“2nd Nature”- Celebrating 50 years of Pieris.Architects


A major exhibition in Athens (Greece) traces the focus of the award-winning architecture studio, Pieris.Architects, on sustainability, through selected projects and artistic installations.

How deep can you "dive" into a hidden modernism landmark in the heart of Athens? How many "breaths" of inspiration are drawn from modern Greek architecture by international artists? Can architecture evoke scent and sound?

Co-curated by Pieris.Architects & DpS Athens, "2nd Nature" delves into the intersection of art, architecture, and sustainability of Pieris.Architects work. Opening on November 7, 2024, at the Ω2 exhibition space in the Athens Conservatoire, "2nd Nature" invites visitors on an experiential journey through selected works that reveal the principles and intentions behind the architecture studio's designs.

In an era increasingly shaped by ecological concerns, both in the public sphere and in architecture, Pieris.Architects (based in Athens, London, and Nicosia) have championed the concept of "eco-emotional intelligence" in global dialogues since 2002. Pieris.Architects view architecture as a sensory form – a form made to awaken people’s senses and emotions, a form concerned both with the material and the psychological properties of space. They design buildings with the inherent notion of natural and human ecology. Buildings that ‘encompass’ meaning, embrace daylight, breathe, merge into their natural or urban environment, respect nature, capturing the infinitely sensual, dynamic essence of space.

Pieris.Architects, “2nd Nature”: The 5 Thematic Sections

The exhibition is organized around five thematic sections that explore Pieris.Architects' work and vision:

1. "Echoes of Structure": This section highlights large-scale projects, including the award-winning proposal for the Attica Metropolitan Seaplane Port and the Athletic, Cultural, and Environmental Park of Agia Paraskevi in Athens. It also features "The SPOT" (Sustainable Practices Of Tomorrow) at the University of Patras; a net-zero carbon emission building constructed using 3D concrete printing- the first of its kind in Greece.

2. "Visual Diaries": Here, visitors will see sketches, models, and unedited work from the studio’s meetings and workshops, offering insight into the studio's intricate design process.

3. "Softness of the Environments": This section showcases built and unbuilt projects of different scale, both in rural and island locations, as well as repurposed buildings woven into the urban fabric, including the “Olon” glamping project in Milos, the hotel “Tella Thera” in Chania (Crete), the “Olivia Eterna” and the “Gazi Vision” in Athens city centre, etc.

4. “Embracing the Unexpected”, the visitors will immerse themselves in an art installation, which brings together the works of Pieris.Architects, the landscape architect Karolos Chanikian (Founder of Greenways) and the lighting engineer Giorgos Samoladopoulos (Founder of Site Specific). The artwork will play with the way the visitor perceives and interacts with nature exploring Pieris.Architects’ deep engagement with ecology.

5. “Pnoé”. This theme is conceived as the linking thread that brings together and puts in dialectic the work of Pieris.Architects and an eclectic selection of works of international artists that emphasize the vital relationship between nature, architecture and object design. Through their sophisticated materiality, the artworks highlight the artists’ and studio’s perspective on issues of climate change, energy, migration, as well as architecture. The international architect and designer, Crina Arghirescu will participate with the “Narcissus Mirror series_2”, handcrafted from recycled leather pieces and handcrafted from recycled leather pieces and co-designed with Aurore Vullierme and Hugo Besnier. Todd Marshard, a popular ceramic artist will feature three pieces of his beautiful ceramic work, a traditionally sustainable and low carbon art. Roxane Revon, a multi-disciplinary Brooklyn based artist, brings to Athens aetherial fabrics made of wheatgrass roots. In addition, Pieris.Architects will present their own practical sculptural objects, such as the “Kellert Tables” trilogy, made of repurposed marble.

The exhibition experience will be accompanied by soundscapes created by sound artist and architect Virna Koutla, offering another layer to explore space. All photographic documentation of Pieris.Architects' projects are presented through the lens of Gavriil Papadiotis, while cinematographer Giannis Misouridis captures the firm's history through the narratives of its team.

The exhibition itself is designed with a strong educational and sustainable focus. All displays and exhibition boards will be recycled or reused after the exhibition ends.

The team of “2nd Nature” Exhibition


Pieris.Architects

Pieris.Architects are pioneers in the realm of sustainable design, operating in Greece and beyond with a mission to craft innovative projects that elevate both aesthetics and functionality. Their projects are thoughtfully woven into the fabric of urban, natural, and cultural landscapes, embodying a profound social consciousness. The firm’s diverse portfolio spans a wide spectrum of scales and functions—from public spaces and office buildings to infrastructure, hospitality, residential complexes, and bespoke homes.

Founded by Konstantinos Pieris, the practice boasts a rich legacy of 50 years. In 2003 and 2004, Stella Pieri and Pieros Pieris joined the studio, after gaining work experience from esteemed firms in the UK, thus infusing the practice with a renewed global perspective and a deeper commitment to innovation and sustainable design.

Pieris.Architects have garnered acclaim in prestigious international architectural competitions, and both the studio and its leaders have been celebrated with numerous accolades, including the Stephen Welsh Prize, Barton Wilmore Award, RIBA Presidents Medals (UK), Van Alen Institute Prize (USA), 9/12 Award (Taiwan), and Best Emerging Practice under 40 and A’ Design Awards (Italy). In 2012, Konstantinos Pieris was honored by the President of the Republic of Cyprus for his Lifetime Achievements contributions to Architecture and the Built Environment."

Constantinos Pieris, Founding Partner

Constantinos Pieris, founding partner of Pieris.Architects, started his career in Cyprus as the head of architectural design in the “Stavridis-Pieris and Partners” firm. After the Turkish invasion, he moved to Greece and established his architectural practice in Athens in 1974. He has successfully completed more than 100 projects among which are high-profile residential developments, the award-winning Olympic swimming pool center for the Hellenic Army Academy (Evelpidon) at Vari, office buildings for Cyprus Telecommunications Company (Cyta), hotel developments and shopping centers. Currently, Constantinos acts as the firm’s director. During his 50-year career, he is considered a visionary in setting the foundations for sustainable design and construction. Constantinos is currently engaged in the practice giving guidance on various stages of the design and construction process from the execution of feasibility studies, the choice of procurement route to development strategies and completion.

Dr Stella Pieri

As a partner in Pieris.Architects, Stella Pieri brings technical expertise from her background in engineering, as well as wide experience in sustainable design, reflected on projects such as private residences, hotel infrastructure, office buildings, residential complexes and public works with low carbon footprint. Her passionate commitment to sustainable developments and the eco-emotional aspect of architecture is the essence of her work and the angle of her presence in the public sphere. Stella has a long experience in both practicing and teaching Architecture. She previously taught Architectural Design and Construction at the National Technical University of Athens (2009-2017) and Environmental design at the program Zero Spaces of the National Kapodistrian University of Athens (2017- 2018). She has been an invited lecturer at various academic institutions abroad and jury member at prestigious National Architectural Competitions. Stella completed her studies at the University of Sheffield and holds a PhD from N.T.U.A, specializing in the design of carbon zero & energy-zero developments.

Pieros Pieris

As a partner, Pieros Pieris brings his expertise to the practice and oversees the implementation of sustainable emerging technologies to the projects. He defines architecture as the art and science of improving people’s lives and describes the philosophy of the studio as the combination of extensive research, playful experimentation and intellectual manifestation. He believes in the performance and information driven design process through careful analysis of various parameters that inform each project, such as context, culture, climate, local and global economy. Pieros is a graduate from the Bartlett School of Architecture at the University College of London. Alongside the architectural practice, he has been an invited lecturer and jury member in various academic institutions and architectural committees. Since 2017, he has been the Architectural Editor of the “Greek Art Newspaper”.

Dimitris Papazoglou

The multi-awarded designer Dimitris Papazoglou is the founder of DpS Athens Studio. Over the past three decades, he has produced integrated design solutions for some of the most renowned Greek institutions and global brands like Nike, MoMA, and The New York Times. More specifically: As a milestone in his career (March 2016 - ) Dimitris Papazoglou was chosen by Nike to join Nike Football design department as Creative Director. He has won the pan-hellenic competition for the rebranding of the National Library of Greece and in 2020, he won the pan-hellenic competition for the development of the rebranding of the renowned cultural event Athens and Epidaurus Festival. In 2022, he became an honorary member of the Historical and Ethnological Society of Greece for his work on the bicentennial anniversary of the Greek Revolution (2017-2021). In 2023, he joined Alliance Graphique Internationale (AGI). AGI, founded in 1952, boasts around 500 members from 46 countries, comprising top designers globally.

Karolos Chanikian

Karolos Chanikian is head of the GREENWAYS Landscape Architecture design team and collaborates and runs his private practice as a landscape architect since 1997. The practice undertakes landscape projects of different scales in Greece, Dubai, Cyprus, Monaco, UK and Maldives from concept to detail design. His extensive experience and knowledge in plantings and earthworks allow him to manage and supervise technically challenging landscape construction work in collaboration with large teams of technicians and workers. Karolos Chanikian has teaching experience of more than 18 years. He taught at the University of Pennsylvania Department of Landscape Architecture, at the University of Berkeley Department of Landscape Architecture, at the Academy of Arts in Athens at the Interior Design Department and the Polytechnic School of the University of Patra, Department of Architecture.

Evie-Hara Dikaiou

Evie-Hara Dikaiou was born in London and lives in Athens. She is a Business & Executive Coach & Mentor and the founder of COSMOS | ESG & CSR Consulting. She collaborates with companies and public bodies, providing sustainable development and corporate governance consulting services, as well as with civil society organizations, supporting their efforts to connect with the corporate world through multi-stakeholder initiatives. She is the Corporate Social Responsibility Officer for the Hellenic Counseling Coaching Mentoring Association and the coordinator of the volunteer group “H.U.M.A.N.S.”, which operates in the aftermath of natural disasters. She has completed studies in Greece and abroad in Philosophy, Adult Education, Life & Business Coaching, CSR, and holds a master’s degree in ESG, as well as multiple certifications in the field.Committed to the idea that knowledge is power and inexhaustible, she participates in conferences as a speaker and in educational programs as an instructor, while continuing to study the sciences of her interest.

Crina Arghirescu Rogard

Architect and interior designer Crina Arghirescu Rogard combines in her work the timeless European aesthetics with a sense of luxurious modernity and pursues surprising and harmonious creations. Trained in the prestigious Architecture Faculty of the Politecnico di Milano, Arghirescu Rogard then moved to Paris where she spent a few years working with one of the most renowned French interior design firms, Charles Zana. In 2013, Crina Arghirescu Rogard launched her own Architecture & Design Studio and has been working on a wide range of residential and commercial projects ever since. From Paris to Casablanca, New York to Miami, her studio produces international interiors of all scopes with the same level of high standards, from conception to delivery. Her work has been featured in distinguished magazines, such as The New York Times, Architectural Digest, Wallpa-per Magazine, New York Magazine, and Elle Decor.

Todd Marshard

Todd Marshard left New York and a 25-year-old career in fashion photography to move to Paros and to devote himself to ceramic art, inspired by a visit he made to a ceramist friend’s workshop. Soon enough, his occupation with clay would offer him a new creative outlet and a therapeutic grounding, while a new career path would open up when Donna Karan selected his ceramics for Urban Zen. His love for nature and the purity of its forms and textures are the driving force behind his works.

Roxane Revon

Roxane Revon (b 1986, France) is an awarded multi-disciplinary bio-artist, working and living in Brooklyn. She grew up in Southern France and studied philosophy at La Sorbonne University (MA) before moving to New York a decade ago, where she started her artistic career and continued her education (Yale School of Drama). For a decade, she has been working as an award winning stage director and scenographer while, more recently, developing multimedia installations and visual arts. Through an anthropological and philosophical approach, refusing to use the term «Nature» to refer to the nonhuman environment surrounding us, she plays with organic or reused materials to form ever -transforming pieces in which human and non-human lives are inevitably intertwined. Her artwork has been exhibited in institutions, such as the CICA Museum, the Rockefeller Center, the French Institute Alliance Francaise (FIAF), in galleries on New York, Hong Kong and Milan; in art fairs such as Venice Biennale, Armory Fair satellite, Art on Paper NY and Miami Aqua.