Architecture Competition Iceland Volcano Lookout Point Honorable mention - ARISTOTLE UNIVERSITY OF THESSALONIKI

We’d like to take the opportunity to introduce you to one of our Honorable mention winners for our "Iceland Volcano Lookout Point" competition – Rania Gegiou and Dionysia Tsakiri from Greece!

Rania Gegiou and Dionysia Tsakiri from Greece

We are both third year undergraduate architecture students at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. Dionysia has a master’s in interior design and is currently working in this field, while she has also a bachelor’s in religious studies. Rania has received a bachelor’s in psychology. We have been collaborating since the beginning of our studies and, sharing a background of humanistic studies we have shaped a common approach to architecture through the way we intercommunicate our ideas. This was our first attempt in an architecture competition.

Brief information about the projects that you/your company have been involved with. For instance, what scale have you focused on/preferred, any significant projects where the company/ individuals have been involved?

So far, the academic projects we have been involved with include various scales, from small housing projects to larger interventions in urban and natural environments.

What does architecture mean to you and what is the role of an architect in your society?

We believe architecture is an expression through the built form of where we place importance as a society in a given time and place and a base for our identity as humans. An architect’s task is to hark the ongoing changes in societal structure, the history, the culture, the topography and transcribe them into architectural frames that shelter and improve everyday life while at the same time commenting on the values.

Why do you participate in architecture competitions?

Architecture competitions provide a great venue for experimentation and development of our skills, as well as the opportunity to test our ideas among other individuals who have a similar motive. It is a means of learning how to communicate our work with the world.

What advice would you give to individuals who struggle to decide whether it would be beneficial for them to participate in architecture competitions?

Competitions require effort, time and extensive research in order to achieve a quality result. This itself can be a totally enriching experience that is worth the try regardless of the outcome.