React Architects & Mold Architects

The Hellenic Institute of Architecture held the third event of the 20th series of lectures by Greek architects, titled, “Lectures & Dialogues”, on Thursday, February 22, at 19:00, at the Benaki museum on Pireos Street.
The Lectures of Greek Architects have historically been an iconic establishment of the Hellenic Institute of Architecture (HIA). Over the past twenty years, distinguished creators have been invited to present their work. The presentation of the diverse facets of architectural practice, alongside critical discussion, has been a consistent hallmark of this initiative. The simultaneous presentation of the work of two architectural firms, followed by a dialogue between them and with the audience, is intended to spark public conversation about architecture—its relationship with establishments, the processes of its production and critique, and its multiple expressions in both private and public spaces.
The overall coordination of the lectures on behalf of the Board of Directors of the HIA is undertaken by Anastasios Kotsiopoulos (Architect, Emeritus Professor at AUTH), Dionisis Sotovikis (Architect), and Sofia Tsiraki (Architect, Professor at NTUA).

In the third lecture of the series, the participants were:

REACT ARCHITECTS (Natasha Deligianni, Giorgos Spyridonos)
Paros Revisited. From Ruins to Coexistence and Back
Architecture seeks, within pockets of memory, the primal elements that allow for an understanding of habitation. The Place is the field of human action, where humans consciously establish ways of coexistence through their presence. Gradually, they layer organized or often disorganized levels of dominance, competition, and participation, defining their existence. Thus, they create symbols of communication that act as archetypes, facilitating the understanding—conscious or unconscious—of the complexity of the Place. We search for these archetypes and often return to the initial images, symbols, representations, and situations that define our existence.
The design space is not just the individual plot of land, but the whole Place and the Landscape. The conditions, needs, means, and method of intervention all rest on and coexist with the same spatial canvas. As long as there is this awareness of relationships and mutual respect, the works endure and coexist. They coexist with their environment, creating an organism that maintains its cohesion over time.

In our minds, the sacredness of this Place is always at stake.  Architecture, in such a sensitive and unique environment, must be present-yet-absent and revealed through it.

Hug House
Το ysterni traɪæŋɡəl
ΠΕΤΡΑ
Louria

The projects presented aim, under these conditions, to redefine the way of inhabiting, the placement within the Place and the Landscape, creating a conscious architectural language that interacts with the unique characteristics of the specific location.

MOLD ARCHITECTS (Iliana Kerestetzi)
FRAMEWORK B’

Building a private vacation home, we must begin with an apology. First to the place and the community – in one case for our arbitrary presence, and in the other for our insufficient engagement – and also to ourselves for all the compromises we accept under these circumstances.
This apology is immediately accompanied by the need to find a purpose. A broader meaning that transcends the temporariness of the moment and the individuals involved, focusing instead on the permanence of the intervention and the potential public life of private architecture.
Thus, within an already suffocating framework of rules and conflicting demands that accompany every project brief, we add a second set of rules and limitations ourselves. This is the invisible “client” of architecture, with the most uncompromising and excessive demands.
The lecture presented 13 projects by the firm.

More informations www.eia.gr

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MOLD architects were founded in 2011 by Iliana Kerestetzi (MSc, Columbia University, NY). Their practice integrates research, architectural design, construction, landscape design, visual arts, and parametric design. Their work has been included in group exhibitions and extensively published in scientific journals in Greece and abroad, while also receiving various distinctions, including nominations for the Mies van der Rohe Award in 2015, 2021, and 2024; Dezeen Awards 2021 for Emerging Architecture Studio of the Year and House Interior of the Year; Europe 40 Under 40 Award 2021; nominations for the Piranesi Award in 2015, 2020, and 2023; DOMA awards in 2014, 2021, and 2023; the SADAS-PEA 2014 Best Residential Project for 2009-2013; and finalist for the East Centric Architecture Triennale Award 2016.

REACT ARCHITECTS established an architectural design firm that aims for a theoretical approach to architecture through a research-driven process. Architecture is treated as a whole, integrated with all the disciplines that underpin both constructive and artistic creation. Their research covers projects of varying scales, both public and private, as well as interior design.
The experience gained from this broad range offers the advantage of architectural proposals characterized by originality and uniqueness. Greek architectural archetypes are combined with design ideas that respond to contemporary needs. Using an experimental, aesthetic vocabulary, the practice leads to the convergence of ideas and construction.
Projects by REACT ARCHITECTS have been published both in Greece and internationally. The founding members have participated in Greek and international architectural competitions, earning awards and distinctions. Their work has been featured in Greek and international architectural magazines and has also been presented at conferences and lectures.
The partners of React Architects are Natassa Deligianni and Giorgos Spyridonos.
Natasha Deligianni was born in Athens and graduated from the School of Architecture at NTUA in 1993. She completed her postgraduate studies (March II) in 1995 at UCLA. She is a member of TCG (Technical Chamber of Greece). 
Giorgos Spyridonos was also born in Athens and graduated from the School of Architecture at NTUA in 1993. He completed his postgraduate studies (March II) in 1995 at UCLA. He is a member of TCG as well.

1995-1996. They share a joint office

1997-2007. Partners at the firm META Architecture

2007. They founded React Architects

Photographs: © HIA/Stelios Nikas