The Perfect Day in Cyprus
Studio has been hectic lately to say the least. A couple days ago my Cypriot friend and project partner, Tonia, and I went back to our site to look at it from a new perspective- really SEE the nature and relationship of the buildings to each other, etc. We were exhausted from our midterm push and I was not fully refreshed to start again.
We went to the site in the morning, while it was overcast and could probably rain any minute. Literally, I saw the site in a whole new light. It was so beautiful, everything was green or yellow leaves changing color. We also explored old bridges, the University of Cyprus campus, a goat farm, and an herb nursery nearby. The site is surrounded by the Aronas Mountain (Cypriot inhabited) and the Adriaronas Mountain (Turkish occupation across the demarcation line).
So far, our project has been thorough site analysis, and now we’re beginning to define a new program for the site. Each group has a different abandoned industrial site somewhere in Cyprus, with mine near my city of Nicosia. Ours is the agricultural mansions of Athalassa, a place of breeding, genetic experimentation, and feed production in the early 1900s. I originally chose the site because the buildings have a character and life that a lot of places lose over time. My program will be to reintroduce the agriculture- this time with horse sporting, a botanical garden, and an “aviary oasis”. Excited for the rest of the semester!
