Muse House
2023
Meganisi, Greece

Lighting design for a site master plan of routes and foot paths connecting the six houses within the site complex, as well as the interior lighting of all spaces.

IES Award of Merit 2023

Interiors Awards 2023, GOLD (Residential)

Architect: hiboux ARCHITECTURE
Photography: Gavriil Papadiotis[GavriiLux]

A new-built vacation complex of scattered houses, integrated in a 200-year-old olive grove was the canvas for the lighting design for a tailor-made experience of the island living. Stone domed structures, double slopped bamboo pergolas, meandering paths, natural rock formations and a large number of nicely aged olive trees were key elements of this isolated site by the sea. The challenges were many, very low budget for the lighting equipment, existing natural context, remote location, saline environment in conjunction with the complexity of the architecture and the intricacy of the pathways and connections between houses and the design of the illumination had to address them all. The lighting design strategy had to be minimum input/impact for maximum effect.

Numerous site visit allowed us to carefully place luminaires in key locations, giving a depth of field and a sense of comfort, while avoiding overilluminating the surroundings of the houses. All exterior luminaires, including the spots on trees with tree straps, the spike mounted path lights, the adjustable spots with custom double joint bracket on the bamboo pergolas and the few exterior sconces by the entrance doors, where downlighting and fitted with glare-control accessories to limit light pollution into the dark sky. Only the pergolas were dimly highlighted with column mounted uplights at high level, to provide some bounce-back ambient illumination to the outdoor resting areas.

12 key olive trees were identified, in the proximity of the houses or in the distant view from the houses, where cool white spotlights were installed on high branches to illuminate through the foliage, generating a dappled leaf effect on the surrounding plants and rock formations. The tone contrast between the warm path & pergola lighting added interest and depth to the surroundings and long views. The energy consumption for the exterior lighting was 0.08W/m2.