Vertical Cuts Split Monolithic 'Cube Within a Cube' Suburban Residence in Cyprus
AER, a suburban residence designed by Studio Kyriakos Miltiadou, is located near a sparse forest in the suburbs of Nicosia, Cyprus. The site offers intriguing views of the surrounding landscape.
Instead of a traditional house that opens outward to embrace uninterrupted views, AER presents a stark, introverted box. The architectural concept reinterprets the primordial dwelling-box for modern domestic life.
Design Concept and Structure
The design starts with a three-dimensional grid forming a basic 14×17-meter box. Gradually, fragments of the natural landscape penetrate this box, causing it to fragment progressively.
This erosion process creates a complex prismatic assembly of voids and solids. Four vertical concrete walls, six meters tall, encase the fragmented volumes, uniting the split parts into a coherent yet fluid whole.
Role of Vertical Concrete Walls
The walls are carved with vertical cuts, acting as intermediaries between the interior and exterior. They serve to filter, protect, frame, and reveal, establishing a dynamic relationship with the forest, the city, and the sky.
The vertical cuts in the concrete walls "act as mediators between the inside and outside world: filtering, protecting, framing, and revealing, fostering in this way a dialectical relationship with the forest, the city, and the sky."
The project systematically elaborates and reinterprets the concept of a dwelling-box in harmony with contemporary living.
Author’s summary: AER transforms the classic box home into a prismatic volume framed by vertical concrete walls, creating an intimate dialogue between nature, architecture, and urban surroundings.