Portfolio Antonios Nicolaou

Portfolio

Part II Architectural

Antonios Nicolaou

Assistant

Antonios Spyros Nicolaou

Part II Architectural Assistant

Email: antoniospyrosnicolaou@gmail.com

Tel: 07598094929

Education

MArch Architecture Part II

Cardiff University 2025

Design Thesis Unit De Re programming the Corporate office space.

Dissertation 1st : Loci of Leisure and Conflict, Dark Tourism, and the Reconstruction of Varosha’s Urban Identity

BArch (Hons.) Architecture Part I

University of Portsmouth 2022

First-Class Honours

Dissertation 1st : Crossing the Green Line (In what ways does the urban environment of Nicosia divide its people and how can praxis through architectural intervention reconcile this problem ).

DLAB Summer School

AA Visiting School London 2024

Explored generative design and large-scale fabrication, constructing a 1:1 structure at AA London. Using active bending, rattan canes, and membranes, the project created lightweight, adaptable, and sustainable structures with minimal material use.

BTEC Foundation Diploma in Art, Design Fresh Art College Pafos 2019

Distinction

Professional experience

Vardas Studio , Pafos, Cyprus

Part I Architectural Assistant (September 2023 - June 2024)

-Experience in RIBA stages 1-5

-Design Practice Assistant – Assisted in design work, client meetings, coordination with consultants, and collaboration with contractors.

-Responsible for project visualisation

NYE Saunders Chartered Architects , Godalming, Surrey

Part I Architectural Assistant (October 2022 - January 2023)

- Assisted in the design and the RIBA working stages of residential projects.

- Working drawings of Ecclesiastical and Heritage buildings.

- Attended client and contractor meetings and site visits.

RIBA mentor scheme (April 2022)

Participated in site Visits with ADAM architects.

-Talked with contractors .

-Witnessed prefabricated installation of floor slabs. -Familarised with plans and related them to construction.

Graphic designer Freelance (2020 - Current)

Designed Logos,Flyers and social media design

Architectural Intern (June 2018)

Mavronicolas Architects and Engineers

Observed client meetings , helped in design process.

Awards + Scholarships

Hays Prize for Best Critical Writing in BA3 Architecture Award for my undergraduate thesis.

BA3 Design Work – Exhibited in Wastes and Strays The Past, Present, and Future of English Urban Commons, a nationwide exhibition touring Newcastle, Bristol, Norwich, and Brighton as part of a 3-year AHRC-funded research project.

Cyprus Summer Youth Entrepreneurship Institute , USA Embassy

Awarded scholarship for a 2-week programme at the George Washington University, aiming to bring together Greek and Turkish Cypriot students and talk about diplomacy, enterprise and policy, in order to foster friendships and synergy between young Cypriots from both sides. (My experience in this programme helped to inform my undergraduate thesis).

ISOP Russian Association competition Awarded best design and concept for a painting using mixed media.

Skills

Rhinoceros 3D Vray, Grasshopper, Karamba 5 years of experience.

Revit

6 months of experience, qualified with a 30 hour course -part A by Auto desk.

Vector Works 6 months of Experience

Other Experience

Bartender at Tokyo Joes Nightclub

Adobe suite 5 years of experience.

Microsoft Office 365 9 years of experience ECDL qualified

Hand sketching Physical Modeling

3D printing, laser cutting, concrete casting modeling, experience in workshop using tools and machines to create hand crafted physical models.

Skilled in customer service, perfect pour techniques, and cocktail making.

Events Manager

Greek Cypriot Society University of Portsmouth Designed merchandise and all promotional material, Organised events at venues and helped with event coordination.

Hounounary Award

Hounounary Certificate of voluntary work for painting two murals at the St. George Home for the aged Pafos.

Cook at Pizza Hut

Set up and prepared cooking supplies and workstations, cooked pizzas Managing new staff, dealing with customer service and cleaning.

Arcadia fashion hub

Year 5 FInal Design Thesis

Arcadia rethinks urban retail by addressing the economic and environmental failures of globalised fast fashion. Set within the regenerated Curran Embankment masterplan, the project combines Vinted’s satellite HQ and authentication depot with Meanwhile Creative’s fashion studios, pop-ups, and public green spaces. The hybrid building operates as a closed-loop micro-economy: second-hand garments enter via a public-facing kilo-sale depot, are sorted, resold, or passed to local designers for upcycling and resale on-site or online. This supports local employment, reduces textile waste, and lowers carbon emissions. Cross subsidies from online sales and Vinted tenancy help fund low-cost residencies for local garment and textile makers.

The scheme reuses site-salvaged steel, cutting embodied carbon, and supports flexible longterm use through modular design. The project creates economic resilience by localising value chains, supporting small enterprise growth, and enabling platform-led distribution of independent fashion. It positions itself as a replicable model for post-industrial, circular high streets. This mixed-use, circular-economy strategy supports local employment, reduces textile waste, and strengthens Cardiff’s urban regeneration.

The Trapestry of Corporate programes

Arcadia represents a new hybrid corporate entity one that merges the digital efficiency of global platforms like Vinted, the flexible, localised creative enablement of Meanwhile Creative, and the ethical public interface of slow fashion retail.

By integrating logistics, manufacture, and consumption within a single site,

Arcadia closes the loop on fashion waste. The depot sorts unsold clothes from Vinted; some are redistributed digitally, some are reimagined physically. Local designers, housed in subsidised creative spaces, transform the unsellable into unique products sold through public-facing kilo sales or digital markets.

The diagrams above showcase detailed close-ups of the canopy’s key junctions. The diagrams below illustrate my optioneering process.

Three façade options vertical louvers, horizontal louvers, and perforated panels were modeled and tested. The perforated option was optimized using Ladybug and a custom computational script I created to determine perforation sizing based on solar radiation and solar hour analysis.

Year 3 FInal Design Thesis

Unlike most major UK cities, Brighton lacks a significant river running through its centre .However, deeper historical and geographical research revealed that the area now known as the Steine Gardens was once a swampy floodplain, through which the Wellsbourne River used to flow. Today, this space is surrounded by heavy traffic, but it once served as a natural commons at the heart of the city.

This discovery shaped the foundation of my masterplan for the module, which reimagines Brighton as a “New Venice” a city reclaiming its lost waterfront commons and reshaping them as public spaces focused on

slowness, wellness, and ecological care. The proposal aligns with Brighton’s long history as a “judiciously hedonistic” seaside retreat, known for its public baths and spas. This historical identity is contrasted and reconnected with contemporary movements focused on wellbeing, and local economic resilience proposing a slower, more sustainable urban future rooted in both place and memory.

3D terrain modelling simulating the Lost Wellsbourne river in Brighton

Brighton Exploded ( Traffic and movement within the Steine)

Hilsea Lines Kindergarten

Year 2 FInal Design Project

My year two design project is a kindergarten project situated in Hilsea, Portsmouth. Rainbow Garden is an inclusive nature preschool that prioritizes accessibility and eco-learning in its design. The section and elevations highlight its ramped design, seamlessly blending with its surroundings while providing flexible spaces that can adapt and evolve over time. In this

design i have particularly experimented with the twisting column geometries that creat these lightwell voids within the building. The lightwells not only allow for plenty of light to enter the building but also act as biodiversity enablers to the ecologically focused school.

Home In Armou Pafos , Cyprus

During my Part 1 year at Vardas Studio, I led the design of a complex hillside residence redevelopment. My responsibilities ranged from concept development, client consultations, and brief formation to site visits, feasibility studies, and preparation of a full planning application. The site’s steep topography and existing structure presented unique challenges, including the design of two extensions, major interior reconfiguration, and a new structural system. I also developed hard and soft landscaping proposals, including an infinity pool that integrates seamlessly with the terrain.

Lastly involved in Stage 4 technical design, where I contributed to the preparation of detailed construction drawings and coordinated structural and MEP information. This experience strengthened my understanding of buildability, material specifications, and interdisciplinary collaboration.

laurapapastylianou@gmail.com

Punta House in Voronet , Romania

Part 1 Workexperience / Competition

Punta is a project have been leading at Vardastudio. It is part of a larger scheme by Share Architects, a society dedicated to connecting architecture practices across Europe. The 120-square-meter dwelling will be situated on a retreat hillside in Voroneț, Romania, alongside 13 other dwellings designed by various architectural practices from across Europe.

P5 Advanced Computational Design

Advanced Computational Design DLAB, Architectural Association

The concept we developed during the 2024 DLAB Visiting School at the Architectural Association was a collaborative effort with my talented colleagues, under the guidance of Dr. Milad Showkatbakhsh, Dr. Elif Erdine, Alex Krolak, and Angel Moreira. Our exploration of generative design, material computation, and largescale fabrication led to innovative solutions utilizing rattan canes and hybrid materials in tensile structures.

The course was divided into three segments: first, individual experimentation with computational techniques; then, the development of two concepts that informed the global geometry; and finally, experimentation with fabrication techniques using KUKA robotics and CNC milling machines. Witnessing our initial work evolve further with the EmTech students at the AA, in partnership with the world-renowned design firm Populous, has been truly inspiring.