Project
“It’s not possible for me to live
and not care about proper
lighting. It’s not just a part of
my job, that will naturally make
what I do much more interesting.
Without light architecture just
doesn’t exist.”
N.A.
N.A.
N.A.
What type of architectural practice is yours? How
would you define it?
If I had to sum it up in one sentence, I’d say «I’m
interested in anything that’s interesting». I need
to find a project, client or location interesting, or
all three of these things. There always has to be
something to make me feel that the end result will
be interesting. One of these three conditions is a
pre-requisite, but all three together would be the
ideal scenario. Then, it could be a project in the
centre of Athens or a villa on an abandoned island,
it wouldn’t matter – the important thing is that it
must awaken something in my imagination, in my
emotions. This is my fundamental rule. I can’t define
it in a more precise way, it just has to be something
I find interesting.
So, it starts with a story, the story behind a potential
project. Could be a story involving people, or the
story of a place.
Precisely. From time to time, when a location is so
impressive and extraordinary you just feel you have
to take it on at all costs, even though some other
conditions may not be optimal. For example, there
may not be enough budget, but if it’s a project that
you feel you must take on, that’s totally fine. It’s
a basic rule of mine that I continue to follow - at
a certain point a project will become a necessity,
something that I really have to do. There’s no other
way. I won’t just do it because I have to. It has to be
something that excites me.
Light is very important to you and to your work,
so much so that you’ve decided to become a light
designer as well as an architect. So, I would like to
ask you the following - what does light mean to you?
Light is everything to me. The most important part
of any moment has to do with light. For example, the
lighting control that I use to do yoga in the morning
must generate light that makes me feel good but
there shouldn’t be a huge amount of uncontrollable
light. Light that helps me relax, that allows me to
listen to the music I like in the right conditions – this
is the most important thing for me. It’s all about
the moment. It must be felt. When we started this
chat, you saw me dim the lights in the room I’m in.
It’s always so important – it’s not possible for me to
live and not care about proper lighting. I mean, it’s
not just a part of my job, it’s not just something that
will naturally make what I do much more important,
much more interesting. Without light architecture
just doesn’t exist. If we talk about architecture, you
can like or not like something because its volume,
mass and dimensions can be clearly perceived and
distinguishable, and basically because light is the
link between all of these elements and your eyes.
If light is not used in the way it should be, I would
argue that nothing is beautiful enough just to exist
by itself. it is beautiful because it is lit in the way it
is, and good architects make sure of that.
Light conditions during the various phases of the
day, such as the way a building faces the sun, are
key elements to use. Something is perceived as
beautiful precisely because someone has thought
about what the best views at certain specific times
of the day would be. No building is beautiful all the
time, some angles and trajectories are not good at
all, however what determines its success is the fact
that someone has thought of the best possible way
to make it look beautiful in different ways most of
the time, and for the longest period.
Lighting design by Nikos Adrianopoulos Architecture & Lighting
“Ncaved” Villa, Serifos Island - Greece, 2020
@ Ph. Yiorgis Yerolymbos
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