Vana Tentokali received her Bachelor Degree (1972) and her Doctorate Degree (1988) in Architecture from Aristotle University of Thessaloniki.  She was a Research Fellow in the Department of Architecture at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) (1982-1985), where she studied “Behavioral Science in Architecture” in collaboration with the Women’s Studies Program.  She taught “Social aspects of architecture” at Roger Williams College, Bristol Rhode Island (Spring Semester of 1986).  As a Postdoctoral Visiting Scholar also at MIT (Spring Semester of 1992), she studied “Theories of deconstruction of architecture from a gender perspective”.  As a Visiting Research Scholar in the Hellenic Studies Program at Princeton University (Princeton NJ) (fall of 2008), she studied the notion of “void” within the process of architectural design. 

 

 

Post-graduate Studies

Participation in Post-graduate courses with the professors:

• MIT (1982-83 και 1983-84)

Department of Architecture: S.C. Howell, Ch. Sprague, S. Anderson, J. Beinart, G. Ciucci

Department of Urban Studies and Planning: Ph. Clay και L. Peattie

Department of Humanities: J. Jackson

• Boston College (1983-84)

Department of Social Anthropology: D. Iatrides

• Harvard University (1984-85)

Graduate School of Design: E.F. Sekler

 

 

Research in USA Universities

• Research Fellow in Department of Architecture, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (ΜΙΤ): 1982-1985

Member of the «Behavioral Science Research Group in Architecture», professor: S.C. Howell.

Subject of individual research: Theoretical exploration of the raw material collected from the field survey of the ongoing that time doctoral dissertation: «The spatial organization of the house as a reflection of the family structure: the Organi case».

Advisors: S.C. Howell, W. Porter και L. Peattie.

This research project resulted in a publication as a chapter in the book: Low Sh. M., Chambers E (eds), Housing, Culture and Design: A comparative Perspective. Philadelphia Pennsylvania: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1989, pp. 281-297. The prologue of this book is written by A.Rapoport.

• Postdoctoral Visiting Scholar in the Department of Architecture, ΜΙΤ:

1992 (spring semester)

Program «History, Theory, Criticism»: Research collaboration with the professors: W. Porter, S.Anderson and R. Landau (visiting professor).

Subject of individual research: «Theories of deconstruction in Architecture and Gender Studies».

• Visiting Fellow in the Program in Hellenic Studies, Princeton University, Princeton:

2008 (fall term).

Research collaboration with the professor of «History and Theory of Architecture»: Spyros Papapetros, as respondent.

Subject of individual research: «Leading to the Vacuum: The Process of “Undoing” in Architectural Design (Greek Cities as Case Studies) ».

 

 

Research interests

Her research interests have been focused on the exploration of:

Since the decade of 1990 up to 2015

• The meeting point between the theories of deconstruction of gender and space.

Her perspective “takes refuge” into the “deconstructive theories of gender and space”, that conceptual armory of architectural theory and practice, in which philosophy, psychoanalysis and literary criticism converge.  Since theories of deconstruction deal with the notion of “textuality”, this perspective leads to:

Two basic pre-suppositions:

• On one hand, the spatial object, the building, is considered as a “text” and the process of the architectural design, as a “syntax” procedure. On the other, the identity of gender is considered as a “text” and the process of its social construction as “syntax” procedure.
• The spatial object, the building, as a theoretical conception, but also the identity of the gender is structured (constructed) socially and culturally.

Two questions:

• Is there a potential meeting point between deconstructive theories of gender and those of space? If so, then where?
• Can emphasis on the gender factor change the nature design-production?  Further, can such emphasis change other disciplines tending toward the construction and deconstruction of gender (e.g., philosophy, literary theory, psychoanalysis) that have the potential of providing models of architectural design? 

 

• The theory and practice of architectural design from the perspective of the “textuality” of space

  What is the starting point of design and what is its process?  Emphasis is given on the structure of the space in terms of its bipolarity “full (built)” and “void (un-built)”:

  • unifying the space intending to the “architectonization” of the “void” and
  • revealing through the “void” the multiple layers of the historical palimpsest of the urban and suburban tissue.

Since 1973 up to the decade of 1990

• Socio-psychological parameters in the architectural design, Environmental Psychology

Research on the theory and practice of Housing.  Particularly on the Housing for single people.

 

 

Participation in the following associations, organizations (among a number of others)

• As member of the International Editorial Board of the “Journal of Architectural Theory” DATUTOP (Department of Architecture Tampere University of Technology), Tampere (1995-2002).
• As regular associate in the:

“Center for Research on Women”, Wellesley College (Wellesley MA USA) (1984-1985)

“Women-Art and Architectural History Group”, Rhode Island School of Design (Providence RI USA) (1984-1986).

“International Association for People-Environment Studies” (IAPS) (1986-2000)

• As National Contact of Greece for the:

“European Network for Women’s Studies” (E.N.W.S.) (since 1990) and

“Women’s International Studies in Europe: (WISE) (since 1998).

 

 

Lectures

• MIT (Cambridge MA, ΗΠΑ) (1984),
• Rhode Island School of Design (Providence RI, USA) (1985 and 1986),
• Tampere University of Technology (Tampere Finland) (1999),
• Master Program of Semiotics of the New Bulgarian University (Sofia) (1999),
• Sushant School of Art and Architecture and I.P.Estate (New Delhi India) (2001).

 

 

Conferences, symposia, seminars

Participation with a paper in 25 scientific conferences abroad and 43 in Greece. 

Invited speaker in 10 conferences abroad and Greece and also in 6 architectural and cultural associations.

 

 

Publications

Two books, an entry in the “Routledge International Encyclopedia of Women” and two entries in a Greek architectural encyclopedia, editing of three books, 18 chapters in books, 36 papers in Proceedings of conferences, 14 articles in scientific journals, 12 educational manuals and 3 in catalogues for exhibitions and on a theatrical play.

 

 

Architectural work

17 Architectural projects.  Participation in 8 architectural competitions. Four of them with distinction. 

Presentations of 5 architectural projects and 3 entries of architectural competitions in architectural exhibitions and congresses.

References of 7 architectural projects and 3 entries of architectural competitions in journals.