The structure is based on a 3x3 m grid which offers: 

1. Structural simplicity
2. Flexibility in the arrangement of spaces
3. A playful arrangement of boxes on the façade of the building

The Grid becomes the formal identity of the building and renders it recognizable in its urban environment. 

The playful façade offers a variety of choices in creating various qualities of space: closed spaces, balconies, niches. It allows the use of a variety of materials: ceramic tiles, aluminum lattices and glass panes. The flexibility in materials creates diversity and the possibility to adjust to the products that are offered in the market and agree with the budget.  

The general placement of the building favours cross ventilation on the west-east axis taking advantage of the W and SW winds that pleasantly blow during the summer months. An atrium along the west-east axis provides a three-storey void for the growing of tall trees.

With the use of aluminum lattices, the facade becomes a screen that filters the sun and creates pleasant micro-climate in each apartment. Plants in various sizes colonize parts of the building: voids, niches, screens, creating in this way a natural layer that protects the envelope of the building and enhance the building’s micro-climate, the quality of life and its identity, its image to the city.

Project: Housing Block
Design team: Christiana Ioannou, Christos Papastergiou

Place/ time: Limassol, Cyprus, 2018
Client: Compass Developers
Total build area: 700m²
3D visualisation: Giannis Papadopoulos (3dfoorm)