On Sunday, July the 2^nd, an event dedicated to the pan-Hellenic student design competition for an exemplar lighting fitting entitled LightUp was held at the National Research Foundation– a competition thrown by the Hellenic Institute of Architecture and the “Lighting Design” MA Program, of the School of Applied Arts and Sustainable Design of the Hellenic Open University.

The aim of the competition was for the students to get familiarize with the synthetic process of designing a familiar industrial object, which has a direct effect on how we understand and perceive our space, to reflect on the use of innovative materials and construction methods, and above all to deal with the way the light is emitted through the luminaire.

The entries were considered by a five-member jury, consisting of Michalis Anastasiadis (Designer), Konstantinos Grivas (Associate Professor of Architectural Design), Stylianos Zerefos (Professor of the School of the Applied Arts and Sustainable Design), Katerina Skalkou (Architect, Collaborating Educational Staff), and Dionysis Sotovikis (Architect, Member of the Board of Directors).

Light Up

The competition was deemed successful as students from twelve academic institutions participated in it, with works that stood out for their originality, aesthetics, functionality and innovation, forming an overall high level of proposals.

The results of the competition are as follows:

1st PRIZE: CymbaLux

IASON – GEORGIOS ABBOTT & GEORGIOS HASSIOTIS

University of Thessaly, Department of Architectural Engineering

Academic Advisor: ARISTEIDIS TSAGRASOULIS

University of Thessaly, Department of Architectural Engineering

2nd PRIZE: LuminousPearl

SPYRIDON GIOUZELAKIS

Hellenic Open University, School of Applied Arts and Sustainable Design

3rd PRIZE: Larvae

DIMITRA ZACHOU & IRINI HATZIGEORGIADOU

University of Thessaly, Department of Architectural Engineering

Light Up

Important architects and lighting designers graced the evening with their presence, expressing their thoughts and concerns regarding lighting. Morpho Papanikolaou (Architect IUAV) and Eleftheria Deco (Lighting Designer, Assistant Professor of the School of Fine Arts Athens) focused on architectural lighting in the light of preserving cultural heritage. Konstantinos Moraitis (Professor Emeritus of the School of Architectural Engineering E.M.P.), Lampros Doulos (Associate Professor at the School of Applied Arts and Sustainable Design H.O.U.), spoke about landscape lighting design and Stavros Gyftopoulos (Architect, Professor School of Architectural Engineering E.M.P.) and Aris Tsagrasoulis (Professor of the Department of Architectural Engineering, University of Thessaly), touched on important issues of human-centered lighting.

Katerina Skalkou, Stylianos Zerefos and Konstantinos Grivas, moderated interesting discussions that highlighted the particularities of design, both of the natural and artificial lighting.

After the award ceremony, the guests had the opportunity to interact with lighting fittings placed in various parts of the foyer and were interactive, through an application from their mobile phones. The award-winning proposals as well as all competition entries were presented in the atrium of the National Research Foundation and are included in the accompanying catalog, available from the Hellenic Institute of Architecture.