ARCH-501/502, Unit 6: Time Synergies and Adaptive Architecture

Student: Andreas Prokopiou

The buffer zone that divides Nicosia in two parts, is a no-man’s land that resulted from the conflict between the two main ethnic groups of Cyprus in 1974. Despite the fact that the buffer zone was established 43 years ago, its edges are still affecting the urban environment from both sides. By investigating the relationship between the edge of the buffer zone and the urban environment, the project aims to propose a new system that can respond to the needs of the city in any possible future scenario. Whether the relationship between the two communities is getting better or worse, the proposed system can be efficiently adapted to its context.

Consisting of the two proposed edges, the system can operate as a strict or permeable boundary according to the needs of the future. Within the two edges, expandable structures are rising that can shrink or expand the limits of the buffer zone under a continuous negotiation between the inhabitants of Nicosia and the authority of the United Nations.

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