Architecture Competition Tili Wine Italy Guest Homes Honorable mention winners - Mello Louari, Eirini Xanthopoulou, Iraklis Romanopoulos and Dimistrios Rigas

We’d like to take the opportunity to introduce you to one of our Honorable mention winners for our "Tili Wine Italy Guest Homes" competition – Mello Louari, Eirini Xanthopoulou, Iraklis Romanopoulos and Dimistrios Rigas from Greece!

Honorable mention from Greece

The particular competition project is a result of a collaboration between Mello Louari & IRIX architects.

IRIX is co-founded by Eirini Xanthopoulou and Iraklis Romanopoulos by 2013, registered Architects in Rotterdam, Netherlands and Athens, Greece and is a practice operating within the traditional boundaries of architecture and urbanism. Through research and design studio, applies architectural thinking to domains of various scales and contexts.

Mello Louari is a freelance architect since 2008 having cooperating with architectural offices in Athens, and now active in Komotini, Greece. The experience has come over the years through private and public projects and each new challenge enriches it.

We are inspired by contemporary culture while adhering to the abiding principles of good design, the inheritance of craftsmanship, and the passion of our clients. We are working across the fields of architecture, interiors, and product design. For us, each project is born of the encounter between a person and a place, its history, and the desire to project itself there to live.

We believe in living fully and authentically, with meaning and intention. It is about embracing design in all forms, championing the big ideas as much as sweating the smallest details. It’s about working collaboratively and respectfully, enjoying the process as much as the outcome.

We use our creativity to reach for elegant solutions to complicated problems.

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?

We are/have been working on: Hospitality - hotel, restaurant-bar & event spaces. Re-Use & Transformation of industrial buildings into housing, and single residences. Interior design, implementation, and supervision. Landscape for private houses or public urban spaces / squares Offices Private Residences and studies of apartment buildings.

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

Architecture's complexity is one of the most comprehensive fields of human activity, dealing with the organization of space by translating any spatial aesthetic and social inputs.

It is a construction work often seen as a cultural or political symbol, as a work of art. It allows the vital functions of society to be carried out, while at the same time directing the processes of life.

Its role is first and foremost to accommodate the needs of people while creating the capabilities of constructing functional, aesthetic buildings/facilities and ensuring the unity, and harmony of composition. Architecture contains intangible concepts and values that define our existence through perception as it exists and functions not only in space but also in time, and as such is one of the most important pieces of evidence of human life in many places of the world.

Why do you participate in architecture competitions?

We do enjoy the chance to challenge ourselves. We like to think out of the box, test our strengths and endurance. We love to collaborate, share ideas and be creative.

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

The benefit of challenging yourself by participating in an architectural competition is much bigger than the fear.