Introduction

This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in this book. The book deals with dual simultaneous objectives: the first is to dislocate Constantinos A. Doxiadis' dissertation from an archaeological discourse on ancient architecture, arguing that it can only be understood as a design theory reflecting the impact of antiquity in modernity. Doxiadis' theory did not reveal a 'lost secret' of antiquity, as was believed, but did offer an alternative design tool for modern architects. The second objective is to relocate Doxiadis' theory in relation to the work of Dimitris Pikionis, one of the most controversial and at the same time influential Greek architects of the twentieth century. Although the book focuses on a very specific, historically located subject; it revisits and reconceptualizes the relationship of architecture to multiple theoretical areas. It restructures the ground of an alternative modernity that looks towards the future through a mirror that reflects the ancient past.