Synchronicities: The Architecture of Rena Sakellaridou, Papadatos as Stage design sponsor
The architectural event, “Synchronicities: The Architecture of Rena Sakellaridou,” concluded with great success on December 15th at the SNFCC Lighthouse. Celebrating the remarkable journey of Rena Sakellaridou, the event, organized by ek magazine under the auspices of the Hellenic Institute of Architecture, proved to be a well-executed and insightful celebration.
Rena Sakellaridou, an influential figure in Greece’s architectural landscape, is a professor at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and a founding member of SPARCH architectural office. Currently leading the RS SPARCH office, her extensive portfolio includes individual and collaborative projects across various architectural categories and scales, earning accolades for its consistently high quality, both within Greece and internationally. Recognized in over 26 architectural competitions, her work has been showcased in 37 exhibitions, including prestigious venues such as the Venice Biennale, Milan Triennale, DAM Frankfurt, NAi Rotterdam, and RIBA. Notably, her buildings have been nominated for the Mies van der Rohe Award and the arcVision Award for Women in Architecture.
The event began with a welcome address by Stavros Martinos, member of the Editorial Board of ek magazine. Ariadni Vozani, Managing Director of ek magazine, then delivered an introductory speech, offering insights into Rena Sakellaridou’s comprehensive body of work, covering architecture, education, and literary contributions. Distinguished speakers included Elias Constantopoulos, President of the Hellenic Institute of Architecture and Professor at the University of Patras; Panayiotis Tournikiotis, Professor Emeritus of the School of Architecture at NTUA; Alec Tzannes AM, Professor Emeritus at UNSW; Memos Philippidis, architect at MplusM; Vanessa Tsakalidou, Associate Professor at the Department of Architecture, AUTh; Sofia Psarra, Professor at Bartlett UCL; Ilias Papageorgiou, architect at PILA; and Olga Itsiou, COO of Dimand.
The event also marked the unveiling of the bilingual volume “Synchronicities: The Architecture of Rena Sakellaridou” by ek Architectural Publications, curated by Ariadni Vozani. The monographic presentation within the book highlights Rena Sakellaridou’s “hybrid” role—simultaneously an architect, a professor of architecture, and an author—with a well-founded theoretical background. Rena Sakellaridou’s introductory statement, “all is one,” sets the tone for the works categorized into five distinct chapters. These chapters explore allegorical titles, navigating the realms of architecture, perceptual aesthetics, and conceptual-mental processes. Accompanying the presentations are brief autobiographical notes, providing nuanced perspectives on various aspects of her architectural journey.
