Dora Papidou

Dora Papidou graduated with distinction from the School of Architecture of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in 2001. She continued her studies at the Barcelona School of Architecture (ETSAB) of the Polytechnic University of Catalonia (UPC), completing two master’s programmes: in architectural design (M.Arch in Architectural Design) in 2003, with scholarships from the programme and from the “Lilian Voudouri” Foundation, and in theory and history of architecture (M.Arch in Theory and History of Architecture) in 2007. Her doctoral thesis was carried out at ETSAB, in the Department of Architectural Composition, under the supervision of Prof. Juan-José Lahuerta Alsina. Her thesis, “The space of inscription of architectural design”, received the distinction Excellent Cum Laude and in 2017 reached the final stage of the XI Biennial Competition for Doctoral Theses in Architecture in Spain, organised by the Arquia Foundation of Barcelona.

She worked in Barcelona as an architect and fellow of the Polytechnic University of Catalonia Foundation, in the Department of Studies, Works and Maintenance of the Barcelona local authority. On her return to Greece she founded the practice Manios Papidou Architects in Thessaloniki in 2009. The practice works on large-scale projects, urban regeneration and museographic projects, and takes part in, and wins awards in, architectural competitions. Its built project, the “Historical and Folklore Museum of Nikiti”, has repeatedly received distinctions and been published and exhibited in Greece and abroad.

Her research focuses on the relationship between writing and architecture. It includes papers and publications at national and international conferences. She has also taken part in research projects of the doctoral programme “Theory and history of architecture” at ETSAB, in the areas “Semiotics of art” and “Archaeology of Romanticism”, under the supervision of Prof. Ferran Lobo, as well as in AUTh research projects. Since 2020 she has been carrying out postdoctoral research at the AUTh School of Architecture, with a scholarship from the State Scholarships Foundation (IKY), on: “Convergences of writing and architecture. Architectural design in the contemporary post-alphabetic era”.

She has taught studio and theory courses at the interior architecture school AKTO Art & Design, Middlesex University London (2011-2013), the Free Open University (2011-2012), the AMC Metropolitan College school of architecture, UEL University of East London (2014-2017), the School of Architecture of the Democritus University of Thrace (2016-2017) and the AUTh School of Architecture (2017-2022). Since 2023 she has been an Assistant Professor at the AUTh School of Architecture.