Richard Economakis combines practice and teaching. In both his professional and academic work he has been dedicated to the promotion of classical and traditional architecture and urbanism. He is Principal of READ (Richard Economakis Architectural Design) and Associate Professor of Architecture at the University of Notre Dame, where he currently serves as Graduate Director of Architecture and Urbanism. Economakis is both a Greek and US citizen, and received both his undergraduate and graduate degrees in architecture from Cornell University.
Work
As principal of READ he has realized a number of projects, primarily in the US and Central America. These include mixed-use and commercial buildings for the new town of Cayalá in Guatemala, in collaboration with the firm Estudio Urbano and Leon Krier. His executed design for a Civic Hall at Cayalá received a 2013 Palladio Award and has been widely published. In 2015 his work together with that of Estudio Urbano was honored with an Acanthus Award of Arête from the Institute of Classical Architecture and Art’s Chicago Midwest Chapter, and an urbanism award from the International Making Cities Livable organization (IMCL). He is currently engaged in designs for a Theater in Seaside, Florida, and civic projects in the city of South Bend, Indiana. His recent proposal for the construction of Refugee Villages in Greece and the Mediterranean received an Honor Award of Excellence from the IMCL, in an event held at the Pontifical University in Rome in June 2016.
Among Economakis’ many publications are edited monographs on the works of leading traditional architects, including the books Leon Krier: Architecture & Urban Design 1967-1992, (Academy Editions, 1992); Quinlan Terry: Selected Works (Academy Editions, 1993); Building Classical (Academy Editions, 1993); and Acropolis Restoration (Academy Editions, 1995), which documented the ongoing restoration of the Acropolis monuments in Athens. His most recent edited work is the book Durability in Construction (Papadakis Publisher, 2015), which showcases new buildings that employ traditional techniques, with essays by their authors. He is the author of books on the architecture of the Acropolis in Athens (Acropolis, ArtMedia Press, 2003), and Greek island towns and buildings (Nisyros: History and Architecture of an Aegean Island, Melissa ,2001). Economakis was twice named Educator of the Year by the University of Notre Dame’s Student Chapter of the American Institute of Architecture. He has lectured on a variety of architectural topics at venues such as the Society of Architectural Historians (SAH), INTBAU, the Prince of Wales’s Foundation, ICAA (New York, Washington, Chicago, and Utah Chapters), Princeton University’s Program in Hellenic Studies, the Benaki Museum in Athens, the Chautauqua Institution in New York, and the Congress for New Urbanism (CNU).
Further Information
Richard M. Economakis
Principal, READ
1843 Portage Avenue
South Bend, IN 46616
Tel. 574 386 9266
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Associate Professor, Director, Graduate Studies in Architecture and Urbanism
School of Architecture, University of Notre Dame, IN 46556
Tel. 574 631 7887
Fax. 574 6318486
Richard.M.Economakis.1@nd.edu
http://www.richardeconomakis.com
Captions
1. New town of Cayalá, Guatemala. The Civic Hall nearing completion Richard Economakis Architectural Design (with Estudio Urbano)
2. New town of Cayalá, Guatemala. The Civic Hall viewed from the plaza to the south; Below: as seen from the south west. Richard Economakis Architectural Design (with Estudio Urbano)
3. New town of Cayalá, Guatemala. As seen from the south west. Richard Economakis Architectural Design (with Estudio Urbano)
4. New town of Cayalá, Guatemala. Interior of the Civic Hall (Gran Salon Azaria)
5. New town of Cayalá, Guatemala. Buildings defining a street and square to the north of the Civic Hall, by Richard Economakis (with Estudio Urbano)
6. New town of Cayalá, Guatemala. Mixed use buildings by Richard Economakis Architectural Design (with Estudio Urbano)
7. New town of Cayalá, Guatemala View south along the main street (paseo); mixed use buildings and Civic Hall cupola, all by Richard Economakis Architectural Design (with Estudio Urbano).
8. Hayes Residence, South Bend, Indiana Interiors by Richard Economakis Architectural Design.
9. Proposed temporary EU Refugee Processing Center Aerial view of 10,000 person encampment.
10. Assembly Hall, Seaside, Florida (in progress)
