Aikaterini Voukelatou, Alexandra Vasileiou, "Artificial lighting in residential buildings of post-war Greek modernism", Diploma Thesis Project, School of Architecture, Technical University of Crete, Chania, Greece, 2021
https://doi.org/10.26233/heallink.tuc.88811
This study investigates the role of artificial lighting as a designing tool in the architectural process, in relation with the general synthetic principles observed in interior spaces of well-known residences of post-war modernism in Greece. The content of this paper mainly consists of key examples of residential interior spaces in the era of post-war greek modernism, which reveal a more complex use and mastery of artificial lighting by their designers. More specifically, it is attempted the in-depth research of interior spaces of suburban residences and rural apartments, all designed by Greek architects of the modernist movement. Nikos Valsamakis, Takis Zenetos, Konstantinos Dekavalas and Kleon Krantonellis are a few of the architects whose work is mentioned in this paper. The main questions that this study attempts to answer are the following: - What is the primary difference concerning the design and positioning of artificial lighting in greek residences before and after the modernist movement? - How can the difference in the way individual interior spaces, of the same dwelling, are lighten up be interpreted? Are there any similarities in the way two interior spaces of different use are artificially lighten up? - How does the flexibility provided by the open-plan designing process – a characteristic of modernist architecture- affect the placement of luminaires? - Is the factor of manipulating the contrasting elements of shadow and light apparent in the formation of the architectural synthesis of the interior of modern residences in Greece, as a whole? - Are there detectable differences in the way artificial lighting is applied on surfaces of variant materials? - How do individual decorative elements and artwork which adorn the interior spaces of a residence interact with the placed artificial lighting and, How can this interaction be interpreted? - Is there a clear influence of the design and positioning of artificial lighting in a space to the “communicative” side of architecture? To the phantasmagorical essence of stills?