We spoke to Open House Dublin volunteer Louis Herbert about his recent trip to Greece for Open House Thessaloniki, co-coordinated through the Open House Europe Volunteer Exchange Programme. 

What attracted you to apply to the Open House Europe Volunteer Exchange?

As a regular volunteer with Open House Dublin since 2013, the obvious attraction of the exchange programme was the opportunity to visit a new city and experience Open House in a different culture. I have had the pleasure of participating in many enjoyable Open House Dublin festivals down the years and always gained great satisfaction from working with the amazing OHD team and meeting so many wonderful fellow volunteers and visitors from all walks of life. I was keen to discover whether the same shared sense of camaraderie could prevail in another European city.

What was your draw to Open House Thessaloniki?

I chose Thessaloniki as my first choice for a couple of reasons. Firstly, it was a city that I had never visited nor knew much about and, secondly, I have in my possession a letter, written by my late uncle Louis Herbert (who died the month before I was born), which he sent home to Ireland from Salonica in 1916 when he was encamped there as a captain in the 10th Division Army Veterinary Corps during the First World War. I thought it would be nice to follow in his footsteps, as it were, to this far-flung corner of Europe all these years later.

In addition, having studied Ancient History at school many years ago, I had some vague recollections of Greek history so, prior to my exchange visit, I happily spent some time reacquainting and further educating myself about this fascinating subject.

What did you enjoy most about volunteering at Open House Thessaloniki? 

There were so many highlights that it really is extremely difficult to whittle them down. Firstly, working with Chrisa Karanikola, our designated Exchange Volunteer Coordinator, was a pure joy from start to finish. My first contact from Chrisa was an email she sent as I travelled by train from Athens to Thessaloniki, inviting me to select my top 5 preferences from a list of 70+ buildings. A WhatsApp group was quickly set up for our little group of exchange volunteers, including Stefania from Essen, Damian from Prague and Aleš from Brno.

My first building on Saturday morning was the new office of the consulting firm Ernst & Young on historic Katouni Street (located to my amusement right next door to the Dubliner pub). I had chosen this building as my first preference for personal reasons – I am an EY Alumnus, having worked in the EY Dublin office for most of my professional career. It was therefore a great pleasure for me to discover that EY had an office in Thessaloniki and to meet some of the current generation of EY executives in their recently renovated building. The experience was greatly enhanced by meeting the fantastic group of local volunteers and the architect from the lead design team: OfficeTwentyFiveArchitects.

Having completed my morning volunteering stint, I had time then to nip back to my hotel before enjoying a lovely Greek lunch with Chrisa and all the OHT team. The rest of the day was then free time for me to explore Thessaloniki, and I was delighted that evening to be able to attend a Beethoven classical concert in the very impressive Thessaloniki Concert Hall.

On Sunday, when the weather was once again beautifully warm and sunny, I volunteered at Nikis Waterfront Apartment. Then, in the afternoon, I travelled to the relatively nearby Theatre of Macedonian Studies. Once more, I had the pleasure of encountering the most wonderful groups of local volunteers, many of whom were young students pursuing all sorts of subjects. In both venues, we had quick rehearsals prior to the commencement of tours, and I again conducted tours in English for any non-Greek speakers, thereby meeting amazing groups of people from all over the world.

The first-floor Niki’s Apartment building was one of the most popular buildings in the Programme. It was built in 1937, renovated in 2017, and boasts a really spectacular sea view.

The Theatre was particularly stunning with its widespread use of marble in the interior: floors embellished with marbles from Ioannina, black Vytina marble and burgundy Eretria marbles; staircases with ivory Domvrena marble on the steps and green Tenos marble on the risers. The Theatre balcony overlooks the iconic White Tower and the backdrop proved to be very popular with visitors taking photographs.

How did volunteering with Open House Dublin prepare you for the exchange?

My experiences from my years of volunteering with OHD, either as a general volunteer or Volunteer Area Manager, were certainly very helpful in that I had a good idea of what to expect over the weekend. 

One notable feature of OHT compared to OHD was the number of volunteers involved. OHT had around 500 volunteers covering just over 70 buildings which meant each building I attended had at least 6 or 7 volunteers on duty whereas OHD has a lot less volunteers and significantly more buildings. 

Visitors at OHT did not need to pre-book. They just had to register with OHT on their phone and obtain a QR code. Each volunteer including myself at each building then had a scanning App called “eventora scanner” on their phone which enabled visitors to be easily checked in upon arrival and the App provided in real time a record of the number of visitors attending each building. 

Another interesting thing I noticed was how visitors could get their OHT map stamped at each venue – I ensured that I got my own map stamped at each of my 3 buildings. Some visitors retain the map from year to year and build up an impressive collection of stamps evidencing their commitment to OHT.

Did you develop any new ways of thinking about architecture during the exchange? 

When conducting the tour of Niki’s Waterfront Apartment, I was struck by some of the prepared notes. For example, the building was designed by architect Giorgos Manousos in the Art Deco style in the late 1930s. I would hitherto have had a loose understanding of the term Art Deco but the notes gave an excellent synopsis: “Art Deco is an international artistic movement that emerged in the mid-1920s and influenced architecture as well as painting, sculpture, cinema and fashion. Some of its key features include geometric forms, symmetry, clean lines and luxurious materials.”

I was also enlightened that when the building was renovated in 2017 by architect Stamatios Giannikis the 5 main principles of design applied were:

1. use of colour;
2. use of light;
3. preservation of as many original details as possible;
4. the introduction of new, modern infrastructures (installations and furnishings) to meet contemporary functional needs;
5. the flexibility of the space whereby each area can adapt to different scenarios of use and habitation, depending on the needs of the occupants.

Thessaloniki has as its motto “Many Stories – One Heart” – a slogan I spotted even on refuse trucks. For me, it captures the essence of this extraordinary city and its inhabitants.

Whilst not relating specifically to architecture, when leaving Thessaloniki, I was also impressed by the oath of Alexander the Great, which dates back to 324 BC and is on display at the Airport building. It reads: 

“It is my wish, now that wars are coming to an end, that you should all be happy in peace. From now on, let all mortals live as one people, in fellowship, for the good of all. See the whole world as your homeland, with laws common to all, where the best will govern regardless of their race. Unlike the narrow-minded, I make no distinction between Greeks and Barbarians. The origin of citizens, or the race into which they were born, is of no concern to me. I have only one criterion by which to distinguish them – virtue. For me, any good foreigner is a Greek and any bad Greek is worse than a Barbarian. If disputes ever occur among you, you will not resort to weapons but will solve them in peace. If need be, I shall arbitrate between you. See God not as an autocratic despot, but as the common father of all, and thus your conduct will be like the lives of brothers within the same family. I, on my part, see you all as equal, whether you are white or dark-skinned skinned and I should like you not simply to be subjects of my commonwealth, but members of it, partners of it. To the best of my ability, I shall strive to do what I have promised. Keep as a symbol of love this oath which we have taken tonight with our libations.”

Photo credits:

1. Selfie of Louis Herbert and Open House Thessaloniki volunteers outside the Ernst & Young building. Credit: Louis Herbert
2. Louis Herbert alongside other Open House Europe exchange volunteers, including Stefania from Essen, Damian from Prague and Ales from Brno. Credit: Louis Herbert
3. Exterior photo of the Theatre of Massedonian Studies. Credit: Louis Herbert
4. Selfie of Louis and other Open House Thessaloniki volunteers. Credit: Louis Herbert
5. Interior shot of Niki’s Waterfront Apartment. Credit: Kim Powell