Information Centre for Lake Pamvotis, Nissi, Ioannina

The Information Centre for Lake Pamvotis opened last May in the Nissi village on the sole island of the lake, near Ioannina in Greece. It is housed in a traditional old building that was renovated for the purpose. The Centre is providing visitors with information about the lake and the surrounding area. Its design, the museological and museographic planning is by Tetragon Ltd. (the company I work for). Official contractors for this project are Tetragon Ltd, OIKOM Environmental Studies and OIKOS Nature Management, with the invaluable cooperation of the Management Authority of Lake Pamvotis.

When going through the main entrance, one can see the reception area while on the right is the room dedicated to traditional fishing. The permanent exhibition about the lake is located on the first floor. Going up the stairs and exactly opposite them is a segment that has extensive information about lake Pamvotis - the environment, the area in which it lies, its long geological history. On the left you can see a large model of the lake that attracts the attention of visitors. Near it, and following from the previous section, the visitor can discover, through text and a smaller model, information about how the system of the lake operates: the origin of the water, how it was created and the movement of water into the lake.

 

On the far left wall are three bright diagrams showing the shape of the lake in its long life. The large and impressive model of the lake reflects its current form. Pressing the buttons light up lights for points of interest. Right next to the window is a table shaped like a water-lilly leave with a pair of headphones. Wearing them, the visitor can hear various myths and old stories about the lake and the surrounding area (the voice doing the English narrative is by yours truly). And right after this is the section dedicated to the lake ecosystems. Here the influence of water on vegetation in the area is examined. The section continues to the other side of the stairs, where plexiglass lecterns emerge from brightly lit blue floor. Each of these provides information about the main lake plants, reeds and water lilies, but also how they form peatlands. Above the desks and at eye level is a large screen, which displays a slideshow about Pamvotis. It is extremely interesting and does not last long (I made this!). 

 

To the left of the screen and into the blue lit floor that resembles the water of the lake, visitors can see the types of fish that live in it. Carp, Eels, butterfly fish, cut in natural size, are "swimming" in the blue-green "water," while on the back plate you can read more about them. On the floor, you can see the grypos fishing tool and hung from the ceiling is another one named pezovolos: two traditional ways of fishing here. At the back of the room, one can observe different species of birds and animals that live in the lake and around it. The impressive composition suspended from the roof, makes it easy to identify the characteristics of the local fauna species: crayfish, ducks, egrets, frogs etc.

 

At the end of the hall there is a large section informing the visitor about the human impact on the lake and the ecosystem. Also you can see how locals live from the Ioannina lake - fishermen, craftsmen, merchants and all people are affected directly or indirectly from it, while in turn they affect it too. Towards the end of the exhibition, the visitor can read the corresponding panels about how the lake has been a refuge since prehistoric times for humans and animals, something that continues to the present day. The lake was also a natural crossroads for shepherds, armies, merchants.

 

In the last section you read that the future of the lake is in our hands and how its management affects the surrounding area. Just before the staircase is a beautiful structure with a screen where you can see suggested routes for small excursions, to get a more complete picture of the lake and its surrounding area. If you happen to visit Ioannina, do not miss it!

Information Centre for Lake Pamvotis in Greece panorama by Kostas Vassis

Photos by Dinos Michail, courtesy of Tetragon Ltd except the last one by Alexios Pissaridis.

Green Design Festival 2010 in Athens

Green Design Festival, is back in Athens, two years after its first successful show. From the 23rd of September until the 10th of October, an original, open space and open to the public action will take place, under the auspice of the Municipality of Athens and the Ministry of Environment, sponsored by the Post Bank and has 150 designers from all aspects of design collaborating along with architects, curators and volunteers.

Its aim is to speak about a modern way of live, environmentally friendly, thorugh design and its applications and produce environmental behaviour through its themes and proposals.

Green Design Festival is organised by Brainlab, an independant non-profit and non-govermental organization. The ceter of activities is again Syntagma Square in Athens at the Eco Museum, an environmentally friendly recyclable construction which will house exhibitions, actions, events and educational programs. At the same time, architectural exhibitis will be at seven more central points in Athens, inviting the people to see their city in a different way.

During the Green Design Festival, the city is transformed into a live interactive space of ideas and suggestions, through new technologies, of image and design. Through the various aspects of design and with a strong emphasis on the templates of sustainability (in environmental as well as in a social level), the festival speaks about the consequences of climate change, uses renewable and alternative energy sources, explores the relationship between ecological conscience and economy and focuses on an environmentallyf riendly "re-design"of our everyday life.

Blog Action Day 2009 - Design Can Change

Blog Action Day is an annual event held every October 15 that unites the world’s bloggers in posting about the same issue on the same day with the aim of sparking discussion around an issue of global importance. Blog Action Day 2009 will be one of the largest-ever social change events on the web. At the moment I am writing this post 8192 blogs from 145 countries and 11,799,400 readers have been registered and participate!

First and last, the purpose of Blog Action Day is to create a discussion. Bloggers are asked to take a single day out of their schedule and focus it on an important issue. By doing so on the same day, the blogging community effectively changes the conversation on the web and focuses audiences around the globe on that issue. Out of this discussion naturally flow ideas, advice, plans, and action. In 2007 on the theme of the Environment, bloggers were running environmental experiments, detailing innovative ideas on creating sustainable practices, and focusing their audience's attention on organizations and companies promoting green agendas. In 2008 Poverty was the theme, and similarly focused the blogging community's energies around discussing the wide breadth of the issue from many perspectives and identifying innovative and unexpected solutions. This year the aim is to do the same for Climate Change, an issue that threatens us all.

I dedicate this post then to Design Can Change. An effort to bring together the world's graphic design community to address the issues surrounding climate change. While it is a complex and sometimes contested topic, nevertheless it cannot be ignored. Designers in particular must examine how our practices impact the environment. Acknowledging the problem is the first step. As designers (and this is true for all areas of design) we have great abilities and can group together to make a collective difference. It is important to consider all the parties we can work with and how we can all lend a hand.

Some of you may ask why should designers be concerned with climate change? Leave this to the politicians and social groups. But we beg to differ: designers are so close to the issue that are better placed to be able to make the difference. Designers often characterize ourselves as problem solvers. If so, then how about applying this to climate change? As the public has come to accept the importance of good design and demand it in almost every facet of their lives, our efforts as designers are pivotal in shaping the world around us.

Design Can Change works with the notion that we can collectively encourage substantial change. By utilizing our ability to effectively communicate and build interest, we can generate awareness and further the cause to end global warming. Designers are the hub connecting companies to customers. Additionally we steer lots of work to various sections of the construction industry, printing industry, and various suppliers of every possible resource. So what can we do? Implement sustainability in our work - from the way our practices work to our final products to making our collaborators and partners aware of it and suggest to implement it themselves. By choosing to work with people who are environmentally aware in their work too.

Sustainability is becoming the most important addition to the creative brief. As much as we might not like to admit it, many designers aren't prepared for this. We've been busy working on our skills, learning about brands, adapting to new technology, and keeping our studios alive during some lean times. Also note that sustainable practices in design do not have to be costly. In fact, smart designers leverage efficient ways of working that often reduce costs to organizations. Today most major brands have added sustainability to their business agendas because they recognize it is a competitive advantage and a key to continued success. From a position of self-interest alone, you really have to start thinking green.

So if the above have started to convince you a bit, go to DesignCanChange page, and take the pledge. From then on, lots of tips for changing your studio, raising awareness and making a difference will follow.

Images and text courtesy of DesignCanChange and Getty Images.