When Buildings Refuse to Behave | Lecture by Eleni Tsigarida at NYIT
When Buildings Refuse to Behave
A lecture by Eleni Tsigarida
Eleni Tsigarida, founder of ETSI Architects, recently presented the lecture “When Buildings Refuse to Behave” at the New York Institute of Technology (NYIT), School of Architecture and Design, as part of an invited academic lecture series.
The talk was delivered in dialogue with the academic environment of NYIT, alongside Andreas Theodoridis, Assistant Professor of Architecture, whose work focuses on the relationship between architecture, environmental systems, and performance.
The lecture explores the realities of working with historic structures and the complex nature of architectural restoration.
At its core is a shift in perspective. While new construction is typically driven by control, precision, and optimisation, restoration operates within an entirely different framework. Existing buildings are not neutral. They carry layers of history, material behaviour, previous interventions, and environmental exposure. They resist simplification.
Rather than imposing order, restoration requires negotiation.
At the centre of the lecture is the Teloneio in Kardamyli, Mani. Originally built as a fortified customs house, the building has passed through multiple lives: a trade post, a storage facility, a motel, and now a private residence. Each phase has left its mark, creating a structure that is both physically and historically complex.
The question was never simply how to restore it, but what exactly was being restored.
Through the project, the lecture examines how architecture engages with structural failure, material decay, and incomplete knowledge. Cracks, voids, and inconsistencies are not treated as problems to be erased, but as information. They reveal how the building behaves, where it has weakened, and how it has adapted over time.
A key moment in the process was the injection of lime-based grout into the masonry, revealing the extent of hidden voids within the walls. This reinforces a central idea of the lecture: that much of a building’s condition remains invisible until intervention begins. As Tsigarida notes, “you don’t know a building until you inject it.”
The project also highlights the importance of compatibility over strength. Earlier interventions using concrete and steel had accelerated deterioration by trapping moisture within the walls. In contrast, the restoration relied on breathable, flexible materials such as lime and pozzolana, allowing the building to continue functioning as a dynamic system rather than forcing it into rigidity.
Equally significant is the role of craftsmanship. The project brought together local masons, carpenters, and artisans, working with traditional techniques adapted to contemporary requirements. In this context, sustainability is not only environmental but also cultural, rooted in the continuity of knowledge and local practice.
Beyond construction, the lecture addresses broader questions of identity and heritage. Buildings are understood not as static objects, but as archives containing traces of time, labour, and transformation. Restoration becomes a process of editing rather than erasing, allowing these layers to remain legible.
In a time where demolition is often equated with progress, the lecture argues for a different approach. Repair, though more complex, maintains continuity. It preserves both the physical structure and the accumulated knowledge embedded within it.
Ultimately, “When Buildings Refuse to Behave” reframes restoration as an active, ongoing dialogue between past and present. It is not about returning a building to a fixed point in time, but about enabling it to continue.
Watch the full lecture below.
