Julie Chaida, Deputy CEO of Iktinos, participated in the Materiality section of Architects Talk 2022, which took place on October 15 at Build expo Greece at the Metropolitan Expo exhibition space, curated by Design Ambassador, in collaboration with Archisearch.
In her speech, Ms Chaida noted, among other things, the importance of Greece as a marble-producing country, as it ranks 4th in the world in exports of marble blocks and slabs. She referred to the variety of marble types and to the object of the research department of Iktinos, which carries out continued studies for new deposits of white and other types of marble, for the company to acquire a more comprehensive range of products, following the market trends and the preferences of architects. As she remarked, “Iktinos has invested in research and development, new technologies, and adopting improved methods to manage quality. The company is modernising and adapting to current circumstances and making investments to meet the high demands of its customers, both in quantity and quality, establishing Iktinos as a strong player in the global arena,” Chaida said.
Chaida highlighted the first edition of Iktinos’ Sustainability Report in 2021, the year in which the company started to participate in the ATHEX ESG index of the Athens Stock Exchange, enabling all stakeholders to monitor the adoption and visibility of the company’s environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) practices. “We have placed the minimisation of our environmental footprint at the heart of our activities to support, in practice, the global and national effort to address climate change. Our transition to environmentally friendly operations, with a direct positive impact on the environment, is the compass of our activities. We are evolving and investing in technology and the know-how and have already implemented underground marble extraction in our quarries,” Chaida stressed.
She continued, saying that the Greek marble industry is moving collectively to promote Greek marble both in architectural offices abroad and in Greece. “We believe that architects should become more acquainted with Greek marble and its applications, as it can be used to add “character” to any space or project. The Greek marble combines architecture, art, and design,” noted Ms Chaida.
In her final remarks, Chaida stated that Iktinos is moving in the same direction. She emphasised the enormous variety of marble mined from its quarries and the numerous applications for marble, including design objects made of marble, installations, art projects, and various textures and treatments that can be applied both by hand and with modern machinery. Furthermore, she added that marble is an ecological material. “Not only does its production have a very low environmental footprint, but also the duration and life cycle of marble has no end,” said Chaida. “These are precisely its characteristics that should be made known to all stakeholders, so that marble can gain its true place and be specified by architectural firms in large and small projects all over the world,” concluded Chaida.
Notable is that Architects Talk 2022 brought together prominent architects, designers, theorists, entrepreneurs, and representatives of public life to discuss the significant changes that will shape the new era in which architecture and design will thrive.
