The building is situated on Arch. Leontiou street in Engomi, an area that is in close proximity with various facilities and services. Access to the block is direct through avenue junctions around that connect the main areas of greater Nicosia. The shopping district and historic center is in walking distance.
The points of our view affect drastically our perception for everything around us. The direction we look at something or even the frame through which we are provided a specific view can become quite important regulators.
Its Nice ,provides new ways to view the concept of living. The external wall here is far more than just an element of division between the interior and exterior. It defines the boundary between the public and the private, between the common and the unique, the ordinary and the special, the unknown and the intimate.
The building is defined by a continuous vertical wall which accommodates the units of this housing block. This element includes both the interior and exterior spaces in one definite form expressing the sense of protection around all aspects of domestic life and setting a large frame around it.
Openings of various sizes on this wall provide viewpoints from the interior to the surroundings while they also function as frames which highlight moments of private life in different expressions that take place in different spaces both indoors and outdoors.
Four different housing typologies are accommodated within this plain volume: a two floor house, one single bedroom apartment, three twin bedroom apartments and one large penthouse. The plurality of the apartment typologies brings diversity in co-living, thus reflecting the vibrant spirit of contemporary urban life.
The complexity and fuzz of social urban life is balanced by the simplicity of private life that Its Nice has to offer. The interiors of the apartments comprise of plain, spacious, luminous rooms. Our design is focused in the functionality and flexibility of the spaces for multiple possibilities and scenarios.
Good care is given to the energy sustainability in terms of direction of openings, sun protection and possibility for natural ventilation of the interiors. The exteriors are protected by the external wall which acts in the areas of the verandas as a second layer of the façade that regulates the light and wind thus creating a pleasant microclimate.