House 1115

The site is located in a sparsely populated suburban area of Nicosia. The lower elevation of the plot relative to the surrounding area raised issues of privacy from the neighboring houses. To circumvent that a three meter wall is created ten feet from the edge of their property. A box is supported on the east and west sides of the perimeter wall that spans the entire length of the space in between. The rectangular box contains the sleeping and bathing areas with a central stair that leads to the ground floor below.

The communal space below includes the kitchen living and dining and faces north and south. A large outdoor garden faces south and a smaller one north. Large sliding glass doors and curtains can control light and also allow the entire ground floor to function as one. The upper floor has a south cantilever of two meters beyond the sliding glass doors. This allows the winter sun to heat the living space but keeps it out during the summer months. The entrance into the house first leads into the north yard and then onto the house.

The stairs leading upstairs is located between the master bedroom and the other two bedrooms to offer privacy and to also allow winter southern light to penetrate the ground floor. A shading device along the entire length of the upper floor shades the bedrooms in the summer and allows for sunlight in the winter. A truss system that spans the entire length of the upper floor and runs along the north and south faces supports the upper floor.

Location

Location