zaha hadid architects transforms dried moat in cyprus into fluid streetscape

a new gathering space within an historic fabric

zaha hadid architects (ZHA) designs a new hub for nicosia, cyprus, dubbed ‘eleftheria square.’ marking a new gathering place for the capital city, the concrete design creates new connections intended to unite a divided capital. nicosia’s massive venetian fortifications separate the old city from its modern districts, while the city’s ‘green line’ divides the capital into two disparate communities.

located near the center of nicosia, eleftheria square is adjacent to the venetian walls and the dry moat that encircles the city. constructed in the middle ages and extensively rebuilt by the venetians in the 16th century, these substantial defensive walls define the boundary of the oldest part of the capital, dividing the ancient city from the new districts outside the walls.

images © laurian ghinitoiu | @laurianghinitoiu

activating a dry moat in cyprus

designed by zaha hadid architects (see more here), the newly completed eleftheria square marks the initial phase of a much larger urban plan that could be a catalyst for the reunification of the capital. the design ensures unobstructed views of the venetian walls, establishing these fortifications as an integral part of nicosia’s identity, while also opening the dry moat for public use to create an orbital park that surrounds the city.

transforming previously inaccessible areas of the moat with new civic plazas, gardens and palm- lined promenades, the moat can become a ‘green belt’ around the city. ZHA’s design proposes these new public spaces within the moat are extended to follow the ancient city walls and encircle nicosia, reconnecting communities of this divided capital.

new urban connections by zaha hadid architects

zaha hadid architects’ eleftheria square elevates the topography of the moat to create an upper level bridge that meets the surrounding streetscape, establishing direct connections with the city’s urban fabric and defining a new public square in the heart of the capital.

transformed into an urban park, the moat’s fluid geometries have been created through the process of triangulating the irregular forms of the ancient fortifications to establish points of ‘intensity’ that define seating, flowerbeds or water features within the new park. the moat’s granite paving conveys a timeless solidity, while open joints between the granite slabs create a passive rainwater drainage system that allows the new trees planted within the moat to naturally balance groundwater levels and reduce erosion of the medieval walls’ foundations.

as the largest civic plaza in nicosia, eleftheria square has been designed to host festivals and public events. its upper level bridge and supporting columns are crafted in concrete, their sculptural forms ensure structural integrity in this seismic region and the base of each column morphs into seating.

the renovation of the square involved extensive archaeological excavations together with works to repair and protect the historic venetian walls. the redevelopment also includes two cafes within the square and the new underground parking lot with access ramp on omirou avenue. stairs and elevators directly connect with the bus terminal in solomos square.

1/8

project info:

project title: eleftheria square

architecture: zaha hadid architects | @zahahadidarchitects

location: nicosia, cyprus

completion: december 2021

design: zaha hadid, patrik schumacher, christos passas
ZHA competition team: christos passas (design director), saffet bekiroglu, viviana muscettola, michele pasca di magliano, daniel fiser, ceyhun baskin, inanc eray
ZHA schematic design team: stella nikolakaki (design lead), sevil yazici (design lead), sylvia georgiadou, takang hsu, phivos skroumbelos and marilena sophocleus (landscape), chrysi fradellou, edward sorgeloose, vladimir tschaly
ZHA design development: dimitris akritopoulos (design lead), bence pap (design lead), kwanphil cho, reza esmaeeli, chrysi fradellou, raul forsoni, thomas frings, jesus garate, irene guerra, george giokalas, spyridon kaprinis, javier ernesto lebie, carlos luna, vincent nowak, anna papachristoforou, sophia papageorgiou, vivian pashiali, ivan ucros polley, matthew richardson, michail roidis, hendrik rupp, andri shalou, vladimir tschaly, leo alves, megan burke (landscape), eleni mente (landscape), david mcdowell (administration)
ZHA project supervision team: electra mikelides, dimitris kolonis, stella nikolakaki, vivian pashiali, christos sazos, nicos yiatros, christina christodoulidou, maria-eleni bali

consultants:

on-site engineers: eleni loizou, remos achilleos
structural engineers: ASD hyperstatic engineering [limassol]; andros achilleos (principal engineer), michalis allayiotis (project engineer)
MEP engineers: UNEMEC [nicosia]; lakis pipis (director in-charge), andreas karayiannis and trevor colett (directors), chris macfarlane, kleovoulos kasoulides, george lerides, kypros tziakouris (electrical engineers -supervision stage) kostas archeos (supervising electrical engineer) panayiotis ktorides (mech. engineer)
lighting: kardorff lichtplanung ing. [berlin]; volker kardorff (principal), stefan krauel (project designer)
accessibility consultants: david bonnett associates; david bonnett MTCW; klelia petridou
traffic consultants: SKM colin buchanan; andreas markides (CEO), colin firth (director) project management/coordination team: modinos & vrahimis associates; saverios vrahimis (director), anna lyssandridou
client project management team: agni petridou (project coordinator), maria ioannou, maria georgiou, foivos tsappas, georgiana loizides
cost consultants: MDA cyprus; stephanos andreou (director in charge), niki stavrou
advisors: lekton; andy sphicas, soula iacovidou, the concrete center, beton centrum