Elias G. Barbalias was born in 1945 in Athens, Greece and graduated from Athens College’s boarding school in 1963. He studied Economics at the Athens University of Economics and Business.

Before founding the company “Elias Barbalias -Group of Companies est. 1971- Special Buildings Constructions - & Real Estate Development“, Elias had previously completed his term as managing CEO and appointed liquidator at the family owned enterprises “E. Barbalias Bros Leather Industry“ and “E. Barbalias Bros Rubber & Shoe Industry Record“.

Elias did not have ambitions when he started his company. He had needs. Family needs, because his own personal needs were mostly aesthetical. He had the need to live in a more beautiful city. He always believed that there are no ideal conditions to act but there is always an ideal way, meaning that someone can do the best he can under the specific circumstances.

Τelevision Interview "The Greeks"

His vision for Athens through published articles

During this period (1993-1994), Elias Barbalias was interviewed multiple times in relation to his ideas and proposals for the improvement of the Athenian center. He stressed the importance of planting the terraces of the buildings in order to enhance the greenery of the capital by stating characteristically that “Athens can breathe through its terraces“, of unifying the archeological sites to create a continuous historical walk, and of upgrading the means of public.

In the opinion of Elias Barbalias, the ugliness of the Athenian buildings lies in the fact that they are headless. These buildings were built under the system of “antiparohi“, indeed a prototype invention of the Greeks, which gave housing without the need of finance to many people.

However, since the terraces of these buildings were not for sale, no one cared for their aesthetics. The results were today's reality, forests of television aerials, solar water boilers and the stashing of useless objects, which converted them into “garbage-head“ buildings. Nevertheless the terraces are a fact that, if cannot be changed, can at least be improved.

The methods that he proposes are: a) cleaning, b) central television aerials per area, as in Plaka c) the planting of at least 3 non-hydrophile and leaf-shedding trees on every terrace with the care of the Municipality. Thus Athens would at least be able to breathe through its terraces.