TEPAK Cyprus University of Technology Student Housing Complex
Size
28,000 sqm
Location
Limassol, Cyprus
Status
Competition Entry
Client
Cyprus University of Technology
Team
Tommaso Bernabò Silorata, Konstantina Tzemou, Michalis Pirokka
Typology
Housing, Public Realm
A new destination and a healthy living paradigm for the TEPAK student community
The proposal addresses the design of the new TEPAK Student housing complex at three main scales: the urban scale and the inscription of the project into to the broader plans for the extension of the university campus in the city of Limassol, the scale of the specific, student housing site and its potential to become a pole of attraction for the broader academic community through a variety of hyperlocal programs and activities, and lastly the scale of the housing typologies with an emphasis on healthy living.
The TEPAK student housing site is located in Vereggaria, a district of Limassol right at the edge of the city center and adjacent to the highway that connects the city with other major cities in Cyprus. The whole district of Vereggaria is planned to host the expansion of the TEPAK University Campus and the student housing complex is only the first of a series of development projects in the area. Starting at the urban scale, the proposal recognizes the potential of the site to become a node in a broader network of pedestrian and cycling greenways that will connect the high point of the city (the mountains), with the city center, the existing university campus and ultimately the water. Given its importance at the urban scale, the project seeks to create a variety of spaces for collective activities, primarily outdoors, taking advantage of Cyprus’ mild climate.
5 COURTYARDS - 1 COMMUNITY
In an effort to provide a healthy living model which simultaneously fosters the idea of a strong community, the proposal choses the courtyard typology to organize the assigned program. With a series of 5 themed courtyards, all programmed differently, the housing units benefit from a direct relationship with open space. Three of those courtyards are inward-facing, focusing on the community of on-site residents, and two of them are open to the broader neighborhood and to the larger student body, offering programs like a gym and a café.
A MODEL OF HEALTHY LIVING
The courtyard buildings that together form the complex are designed to promote a healthy-living model and the safe co-existence of a large community like that of students. All circulation corridors in the complex are single-loaded and semi-open. This allows all housing units to enjoy cross-ventilation and natural light while the circulation area, more than just a utilitarian need, becomes an extended balcony, an important amenity in the minimal context of student housing. The façade systems are designed to allow for the right amount of light to penetrate the buildings, while additional shading structures ensure a comfortable interior climate.
The housing units, either those of single or of double occupancy, are designed as minimal spaces in order to promote the usage of the shared amenities found at multiple levels of the complex and distributed throughout its length.
