For a Greek industrial product on demand If someone asked us what was ultimately the meaning,of this expense, this multiannual, particularly painful and persistent involvement of ours, the 23 most thriving years of our lives, the project of katoikein, with a very heavy price, both mental, moral, as well as economic,we would answer that this period of our life,in our eyes,produced work,that was absolutely innovative, incomplete, unfulfilled, and even today, lively and topical. The bet and the stake of this period, that was served with boundless enthusiasm, dedication, and faith, in spite of numerous daily difficulties and dangers, lurking in every step,was that of the design,of the production and distribution of a modern Greek industrial product,with a pure principle of targeting the highest levels of international western markets, and the rest of the world. Our dream was that of a powerful,Greek export branded product.The most important creation of all this effort was to devise a method, a tool, a language for the construction of spacestructure systems and furniture, incorporating in their design an innovative and completely contemporary, parametric logic,a logic that allows the product to be implemented in a post-industrial robotic manufacturing technology, communication and disposal frame,which is able to bring back the final recipient in the limelight, potentially this time not as a consumer but as a creator of things that concern him/her and surround him /her.A product of the near future which will satisfy in a simple,typical and fully controlled by his final recipients way,completely different,special and personal needs, with high quality and low cost.The only pragmatic reason why such a perspective is not currently in a clear way visible as the only realistic scenario of getting out of the global crisis,are the enormous accumulated interests on the side of another version,which is  historically clinically dead,ethically barbarian and anthropologically totally inhuman, illiterate and unhistorical. When in 1992 ,along with Alex Economides of ECON INDUSTRIES, we submitted a proposal to the then Ministry of Development, under the program Telematics HELLAS COM, a proposal of creating a fully automated, robotic manufacturing plant, where everyone could -via internet-design, precost, order, manufacture and deliver on site products,without any other human mediation, it was apparently too early.

The systematic deindustrialization of our country,especially after the regime change,combined with subjective circumstances of insurmountable differences of perceptions within the group of KATOIKEIN, contributed to the frustration and ultimately the complete disappearance of this ambitious project. The rich, substantial and diverse experience of this period, illuminates our today’s work. Those ideas and the applied inventions reside in our memory, and life itself confirms them,after years, all around us, inside and outside our country.  ORIGIN Andreas Kyranis was born in Piraeus in 1956 His father George Kyranis,a native of Odessa, Kalymnos, Paros and Syros, was a Naval designer with years of presence in the Greek naval industry, a student and close partner for decades ,from the late 30’s through the 60’s, of the champion engineer and industrialist John Rontiris, brother of the famous director. (ROSTRO Rontiris-and-Strouboulis & Co. steel industry, based in Piraeus) His mother Rosa Petrakis, a native of Leros and Crete, was born, raised and educated in Alexandria, Egypt.

STUDIES 1974 He finishes the Ionnideios Model School of Piraeus

Teachers that shaped his way of thinking

The painters Muzakis and Gavriilidis, the scholar Kounoupas, the mathematecian Katsoulakis and the historian Soldatos.

1979 NTUA School of Architecture Degreeteachers that shaped his way of thinking Tasos and Dimitris Mpiris, Anni Vryxea and Giorgos Xaidopoulos, Giannis Polyzos, Giannis Liapis, Sotiris Sorogkas, Giorgos Makris, Kostas Vokotopoulos

1981-1983 Postgraduate Studies in Architecture Laboratory of the Aristotle Universitywith Professor DImitris Fatouros and subject: Myth and Story in Architecture 1975-1977 during his studies at NTUA University

co-founder and active member at the Cultural Office of NTUA with Kostas Xarakas,Dimitris Kapetanakis,

Dimitris Athanitis, Christos Vakalopoulos, Nikos Hatzopoulos, Maria Adam, Dimitris Spinoulas, Dimitris Andrikakis, Apostolos Tsoukalas and others PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITY 1975 Participation in the family business MELKA LTD,by George Kyranis and Anthonis Tsimplakis

machine and boiler shop of special constructions and especially hydraulic sea winches, designed by G. Kyranis 1977 Construction, at Melka, of the first design products for the shop “MONODROMOS”, on Homer Street in Kolonaki. Acquaintance, cooperation and friendship with one of the pioneers of the design product construction project in Greece,

Christos Papageorgiou, founder of shops OIKOS and ROMA5.

1977 Initiative and establishment,along with Vassilis Oikonomou and Nikos Hatzopoulos (Later known actor and director of the National Theatre),

of KATOIKEIN LTD,based at 155 Ipsilantous Street, Pasalimani

The project, whose title was inspired by the book by  Henrie Lefebvre,  “Right to the City”

was an intervention initiative in things, by invoking the right of the social to appropriate its City. Among the first products of the shop are products of the Italian companies SIMON, SHIRA, DRIADE and CIDUE

1980 George Pittas, son of Kostas Pittas,a known cabinetmaker in the 60’s, and George Papakostas of “RASPAS”, join the team

Opening of KATOIKEIN shop on Fokylidou and Boukourestiou street. The figure is strongly supported by the external partner George Chaidopoulos,

assistant in NTUA University,Department of Architecture ,a friend and a teacher. Organization of the first furniture exhibition at the first floor of the shop Cretan seat, material from the personal collection of George and Anna Chaidopoulos and Anna Vryxea, Furniture by Dimitris and Susanna Antonakakis. First recognition of the project and great commercial success of the first products Shift to a spacestructure system with vivid aniline colors of the classical HABITAT shelf system,

series of furniture “DRITSA”, dining chair and tables metal wicker chair molded chair  “boubou” transformation of the “sof-sof” seat by enzo mari transformation of wooden products by RIETVELT 1980-1983 First KATOIKEIN store network Athens, Glyfada, Piraeus, Chalkis, Lamia, Kavala, Patras, Tripolis, Kalamata 1983 Withdrawal from KATOIKEIN KAFE EROS, Coffee bar in Psilalonia,Patras design store IRIDOSTAXTO with Vaso Viariatza in Patras Establishment of private company CHARTAITOS,based in the crafts area of the port of Piraeus,on Artemisiou 5 Street workshop of contemporary Greek industrial product construction establishment, in the ruins of an old shipyard that was fully rebuilt,

of a workshop for metal, wood and wallpaper Collaboration with his brother Kostas Kyranis, engineer of NTUA,specializing in CAD-CAM systems Use of CAD programs, and production management programs MULTIPLAN and EXCEL 1985 Back to ΚΑΤΟΙΚΕΙΝ under a new partnership Establishment of ΝΕΟ ΚΑΤΟΙΚΕΙΝ LTD with equal participation of A.Kyranis,V.Oikonomou,G.Pittas and G.Xaidopoulos New store at 48 Voukourestiou Street Collaboration with the architect and actress Natasha Pandi for the design of the premises and equipment of DEPAK Schools of Kalamata 1985-1996 Locations of NEW KATOIKEIN Athens Kolonaki (2), Piraeus, N.Smirni, N. Ionia, Penteli, Messogion Avenue, Poseidonos Avenue, Glyfada Thessaloniki,Drama,Alexandroupoli,Veroia,Larisa,Volos,Lamia,Ioannina,Chania Participation in international design exhibitions in London and Paris Cooperation with the French VIA after George Chaidopoulos’s initiatives, to organize joint exhibitions and exchange of products and experience on design 1991-1996 KIRANIS FACTORY DESIGN + CONSTRUCTION within the crafts activity at 5 Artemisiou Street in Piraeus specialized in furniture and especially the office desk 1994-1995 KYRANIS Economou EIA-based at Petrou Ralli Street, crafts activity within Katoikein 1995 departure from KYRANIS OIKONOMOU substantial departure from the activities of KATOIKEIN 1998 the NEOSET Group acquires the majority and management of KATOIKEIN 1998-1999 last attempt to reinvigorate the vision of KATOIKEIN within NEOSET design and manufacture of furniture with use of the latest CAD-CAM technology design and manufacture of innovative furniture components at CONVEX Project of a contemporary, Greek industrial product on demand The customer gets to decide the adjustments and the details of the product with interactive procedures in the store. The order is automatically transferred to robotic machines Parametric design with TOP DOWN SOLID MODELLING systems,

by the American company “PARAMETRIC” (Technical support from the Greek representative INFOCAD) Production with the use of state-of-the-art robotic machines. The project is supported, from a technological point of view,by the newly recruited design manager George Kiriakidis,

the former technical director of GENERAL ELECTRIC. Pilot models are produced,they receive enthusiastic reviews,Investments of millions are made on infrastructure and human resources,

but ultimately the project is abandoned, since it conflicts with established relationships with the company’s human resources. 2000 formal corporate withdrawal from ΝΕΟ ΚΑΤΟΙΚΕΙΝ 1999-today exclusive architectural activity within the office “Andreas Kyranis architects”,based at 15 Fokylidou Street,Kolonaki,Athens.