Docomomo International has been notified by Docomomo Greece about the demolition threat the Thessaloniki International Fair pavilions, in Thessaloniki, Greece, are currently facing. “The urban complex of the Thessaloniki International Fair (TIF), established in 1937, is under threat. According to the new master plan of the site, most of the buildings inside the TIF, including some vanguard modern pavilions of the 1950s and the 1960s designed by renowned Greek architects (such as D. Tripodakis; E. Vourekas, S. Staikos, P. Vassiliadis; K. Kapsampelis, I. Vikelas; N Valsamakis; D. Fatouros), are either to be demolished or not considered for future use. The…

It is with great sadness that docomomo International has learnt that the permit for the demolition of the Transgas Complex had been granted on 9th January 2019. The fate of the building hangs by the tread, as final decisions are soon to be made. “Former telemetric control center  of International gas pipeline Transgas and administrative department of The Ministry of Fuel and Energy, situated in the center of Prague, near the National Museum, Main Railway station and Czech Radio Headquarters, at the border between Vinohrady neighborhood and New Town of Prague (gps 50°04´42.8″N, 14°25´59.9″E).  The objects are arranged into urban micro-landscape,…

In 2017 docomomo International has informed about a threat facing Al-Sawaber Complex (by Arthur Erickson, Kuwait City, 1981). Recently docomomo has learned that the complex faces imminent demolition, despite being listed at the World Monuments Fund (website) and enjoying a growing public popularity, with groups advocating for its preservation. Built in 1981, based on the design from 1977 by Arthur Erickson, the Al-Sawaber Complex aimed to provide numerous Kuwaiti families with private, intimate housing, within the city centre. In recent years a lack of maintenance, arson in some of the units, escalating land values in the surrounding area, and gentrification have rendered…

Docomomo International would like to draw your attention to the alarming situation of the former Industrial School in Plovdiv, Bulgaria (current Professional High School of Interior Architecture and Woodworking). The building, designed by Bulgarian architects Svetoslav Grozev and Dimitar Popov, at the time one of the most important modern movement edifices in Bulgaria, was opened to host the Plvodiv Industrial Fair, after a 40-year break from its inauguration in 1893. A staircase glass enclosure that was lighted by four vertical bands of windows was designed and installed in the building. The window´s openable segments – with common lever – strongly resembled the ones applied in the Bauhaus…

Docomomo International appeals for awareness regarding the future of the Acropolis’ works, in Athens, developed by Dimitris Pikionis might expect. Pikionis’ interventions consist on an architectural composition, created between 1954 and 1957, that achieved a coherent dialogue with the renowned archaeological site, by merging art, architecture and landscape. Docomomo Greece has now composed an open letter advocating for the preservation of the Pikionis’ work at the Acropolis hills. “Pikionis’ ‘handmade’ work on the Acropolis hills, which was accomplished sixty years ago, is internationally recognized as one of the most interesting architectural projects of its era; an original composition of high…

Docomomo International alerts for the eventual intervention and possible adulteration of the original features of Church Nossa Senhora da Assunção, in Almada. This church was designed by the Portuguese architects Nuno Teotónio Pereira, founder of the Movement for the Renovation of Religious Art (Movimento de Renovação de Arte Religiosa – MRAR), Luís de Almeida Pereira and Nuno Portas, the last president of MRAR. The Church of Almada stands as an example of a new attitude of the Catholic Church (as an institution and its physical spaces) towards its congregation – a Church closer to the people, relying on simplicity rather…

Docomomo International is now appealing to your foremost interest and concern regarding the situation of Transgas Complex, Prague, Czech Republic. The Transgas Complex is now under threat of demolition. “Former telemetric control center  of International gas pipeline Transgas and administrative department of The Ministry of Fuel and Energy, situated in the center of Prague, near the National Museum, Main Railway station and Czech Radio Headquarters, at the border between Vinohrady neighborhood and New Town of Prague (gps 50°04´42.8″N, 14°25´59.9″E).  The objects are arranged into urban micro-landscape, which accommodates the former enclosure of block, and left it open and accessible to…