Since 2019, ek magazine has launched Material Matters, an annual series of events underlining the importance of materiality in architecture. The fourth event was staged on Monday, May 29th, at the Benaki Museum Atrium, and was dedicated to light, an “immaterial” architectural component which is, however, crucial to a complete, lived experience of the built space and its materials.

Click here for video

Several architectural works -realized or unbuilt- were presented at a full-house event at the Atrium, showcasing the significance of lighting in different ways, on various scales.
The opening talk was delivered by Christina Argyros of Neiheiser-Argyros Architects, on the visual extensions of space achieved by light in a recent housing renovation in London. Next, Stella Daouti of AREA Architects showcased creative uses of architectural lighting on many scales, from the domestic to the urban. Giorgos Fatseas, through a selection of projects realized by his office, underscored the importance of lighting in architectural design, stating that lighting is not something quantitative, but purely a matter of aesthetics; he further brought to attention the need of serious contemplation upon the triplet of architecture, light, and aesthetics. Landscape Architects Panita Karamanea and Thanassis Polyzoidis -Topio 7- presented case studies of architectural lighting in their own work. George Atsalakis of Scapearchitecture discussed projects realized by the office, in which linear architectural lighting augments geometry and spatial perception. Lighting designer Athanassios Danilof -DANILOF light+perception studio- featured a panorama of good practices, juxtaposed to common errors committed in the recent past. Architect Costantis Kizis of Kizi Studio elaborated on creative lighting experiments in two important public buildings in Greece: The Silversmithing Museum of Ioannina, and the «Pallas» Theater in Athens. Lighting designer Aris Klonizakis -LAStudio- elaborated on how lighting, thorough abstraction, brings to life the freshness of original architectural ideas. Tsambikos Petras -Petrās Architecture- described the perception of light from the viewpoint of a practicing architect, laying the ground for collaboration with specialized lighting designers. Finally, architect Memos Filippidis of mplusm closed the event with a fascinating mapping of architectural creativity, grounded in lighting design.

The event was curated by Ariadni Vozani, Managing Editor of ek magazine; the talks were coordinated by Stavros Martinos, from the magazine Editorial Board.
Golden Door and Kanelli SA were Silver Sponsors of the event; Box Interiors-Atelier Luxus, Halo Architectural Lighting, Kraft Paints-Bioclima, Site Specific were Sponsors; Geberit, Pnm Constructions, Prodea, Smart Shading, Stonetech, Textures and Tiles and Vagenas were Supporters.

Silver Sponsors Golden Door – Kanelli SA

Sponsors: Box Interiors-Atelier Luxus, Halo Architectural Lighting, Kraft Paints-Bioclima, Site Specific

Supporters: Geberit, Pnm Constructions, Prodea Investments, Smart Shading, Stonetech, Textures and Tiles, Vagenas

Spirits and Beverage Sponsors: Κτήμα Σπυρόπουλος, Vergina

Media Sponsor: News247

The event took place with the patronage of the Hellenic Institute of Architecture.