FX AWARDS 2016: THE WINNERS
Breakthrough Talent of the year
Winner: Bureau de Change
Image: Ben Blossom
Sponsored by Dataflex
Bureau de Change is an award-winning architecture practice founded in 2013 by architects Katerina Dionysopoulou and Billy Mavropoulos. Its work is a direct product of their upbringing, passions and experiences – combining the pragmatism and formality of their architecture training with a desire to bring a sense of theatre, playfulness and innovation to the design of spaces, products and environments.
The result is a studio where rigorous thinking and analysis are brought to life through prototyping, testing and making.
Bartlett graduate Katerina Dionysopoulou trained at Foster+Partners before joining Heatherwick Studio. During this time she led the team designing the UK Pavilion at the Shanghai Expo, winning the coveted Lubetkin Prize. She later worked alongside Danny Boyle as the project leader for the iconic Olympic Cauldron for London 2012, and is a visiting lecturer at Harvard University.
Billy Mavropoulos studied at the RCA and trained at Foster+Partners. Prior to founding Bureau de Change he worked as an independent design consultant on projects for Tate Modern, Tate Britain and Selfridges.
Among the many projects undertaken so far that reflect the practice’s ethos and aspirations are:
Fold: A three-storey period terrace house in north London, with a pleated roof as a focal point. The scheme is characterised by a rich palette of colours, materials and textures creating a different experience in each space.
Crown: Offices in Chelsea with glazing on three sides, visually compelling both inside and from the outside. An interior elliptical ‘chamber’ has walls formed by a cluster of twisted, 1mm-thick brass ribbons, cutting an intimate central space into the largely glass box.
Efasma: A first furniture range for the UK brand Efasma, establishing the brand’s ethos in creating innovative design products. The essence of the collection is drawn from the brand’s origins in Greece, inspired by a wish to utilise talented local craftsmen and draw their skills out of the shadows of industrial manufacture.
