React Architects & Mold Architects (BLOD)

The Hellenic Institute of Architecture, within the framework of the 20th cycle of lectures by Greek Architects, titled “Lectures & Dialogues,” held the third event of this cycle on February 22, 2024, at the restaurant of the Benaki Museum Piraeus. The event was recorded by BLOD, and the lectures along with their accompanying presentations are available at the following link:

https://www.blod.gr/lectures/dialekseis-dialogoi-react-architects-mold-architects/

The Lectures of Greek Architects have historically been an emblematic institution of the Hellenic Institute of Architecture (HIA), as over the past twenty years, significant creators have been invited to present their work. The presentation of the diverse expressions of architectural work, along with their critical examination, has been a consistent feature of this initiative. The simultaneous presentation of the work of two architectural firms, followed by a dialogue between them and with the audience, is considered to provide an opportunity for public discussion on architecture and its relationship with institutions and the processes of its production and evaluation, as well as its multiple interpretations in both private and public spaces.

The overall coordination of the lectures on behalf of the Board of Directors of the HIA was carried out 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, participants were:

REACT ARCHITECTS  (Natasha Deliyianni, Yiorgos Spiridonos)

Paros Revisited. From Ruins to Coexistence and Back

Architecture seeks in pockets of memory the primal elements that allow understanding of habitation. The Place is the field of human action, where humans consciously establish ways of Coexistence through their presence. Gradually, they deposit layers—sometimes organized, often chaotic—of dominance, competition, and participation, defining their existence. In doing so, they create symbols of communication that act as archetypes, facilitating even unconscious comprehension of the complexity of the Place. We search for these archetypes and often return to the original images, symbols, representations, and situations that define our existence.

The design space is not just the individual plot, but the entirety of the Place and the Landscape. The conditions, needs, means, and methods of intervention touch and coexist within 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–absent, and reveal itself through it.

Hug House
Το ysterni traɪæŋɡəl
PETRA
Louria

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

MOLD ARCHITECTS (Iliana Kerestetzi)

FRAMEWORK B’

Constructing a private country house, 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 presence – and also to ourselves for all the compromises we accept under this condition.
This apology is automatically accompanied by a need to find a purpose. A broader meaning that transcends the temporariness of circumstances and individuals, focusing instead on the permanence of the intervention and on whatever public life private architecture may have.
Thus, within an already suffocating framework of rules and conflicting demands that accompany the brief of every project, we add on our own a second framework of rules and restrictions. It is the invisible “client” of architecture, with the most non-negotiable and excessive demands.
The lecture presented 13 projects from the office.
More informations www.eia.gr

#eialectures20

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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 simultaneously receiving various distinctions, including: nominations for the Mies van der Rohe Award 2015/2021/2024, Dezeen Awards 2021 / Emerging Architecture Studio of the Year, Dezeen Awards 2021 / House Interior of the Year, Europe 40 under 40 award 2021, nominations for the Piranesi Award 2015/2020/2023, DOMA awards 2014/2021/2023, SADAS-PEA 2014 / Best Residential Project for 2009-2013, finalist for the East Centric Architecture Triennale Award 2016.

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REACT ARCHITECTS established an architectural design practice that aims for a theoretical approach to architecture through a process of research. Architecture is approached as a unified whole, in conjunction with all the disciplines that underpin both construction and artistic creation. Their field of exploration includes projects of various scales—both public and private—as well as interior design.
The experience gained through this broad range of projects offers the advantage of architectural proposals characterized by originality and uniqueness. Greek architectural archetypes are combined with design ideas that respond to contemporary needs. By employing an experimental and aesthetic design vocabulary, the work 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, receiving awards and distinctions. The firm’s work has been featured in Greek and international architectural journals and has also been presented at conferences and lectures.
The partners of React Architects are Natassa Deligianni and Yiorgos Spiridonos.
Natasha Deligianni was born in Athens. She graduated from the School of Architecture at the National Technical University of Athens (NTUA) in 1993. She completed her postgraduate studies (March II) in 1995 at UCLA. She is a member of the Technical Chamber of Greece (TEE).
Yiorgos 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 the Technical Chamber of Greece (TEE).

1995–1996: They maintained a shared architectural practice.
1997–2007: Partners at the firm META Architecture.
2007: Founders of React Architects.