The Room of Strength, Greece

The Room of Strength within the Onassis Hospital, was conceived by artist Nikomachi Karakostanoglou, thinking of the demanding hours of doctors and staff on duty, visitors seeking relief from anxiety for their loved ones and patients who want to stop for a moment and consider what an examination, a surgery, or a battle for their life means to them.

Upon entering the space, one feels surrounded by a luminous aura. Different light scenarios seamlessly succeed one another during day and night, slowly shifting like another sun rising and setting within this womb-shaped room that has no corners.

From the warm ambiance and intimate feeling of dawn’s calmness, to the comforting daylight and the sweet cool temperature of evening, the room continuously transforms during a 24-hour circle, revealing a different kind of strength every moment of the day.

A soundscape follows this endless life journey with gentle nature sounds that serve the need for quiet and solace. Cicadas, scops, owls and sea tunes can be heard depending of the hour and light of day time.

The technical challenges of the space, such as the low height, the central sculptural quartz volume and the need for soft lighting without revealing any visible source, served as springboards, ultimately utilized in the process.

The crystal’s light – a recessed installation before the floor’s cementation, the stretched ceiling’s LED lighting and the hidden bended light strip under the built-in floating benches, are the three sources used to illuminate the room.

The warmth surrounds you, and the crystal – as the central element of the room – invites you to touch it as the light unfolds a myriad of textures, the layers of the material and the complexity and magic of Nature itself. Its glow seems to come from within, casting light towards all the curved surfaces of the walls, the “lungs” that embrace it.

This vast crystal – journeyed from the depths of the earth in Brazil to Arizona, and from there to Athens – was transformed by the artist into a sculpture in the form of a human heart and stands as a symbol of strength and serenity, of beauty and healing.

Designing the lighting for this space, its symbolism and its inner strength was both an honor and a huge challenge. I am grateful to be part of this creation: a room of reflection and focus for all of us.

Client: Onassis Foundation

Artist: Nikomachi Karakostanoglou

Lighting Design: Eliza Alexandropoulou

Soundscape: Afroditi Panagiotakou, Manolis Manousakis

Lighting supervision and programming: Dimitris Kapetanelis

Electrical Installation: TecAza

Light sources for hidden lighting of crystal and benches: ELECTRON

Stretched Ceiling: Apollon Design