The site is in one of the older areas of western Nicosia with a strong suburban character: detached buildings – mainly single-family dwellings – dominate the core of each plot surrounded by dense plantation. There is no other typological continuity or strong urban synergy between these buildings, as their architecture is self-referential and of various aesthetic references.
The project attempts to productively subvert this condition by proposing a building which addresses the urban through alternative possibilities offered by architecture. A large plot at the corner of its urban block, with street elevations to the north and the east, provides the opportunity for a street-based architecture with robust interrelation to the surrounding context (present and future). Bold formal gestures and minimal elevations are deployed to produce an architecture that valorises the grid as the primary source of coherence.
On the ground floor of the residence, interior and exterior collective spaces form a continuous, yet differentiated, environment which is articulated as a base-socle cladded with grey Italian stone. This base, which derives its morphology from the geometry of the plot, provides privacy through the interiorisation of diverse exterior spaces, including an entry porch, a courtyard as well as a pool veranda. The monolithic horizontality of this grey base is contrasted with the organisation and materialisation of the first floor, which is articulated as a series of fragmented white volumes hosting the dwelling’s bedrooms. This dual juxtaposition seeks an integration of the building with the surrounding context, while visually framing urban moments from within the residence.