For the offices of Aegean Landmark in Athens, designer Sofia Michopoulou developed two architectural elements through a common computational design approach: the Moire Ascent staircase and the Dancing Lanterns.
Although different in scale and function, both projects emerged from the same underlying principle: the controlled movement of points in three-dimensional space through mathematical sine and cosine functions. By adjusting these movements across the X, Y, and Z axes, Michopoulou created a continuous wave system that could be adapted to generate different geometries while maintaining a shared visual and computational language.
The staircase became the most extensive application of this system.
Michopoulou began by modelling the basic staircase geometry in Rhino, establishing the overall space and the levels of the individual steps. In Grasshopper, she then generated the step sequence using series and sequence components.
A point corresponding to the handrail position was extracted from each step. These points were then copied and progressively displaced along the Z-axis using GhPython, while their movement across the X and Y axes was controlled by sine and cosine functions.
The same sine- and cosine-based design logic was adapted to generate the curved geometry of the Dancing Lanterns.
Rather than repeating a single profile, the algorithm allowed the geometry to evolve continuously from one section to the next. The resulting handrail is formed by twenty-eight individual CNC-cut plywood elements that rise from the staircase and gradually thin out as they move upward.
The computational model also incorporated practical dimensional constraints. Parameters including wave amplitude, frequency, and movement across the three axes could be adjusted through Grasshopper sliders, while the handrail geometry was progressively shaped to reach its required height of approximately 1000 mm.
This parametric setup turned the digital model into an iterative design environment. Instead of relying primarily on physical prototypes, Michopoulou tested different variations by modifying the wave parameters in Grasshopper and GhPython and immediately reviewing the resulting geometry in Rhino.
Once the final staircase geometry was established, Grasshopper was used to project each section into elevation, generating the two-dimensional profiles required for fabrication. The sections were numbered within the Grasshopper system, organised into CAD files and sent to Doulis Wood Applications for CNC cutting.
The numbering system preserved the sequence of the wave from one element to the next, allowing the individual plywood components to be identified and assembled according to their position along the staircase.
The same computational logic was later translated into the Dancing Lanterns, a series of plywood light elements inspired by natural curves such as anemones and tentacles.
Like the staircase, the lanterns are composed of twenty-eight unique CNC-cut plywood elements rather than a repeated standard part. Their geometry was generated through the same principle of controlled point movement, with the parameters adapted to a different scale and function.
Installed within the same Aegean Landmark office, the lanterns extend the computational language of the staircase into a suspended lighting element. Although static, their curved profiles interact with movement, viewpoint, and light within the room, producing changing visual formations.
Together, the staircase and lanterns demonstrate how a single parametric system can generate distinct architectural outcomes without relying on identical repetition. In both cases, algorithmic control becomes a way to coordinate variation: individual components remain unique while still belonging to a continuous geometric sequence.
The projects also illustrate a direct workflow from computational design to digital fabrication. Rhino provides the spatial and geometric framework, Grasshopper structures the parametric system, and GhPython introduces mathematical control over the evolving wave geometry. The resulting forms are then translated into CNC-ready profiles, connecting the digital model directly with the fabrication process.
Rather than treating computation as a tool for producing one fixed object, Michopoulou’s approach establishes a transferable design logic, one capable of shifting between scales, functions, and architectural applications while maintaining a common geometric identity.
CREDITS
Projects: Moire Ascent Staircase and Dancing Lanterns
Designer: Sofia Michopoulou
Wood Specialist / Fabrication: Doulis Wood Applications
Metal Construction – Staircase: VETA S.A.
Electrical Support – Lanterns: E. Karantakis
