Backbone

Agii Anargiri is a separate and isolated structure within the suburban sprawl of Larnaca. Due to the encircling street, the development has remained faceless and almost entirely closed off from the traffic and vivacity of the surrounding area. By establishing a more urban environment, the new apartments are supposed to re-attract and meet the needs of young people, new families and seniors. This proposal tries not to define a new comprehensive approach for housing, but uses the method of overlaying various contrasting architectural, infrastructural and social issues in order to generate new spatial situations. The most important element is a central square which opens up the development to its surroundings. Two rigid rows of buildings form the edges of the central square. With its sunny expanse it contrasts with the narrow in-between spaces between the buildings. These spaces permeably connect the public space with the small-scale housing and can serve as space for the inhabitants’ appropriation. The purpose of a central square will be to act as a stage for communication, entertainment, leisure and commerce within the entire development. Like the boxes in a theatre, each new building will face the square and the inhabitants will be observers and participants in the everyday life of the community. The inhabitants of the existing structures will have the option of being daily or occasional participants, thus creating an attractive mixture of urban and suburban lifestyles within the development.