, first get a diverse experience by working for other architects for at least 5 years. This will channel your abilities in ways you can’t fathom right now.

Travel. Live and work abroad.

Aim to work at a large firm for a while and then choose to work for a small firm.

Ask questions and try to understand the why behind everything.

Put your God complex into hibernation mode. You’ll have plenty of time to let it take over later.

As far as I can remember I always wanted to be an architect. I often joke when asked this question by saying that I always wanted to be an architect especially when I made a large scale model of the Acropolis with white Legos at the age of five.

None of my parents or my immediate family were design oriented or artist so I wasn’t influence in that way. My mother saw potential in me and she pushed me towards that direction.

Once I finished school I applied to architecture school in Greece. Back then there were only two Universities. One in Athens and one in Thessaloniki. And in order to be accepted you had to perform well in the national exams. I was accepted in the University of Thessaloniki school of Architecture. After that and having finished my two years military service as a cadet of the Engineers corps I moved to the USA and pursued a second Master’s degree in Architecture. I was in love with SCI-Arc a very well-known avant-garde Architecture school in Los Angeles.

Oh the stories I can say about those years… I will have to restrain myself and simply say that it was a life changing experience that affected me ways that I still discover.

My studio is quite small. Before the economy crisis it had grown to a maximum of six architects. I always tried to find people who shared the same enthusiasm as I had for Architecture and making in general. I wasn’t always successful with my choices. But there are these few rare instances that really stand out. I want to make a special tribute to my then collaborator Architect Maria Mamoura who assisted me in the design of the Xerolithi house. Working with her was a real pleasure. She had an immense contribution to the project and for that I thank her dearly.

I like to think of our studio as a haven for developing ideas and experimenting while the soundtrack playing in the back would definitely be “Staying alive” by the Bee Gees but in the disco version.

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I love design in general, whether it be making felt super hero masks for one of my children’s birthday parties or creating furniture like a secretary desk. Although most of my completed projects are private summer houses on the islands of Greece I really enjoy architecture competitions. Museums and schools are amazing projects.

Well it would clearly have to be Xerolithi house. After having done a few more projects for the specific client prior to Xerolithi, I managed to gain his trust and thus earned the much needed allowance for experimentation and design freedom. I wasn’t sure where my process was going to take us or what the outcome was going to be but I really enjoyed the journey.

The first project my studio design was a small summer cottage on Serifos Island in Greece in 2001. It got noticed. That was a huge steppingstone for me back then.

I don’t have a specific favorite material. All materials are interesting in their own way and can become a spark of inspiration.

If I had to say that I have something in my work that I really love It would have to be Sketchup. Even though I used other software prior, with SketchUp I gained an extremely agile and powerful tool that has become an extension of myself and part of my day to day practice. Truthfully I don’t understand why everybody doesn’t know how to use it. It’s as important as knowing how to sketch and make physical models.

At some point though I wish to engage with grasshopper. Once I master that I think my work will automatically jump to an entirely new level.

I’m most creative when I have specific boundaries within which I have to function. I feel safe when there are walls that limit the endlessness of design decisions. A blank piece of paper is daunting. Too much freedom creates irrelevant projects. If there aren’t any boundaries I try to create them based on analysis of the specific project scope and existing elements that are involved. Once I lay down the rules of engagement I proceed to figure out which of these rules can be bent and which should remain rigid.

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What kind of emotions you say?

Why, the whole spectrum I think.

From excitement of the new to fear of failure. And from devastation, because maybe a most preferred proposal got rejected, to absolute happiness once the authorities have approved a building license. I think the worst emotion is when I feel I’m in a design dead end and need to back step. And the best emotion that comes with a great high is when there is that one concept idea that just stand out and you know deep in your gut it’s “the one”.

It’s an emotional roller coaster. Quite draining. And the funny (or sad) thing is that the good emotions last much less than the negative ones. One would say that in order to be an Architect you must have a masochistic nature.

Of course I feel very proud when I see my projects completed.

But there is a special kind of proudness that I feel when I see projects like Xerolithi. When I approach it from afar, when I walk around it and when I touch the floors and walls, when I feel how it is to live in it. I can’t put it in words.

I do remember though how I felt when I saw the first house that I designed, completed. Bare in mind that I wasn’t involved with the construction and had seen it only once at the beginning. So after completion having been invited to stay there for a weekend and as I was approaching it, I just glanced at it and felt the need to sit down. I broke into tears.

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I really can't say...

It's changing in so many different ways.

Technology on one hand.... And unforseen events like Covid-19 on the other.

Change is not measured in aeons but in decades

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I really believe that inspiration can come from the most mundane thing. Like a crumbled piece of paper. This is a reference to a Simpsons cartoon episode where the guest star Frank Gehry comes up with an idea for a building after having seen a thrown away crumbled piece of paper. I can absolutely relate to this.

So I try to keep my eyes and senses peeled.

But I also like to do some Pinterest-surfing. What can I say? With it you have access to a myriad of images. It’s all good. As long as you don’t get addicted. It’s not an easy fix to design problems. The immenseness of the internet releases the mind from defaults. It shows that things can be done in so many different ways.

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I know that you want to show the world that you matter and you have amazing ideas. But before you try to make it on your own, first get a diverse experience by working for other architects for at least 5 years. This will channel your abilities in ways you can’t fathom right now.

Travel. Live and work abroad.

Aim to work at a large firm for a while and then choose to work for a small firm.

Ask questions and try to understand the why behind everything.

Put your God complex into hibernation mode. You’ll have plenty of time to let it take over later.

A big negative of being a designer I would have to say that it's emotionally draining. Unless one doesn’t get emotionally attached to their work. But that immediately diminishes the level of design.

A positive, besides bringing order to chaos (hahaha), would be the satisfying of the the unquenchable sense of making.

Never give up and never settle for mediocre. Give it one more chance and you will be rewarded eventually.

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My trusty pencil and black marker for sketching.

AutoCAD, Archicad and SketchUp

Illustrator, Photoshop and powerpoint

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That really depends on the project. But most of my projects being houses may take even a year in design work. And even then the project isn’t finished. We are involved during construction and that could take another 18 months.

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My office is expanding. And the list of ongoing projects is growing.

So at this point I'm looking for young new talent that will synch with myself and my process.

Yes we work as a team.

I have a couple of new projects that stand out.

One is small hotel on Serifos Island and the other is an encaved house again on Serifos.

In both cases the architectural language is quite different. But the approach is the same, always appreciating the environment, built or not within which they reside. But also trying to experiment with new ideas, materials and morphologies that question the existing morphological stereotypical status quo while also appreciating its immense importance. Because without it the Greek cycladic islands wouldn't be what they are today.

I can be contacted by phone +30 6973 373400 (mobile)

By email: gsin@sinasarchitects.gr

By Instagram: george_sinas_ / sinas_architects

By Facebook: george sinas / Sinas Architects

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