Typology: Sustainability

Nicosia Mall

Nicosia Mall in Nicosia, Cyprus was designed to provide a unique experience of shopping, dining and leisure into one integrated unit. The main idea was to create a playful and contemporary environment, with a friendly and dynamic character, offering to the visitor a discreet sense of luxury.

Located in a 61.000 sqm plot in Lacatamia district, outside Nicosia’s urban fabric, with a strong nature presence, the issue of sensitivity towards the natural environment played a very important role to the designing procedure. Towards this direction, building’s volume was articulated as  a horizontal, linear and curved object, in a green and light blue exterior elevations color palette, creating a dominant but, at the same time, respectful building to the nature surroundings in which it was embedded.

With a total built area of 100.000sqm and more than 150 retail shops, bars and restaurants, 5 cinema halls, an open plaza of 8.000 sqm and 1700 parking lots, NICOSIA MALL is actually a full day destination for visitors of any age, interests and hobbies.

The building consists of two commercial levels – ground floor and 1st floor – with two extra supportive levels – basement and one mezzanine floor. Visitors enter the mall in both ground floor and 1st floor level, with a special exterior area treatment, through entrance canopies in flowing shapes, following the intension of keeping both levels equally important and commercially appealing. The basic layout in plan, develops a curved linear layout, engraving into two directions, in wavy and cuneiform geometries (”river”), offering a game of perspective and a progressive space discovery. This way, once you enter into mall area, it is never visible to its whole extend, giving the opportunity of surprise to the visitor, as one discovers it gradually along the way. Inside mall area, two water features – one vertical water “curtain” and one water jet – offer a conceptual connection between the two commercial levels and create a Zen environment, with their water sound and feel.

Foodcourt area consists of both interior and exterior area, with a veranda towards a great and unobstructed view.

At the top of the building, a curved metal roof top cover creates a cost saving solution to MEP installations protection issue, while solving the problem of their aesthetically accepted hiding from public. This roof top cover provides an extra protection from roof solar overheat, offering a positive bioclimatic impact to the whole building.

Solar light tubes were installed through all mall corridor length, offering a very effectively diffused light to both commercial levels, during day time and at the same time providing a cost saving solution in energy terms, since during the day, the artificial light demands are kept very low.

Main materials in interior public areas are glass, mirrors, dry construction elements, ceramic tiles and timber and main colors are earthy beige with islands of strong colors shaking up the general colored serenity.

Building elevations configuration is based on the idea of double shell. Green sandwich panel with white repetitive pattern is the actual exterior shell and blue-grey vertical louvers protruding in a distance from green panel, create a movement effect, with a game of light and shadow, while walking along the façade. This different color and material combination ends up in a constant change of building color from green to blue and vice versa.

In the surrounding area of ​​the building, in addition to the open parking spaces, an elevated Plaza is created on the ground floor level, attached to restaurant shops and bars and offers to them a landscaped lounge area. The Plaza is ideal for expanded outdoor events, with the provision of temporary light cover in certain parts of the area, for concerts, game activities and outdoor exhibitions.

School of Arts

The design proposal and space organization of the building complex responds to the principles set by the promoter and satisfies all the objectives set out in the call for proposals, such as the highlighting of the importance of the building, its integration with the environment, its connection with the existing buildings, the adequacy of the internal arrangement and the modern aesthetic approach.
The concept design of the complex aims at the creation of an intrusive building that develops around a central patio, but at the same time is open to existing buildings to which it is connected through a sheltered outdoor path. This enables on one hand, the creation of an enclosed, protected outdoor space – a focal / meeting point for the outdoor functions and on the other, the arrangement of the various uses into three distinct morphological units – wings, depending on the program requirements.
The complex is covered by a grid of roofs, alternating in size, orientation and slopes, allowing the natural lighting of the upper rooms. The volume configuration combined with the facades’ formation and the diversity of roofs emphasizes the complexity of the building making it the focal point / landmark of the area.
As already mentioned, the complex is developed around a central patio, and comprises of two floors, a loft and a basement. Generally, the educational areas are located in the east and north wing for better orientation, while the common areas, staff and administration areas are located in the west and south wing. At ground floor level there is a semi-covered space through which the entrance to the building and the communication of the surrounding space with the inner patio are implemented. In the basement of the building there are 20 parking spaces, MEP areas and storages.
The facades and the different morphological approach enhance the concept idea of the three volume-configuration units. The complex is “wrapped” around and on its roofs with a second skin / shell consisting of either concrete panels at ground level, or zinc linear elements at floor level and roofs. On the east and west sides of the west wing of the building, vertical sun protection louvres are provided.
The building complex is designed in accordance with the bioclimatic principles, to ensure the best possible sustainability and consume the least possible energy, while providing thermal and visual comfort to its users.
The landscape design generally follows the characteristics of the concept idea. The surrounding area enters the inner patio and extends to the existing buildings as well as to the east side of the plot.
The pattern of floors, green areas and surrounding elements follow the concept idea of split roofs but are differentiated as they rotate at an angle of 45 degrees, creating greater tension in the relation of open and closed spaces. The new building is connected to the existing one by a canopy integrated in the diagonal grid, with aesthetically similar covering to the new building.

Kings Avenue Mall

KINGS AVENUE MALL is located in Pafos, Cyprus, a city that has been one of the most important ancient kingdoms on the island, a famous center of worship for the ancient goddess Aphrodite, with UNESCO protected archaeological wealth since 1980.

With a total built area of 90,000sqm, the mall is built on a plot of 46,000sqm, at the intersection of Apostle Pavlou Avenue and King’s Tomb Street, in an area of ​​intense tourist development, within an urban context and has more than 120 shops, restaurants and bars, 6 cinema halls and 1100 parking spaces.

Given the urban environment in which the building is located, the architectural proposal was orientated towards a smooth horizontal volume layout. It consists of two commercial levels – ground floor and 1st floor – with three additional auxiliary levels, two basements and one mezzanine. Visitor entrances have been created at both commercial levels, through the proper configuration of the surrounding area, which are marked and protected by large, curved geometries, with the aim of making both levels equally attractive.

Mall’s layout in plan is developed in a linear layout of two basic axes, in wedge-shaped geometries, with fluctuations in the width of the main shopping corridor, in the idea of flowing river. A special water feature at the confluence of the two main plan axes, which depicts the image of continuous, but mild and almost dreamy rain, as an additional reminiscent of Pafos’ relation with water.

The area of ​​Foodcourt consists of an open and closed section, with a terrace with unobstructed views of the city and the sea.

A metal curved canopy was installed on the top of the building to cover and protect the MEP installations. This canopy works as a bioclimatic shell for the whole complex, as it protects the roof from overheating, contributing positively to the energy performance of the building.

In the main customer commercial corridor, natural light is ensured during daylight through the ceiling of the Mall, with the installation of solar tubes, contributing significantly to the energy saving of the complex, while at the same time delivering a unique lighting effect through the diffusion of light caused by the solar tubes incorporated mirrors.

The materials used in the interior spaces are aluminum, glass, illuminated transparencies, dry building elements and ceramic tiles, while cool colors were selected – in gradations between gray and ice white.

The outer shell of the building consists of a composite thermal insulation panel in shades of gray. Main entrance and foodcourt side elevation has a configuration of the barcode effect, in gray metallic shades with linear light sparkles, while for the rest of the main elevation, large scale vertical aluminum blinds were used in a vivid green and blue gradient color palette.

In the surrounding area of ​​the building, apart from back of house areas of loading bays for catering and service of shops and shopping center, the idea was to create a linear park with extended flower beds, as well as vertical “green” walls. This vertical greenery forms a perceptible boundary between front and back of house areas and creates the impression that nature is climbing up the building.

During the excavations for the construction of the project, findings from a Roman bath complex, with tanks and floor remains were discovered which, according to the instructions of the competent Department of Antiquities of Cyprus, were removed and transferred with modern methods to a specially selected section of the plot and are exposed to public, protected from climatic conditions.

Prefecture Services

The building complex that houses the services of the Prefecture of Thessaloniki includes office spaces, extending in four levels, ground floor shops, two basements with 307 parking spaces and auxiliary spaces. The complex includes also three listed buildings with public uses.
The concept idea for the volume organization of the new building complex is the creation of two main axis-walkways, vertical one another.
An additional defining element for the façades’ organization is the requirement for “an accurate and effective sun protection of the building” according to the competition specifications.
The sun protection of the South West elevation is achieved by the construction of a second skin, at small distance from the basic elevation, consisting of movable horizontal and vertical metal louvers.
For the same reason, in the North West and South East elevations, a second skin is also constructed consisting of ceramic elements (solid in front of the solid parts of the elevations and perforated-louvered in front of the openings).
This treatment implements the basic aesthetic principle for a clear distinction between the «old» and the «new», at all levels. The elevations acting as the background for the landmarks, from 26 Oktovriou and Kefallinias streets, are totally neutral and completely different, without any competitive, supplementary or relevant aesthetic elements. Additionally, the ceramic skins for North West and South East elevations were selected in order to mark and implement the functional, integrating and aesthetic axis of the important monuments (FIX, GAS COMPANY, MYLOS) through a unified ceramic texture, which characterizes the three monuments.

Iktinou School Complex

It is a school complex in the center of Thessaloniki, founded in 1931, it expresses the Art Deco & Bauhaus Movement in Greece and has been labeled as a monument by a Decision of the Hellenic Ministry of Culture. It consists of nine independent structures (eight buildings and a concrete shed) with a total area of about 6.600 sq.ms, most of them with a basement and two above-ground floors. The structures are generally made of cast in-situ reinforced concrete, consisting of slabs (solid or ribbed), beams, columns and in some cases of masonry (natural stones and artificial bricks with holes). Our designs have anticipated its energy and structural upgrade. During the structural upgrade (up to the current level of safety), assessment and interventions designs were carried out, which resulted in strengthening (addition of new concrete walls, beam strengthening, reinforced concrete jackets on columns) and repairs of the structure.