Mediterranean Institute of Cities and Territories, Marseille
Giorgos Panetsos, Professor at the University of Patras
Nelly Marda, Professor at NTUA
The talk explores the vision behind the Mediterranean Institute of Cities and Territories in Marseille, focusing on how the institution’s role within the city is being redefined.
The speakers develop the concept of the agora as a network of public spaces organized around open-air life and social exchange. At the same time, they present the Institute as a “living tool-building” — an open and adaptable framework that fosters interdisciplinary dialogue and strengthens the connection with the city, allowing it to express and embrace its multiple identities.
Point Supreme was founded by Marianna Rentzou and Konstantinos Pantazis in Rotterdam in 2008, after having lived and worked in Athens, London, Tokyo, Brussels, and Rotterdam, where they closely collaborated with Rem Koolhaas at OMA.
They have received numerous first prizes in international architectural competitions, including projects for a social housing building in Trondheim, the pier in Faliro, a covered public space in Tel Aviv, a fire station in Belgium, an artists’ center in Belgium, and the School of Architecture in Marseille.
Point Supreme regularly publishes proposals aimed at improving urban life in Athens. Their work has been exhibited internationally, including at the Venice and Chicago Biennales and the Lisbon Triennale, and has been featured in publications such as Athens Projects (Graham Foundation, 2015), Radical Reality (Divisare, 2017), and a dedicated issue of the Japanese magazine a+u (2023). They have also taught at renowned architecture schools, including Columbia University and EPFL.
Giorgos Panetsos is Professor of Architectural and Urban Design at the University of Patras and has maintained an architectural practice in Athens since 1986. He studied architecture at the National Technical University of Athens and at Harvard University, and continued postgraduate studies and research in Vienna and at the Hochschule für Angewandte Kunst as a fellow.
He has participated in and received distinctions in numerous architectural competitions, while his work has been published and exhibited internationally, including at the Venice Biennale, and has been recognized in important publications on Greek architecture.
His research and writing focus on architectural and urban design, architectural theory, and architectural heritage. He has taught and lectured internationally and has also served as an advisor to municipalities and institutions on urban planning and regeneration projects. In addition, he has curated important architectural exhibitions and publications and has actively contributed to the public discourse on urban design in Greece.
Nelly Marda is Professor Emerita at the School of Architecture of the National Technical University of Athens. She studied architecture at NTUA and holds MSc and PhD degrees from University College London.
In addition to teaching at NTUA, she has taught at Greenwich University in London, the Hellenic Open University, and Pomona State University in Los Angeles.
Her published research focuses on the teaching of architectural design, with particular emphasis on its methodological tools. She has an extensive body of designed and built architectural work, most notably the Tellogleio Foundation Museum in Thessaloniki, and has received distinctions and awards for completed projects as well as in international and national architectural competitions.