Nexus — is located in the centre of Nicosia on the main perimeter road .The design is the result of a closed architectural competition — presents a modern form, which is consistent with the philosophy of the architects, for an architecture which is specific to local spatial parameters but hyper-local in its resonance. Thus, with a series of movements categorized as folds, creases and links, the project unfolds a continuous surface-shell that materializes the responses of the architects to local parameters into a seamless, coherent entity. This mechanism addresses the relationship of the scale of the car with that of the pedestrian, the response to the geometry of the plot, the development of an interactive relationship between the building and the urban node, and the organization of the accessibility of the building.
The building consists of a ground floor showroom space of approximately 550 m2, a mezzanine, three underground parking levels with a total of 110 spaces, and seven floors of luxury office space with areas ranging from 300 m2 to 550 m2. The organisation of the building has been developed based on a theory of flexibility — all levels can accept different arrangements, division layouts, and uses. However, this is accomplished without resorting to uniformity, but instead by developing conditions of “heterotopy”, whereby the architecture of the building predisposes specific programmatic provisions or uses. The office areas will be equipped with advanced electro-mechanical systems, and will offer unimpeded views of both Griva Digenis Avenue and the centre of Nicosia.
One of the project’s innovations will be a technologically advanced “smart” shell which, in addition to the energy dimension it will bestow on the project, will provide shading, mechanically-assisted natural ventilation, soundproofing, and controlled lighting to the office spaces; it will be the main feature of the materiality of the building. The triple layer shell will cast an ethereal, translucent character, which will alter the perception of the building during different phases of the day. The lighting, utilizing brand new LED lamp technology, will add to the “texture” of the building, creating a latent interactive dimension.
Architect: Micheal Cosmas Architecture