Why is our name Tholos Architects

In Rome the weather was sunny but nippy that day, and so was in London.
The soon-to-be founders of our firm were on a phone call, 900 miles apart, arguing about the first important decision of their new enterprise: the name of the company.

With rare exemptions, most Architecture firms carry the surnames of the founders, which often get simplified in weird acronyms and sometimes see the addition of special characters, such as + / | & .

This graphic combination usually becomes a logo and a brand itself, spreading across the web, magazines and letterhead.

Our firm wanted to be open minded and client focused since the beginning, trascending the association of the founders’ names to the company.

In creating our brand they wanted to recall the principles of Vitruvius, values of utility, stability and beauty; the timeless underlying principles of Architecture and the archetypes that over the eras have been declined in countless styles and uses.

 

Vitruvius
Vitruvius

While considering the roots, it was also important for such name to be easy to pronounce and spell out, without being too long, avoiding diphthongs, yet meaningful both metaphorically and concretely.

Then the lightning stroke and all the pieces fell together.

Θόλος
Tholos
The Dome

 

The greek word Tholos means Dome, evolution of the Roof which, together with the Fence and the Gate, is one of the primordial architectural archetypes.

The Dome is a shelter, private, receptive; an organic, dynamic shape.
Its function is to protect and ward.

Ancient burial sites were often dome-like structures covered in soil. These turned eventually into artificial hills, disappearing in the landscape.
Archaeologists call them tholos tombs or simply tholos.
A dome to protect the remains of the valiants and beloved, for ever.

And so be it.
The name was decided and in line with our mission to respect the values of Architecture, provide timeless design and technical expertise, establishing a relationship with the surroundings and having the minimum impact on the environment.

We are Tholos Architects.