Led by Ilias Papageorgiou, PILA is an architecture studio based in Athens and New York that creates environments for culture, working, and living around the world.  We believe in architecture’s enduring character to create meaningful connections between people and their environment as a counterpoint to the speed of contemporary living. By reimagining existing ideas around program and function, physical spaces can offer new ways of experiencing the world.

Ilias Papageorgiou is a Greek architect and founder of PILA. He brings extensive experience from Europe and America, having led the design and realization of high profile cultural, commercial and residential projects around the world. Prior to founding PILA, Ilias was a partner at SO-IL in New York, collaborating with clients including MINI/BMW, Versace, Google, AirBnB, Frieze Art Fair, Manetti Shrem Museum at UC Davis, the Guggenheim Museum, and the New Museum in New York.

Ilias was born in Athens, Greece and studied architecture at Aristotle University in Thessaloniki and at Harvard University’s Graduate School of Design, with a scholarship from the Onassis Foundation. Ilias is currently an Adjunct Assistant Professor at Columbia University’s Graduate School of Architecture and Planning.