Alex Athanassoulas, President & CEO, and Elena Athanassoula, Vice President of STIRIXIS Group, featured in EKOYAPI DERGİSİ, Issue 66.
Alex Athanassoulas, President & CEO of STIRIXIS Group, is featured in EKOYAPI DERGİSİ Issue 66, in an extensive interview titled “From Space to System: Architecture as Performance, Responsibility and Value.”
The interview explores the relationship between strategy, design and long-term performance, examining why architectural responsibility should extend beyond the completion of a project to include the way environments perform over time.
Drawing on more than 30 years of practice, over 900 projects and experience across 29 countries, Athanassoulas discusses the integrated approach developed by STIRIXIS Group and the importance of maintaining strategic intent throughout a project’s lifecycle.
The feature addresses the challenge of “translation loss”: the gradual erosion of strategic decisions as projects move from concept through design, construction and operation. For STIRIXIS Group, addressing this challenge requires continuity between strategy and execution, with accountability extending to the performance of the completed environment.
The interview also examines the role of technology, lighting and intelligent systems in contemporary architecture. Rather than treating technology as an end, the discussion focuses on how it can support clear strategic objectives and contribute to measurable outcomes, including productivity, customer experience, operational efficiency and long-term business performance.
The EKOYAPI DERGİSİ interview (pp. 80–84) explores strategy, technology, post-occupancy performance and thought-doership, illustrated by RAFARM R&D Building, Qassim University, Coca-Cola HBC Zug, Enel Flagship Store Bucharest and Samsung Kotsovolos. The projects are among STIRIXIS Group’s internationally awarded work.
The discussion also references Elena Athanassoula, Vice President of STIRIXIS Group, and her philosophy “Aesthetics Create Ethics,” connecting aesthetic decisions with human perception, behaviour and the outcomes of the built environment.
Athanassoulas further reflects on STIRIXIS Group’s integrated model, which brings together strategy, design and business performance. The feature presents the Group’s approach to post-occupancy evaluation, including the importance of returning to completed projects, measuring actual outcomes and using these findings to inform future decisions.
The interview concludes with a discussion of the distinction between thought leadership and “thought-doership”: the ability to translate ideas into action, remain accountable for results and continuously improve through real-world evidence.
Internationally Recognised Projects Featured in the Interview
The interview is illustrated with five internationally recognised STIRIXIS Group projects, demonstrating the breadth of the Group’s work across research, education, workplaces and retail. Explore the featured projects and their award distinctions:
RAFARM R&D Building — European Property Awards 2022–2023, Commercial Renovation / Redevelopment, Greece.
Qassim University — Saudi Arabia Property Awards 2024–2025, Best Public Service Interior, Saudi Arabia.
Coca-Cola HBC Switzerland (Zug) — European Property Awards 2024–2025, Best Office Interior, Switzerland.
Enel Flagship Store Bucharest — European Property Awards 2019–2020, Best Public Service Interior, Romania.
Samsung Electronics Hellas / Kotsovolos — International Property Awards 2019–2020, Retail Interior, Greece.
EXPLORE OUR INTERNATIONAL AWARDS →
Follow Alex Athanassoulas and Elena Kyrnassiou-Athanassoula on LinkedIn for more perspectives on strategy, design and leadership.
As Featured In
EKOYAPI DERGİSİ | Issue 66 · September 2026
“From Space to System: Architecture as Performance, Responsibility and Value”
READ THE FULL INTERVIEW — EKOYAPI DIGITAL ISSUE →