This Residence is located within an urban area with two distinctive features. On the one hand, it is a rather small residential area situated upon a hill, which offers panoramic views of Nicosia’s south-western districts.
On the other hand, the area occupies an intermediary position within the urban fabric, as it is surrounded by highly dissimilar components – such as, national-level sports infrastructure, major transportation arteries, a large-scale ambassadorial cluster, and the almost-obsolete State Fair, amongst others.
Given this fragmentary context, the residence is organised as a singular yet differentiated Ground Floor, that absorbs the site’s contingencies, turning them into a cohesive whole. For its part, the First Floor takes the format of a series of rooms enjoying the breathtaking views, each with its own presence and contextual reference.
In this sense, the Residence can be seen as a contemporary instantiation of what Robert Venturi termed ‘the difficult whole’.