The World of Emmanuel Vourekas

Emmanuel (Manolis) Vourekas was born in 1907, studied architecture in Dresden, Germany and returned to Athens in 1929, to start his professional career. In the interwar years he began to design his first apartment blocks, which established him as a member of the Athenian high society. His work includes: apartment blocks, villas and detached houses, office buildings, banks, educational buildings, public buildings, architectural competition entries, hotels, tourist facilities and town planning projects. In the 1960s, Vourekas was starring in the Athenian architecture scene. In partnership with P. Vassiliadis, S. Staikos and A. Georgiadis he designed and built the Athens Hilton hotel. This was followed by the extensive tourist facilities in Glyfada, Kavouri, Vouliagmeni and Thessaloniki, innovative projects that changed the coastline of the Saronic Gulf and the Thermaikos Gulf. Vourekass last major work was the study of the Athens Concert Hall. A man of exceptional kindness and an architect with a passion for everything he designed, Vourekas had a substantial contribution to the shaping of the form and style of modern Greek architecture.