Apostolos Kyriazis was born in Thessaloniki, Greece in 1976.

He holds a Diploma (BArch and MArch) in Architecture, an MSc in Urban Planning and a PhD in Architecture and Urban Regeneration from the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece. He has been a practitioner since 2000, with three awards in architecture competitions, two participations at the Venice Biennale of Architecture (2016 and 2018), one exhibition participation with the ECC in Venice, Italy in 2021 and numerous housing and urban planning projects in Greece, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Egypt.

He has also been an active Scholar/Academic since 2008. He worked as an Adjunct Lecturer from 2008 to 2013 at Schools of Architecture in Thessaloniki, Volos and Xanthi, Greece. He joined Abu Dhabi University as an Assistant Professor of Architecture in 2015 and he recently got promoted to Associate Professor. He has published and presented academic research in numerous Conferences and conducts Research in collaboration with other international institutions. His field of expertise is the Neighborhood scale, urban regeneration, urban morphologies, public space, informality, social housing.

He is also an enthusiast photographer with six participations at group exhibitions and three international awards/distinctions. To him, photography goes beyond a simple means of expression. It is a genuine tool of synthesis and representation in architecture and urbanism.

He owns a private architecture firm in Volos, Greece. He currently lives with his family in Abu Dhabi, UAE.

PhD in Architecture

School of Architecture, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece, 2004 - 2008

Supervising Professor: Dr. Karamanou Zoe

Thesis: Upgrading potential of the Greek cities urban tissue and the role of the “active city blocks renewal tool”.

http://invenio.lib.auth.gr/record/109538?ln=el

Presentation of Thesis: 3/7/2008, Nomination: 24/7/2008

Grade: Excellent – 10/10 (unanimous)

The Thesis is grounded on the findings that Greek cities lie in a disadvantageous position within the European urban network, in terms of competition, sustainability and growth. At the same time, Greek cities (even the middle-sized ones) have reached a critical point of significant devalorization of the urban environment, where all available urban planning legislative tools just recycle the same problems and lead to the same dead-ends.

For a variety of reasons, one of these tools was never acknowledged. The “Active City Blocks” urban renewal tool and all other similar to it are able to play a leading role in rejuvenating the urban tissue.

After a brief and concise presentation of the existing law, social and morphological frame of urban design in the Greek cities, the thesis displays a number of indicative urban renewal projects from Greece and Europe, researches the Active City Block tool failing reasons and argues on its actual advantages and disadvantages.

Grouping and encoding the urban morphology of the middle-sized Greek cities leads to an objective description of both the theoretical proposals for improving the law frame and the cities’ functionality and a proposed procedure-plan for the study and development of urban regeneration projects, within the concept of the city blocks’ backyards merging.

A case study in the city of Volos-Greece, helps to argue that the new and improved Active City Blocks tool and concept can indeed contribute to the efforts for renewing the Greek cities urban tissue and upgrading the urban environment.

Memberships - Affiliations

Member of SADAS (Greek Architects Society)

Member of TEE (Technical Chamber of Greece)

Member of ISOCARP (International Society of City and Regional Planners)

Founding Member of Amateur Astronomers Society, Volos Greece

Founding Member of Amateur Astronomers Society, Thessaloniki Greece

Member of UAEAG (United Arab Emirates Astronomy Group)