Re-Sustain magazine, issue 1, December 2019, University of Nicosia

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CONTENTS 4

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Plants As A Design Tool In Architecture Interior

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The High - Rise As A Response To Tomorrow’s Growing Urban Population

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An Interview With The Architect Yiorgos Hadjichristou

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‘Mas Con Lo Mismo: Alejandro Aravena’s Architecture Of Scarcity’

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Sustainable Architecture And Local Construction Tradition: Hassan Fathy’s Way

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The Resurgence And Evolution Of Rammed Earth Technology In Sustainable Design

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Cycladic Architecture And Sustainable Development

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Climate-control Typologies In Cypriot Vernacular Architecture

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Activist As Architect

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Implementation Of Greenery In Public And Community Spaces: What are the benefits?

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A Square In Doubt?

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References

Go Green: The Use of Vegetation In The Works Of Jean Nouvel and Stefano Boer

GO GREEN

‘Tower 25, Jean Nouvel’

the use of vegetation / nature in the works of Jean Nouvel and Stefano Boeri

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By Francesca Pastore Urbanization poses new challenges to the society: the relation with nature has an important role in making the cities more liveable. It is possible to enjoy the benefits of both the city and nature if we find effective ways to incorporate greenery into the highdensity high rise cities of the future.

One such example of effective use of nature in an urban environment is the “Vertical Forest”, which acts as a new type of high-rise that emerges in urban environments. This article explores whether this type of building can provide solutions to the loss of urban landscape, the relation of residents with natural environment, the regulation of microclimate and of pollution

The Vertical Forest The Vertical Forest is a complex of two residential tower buildings designed by Boeri Studio located in the Milan office district.

The project, inaugurated in 2014, includes two thousand tree species, distributed on the facades. The concept was to reforest the city, without having to occupy urban ground, given the increasing density of Milan; therefore, it was decided to develop the green vertically, increasing the plant biodiversity of the capital and also contributing to the mitigation of the microclimate, and to a better air.

According to Stefano Boeri, the building was inspired by Italo Calvino's 1957 novel The Baron in the Trees, in which the protagonist decides to abandon the ground and live on the trees for the rest of his life.

The project was named Bosco Verticale, or in English "Vertical Forest", because each tower houses 900 trees, 5,000 shrubs and 11,000 perennial plants, which help mitigate smog and produce oxygen. .

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The plant-based shield filters the sun and creates a welcoming internal microclimate without harmful effects on the environment.

At the same time, the green curtain "regulates" humidity, produces oxygen and absorbs CO2 and micro particles.

With the vertical forest the architect wanted to define a new language of urban architecture based on the natural context and reconstitute its lost relation with the urban residents.

On a formal level, the towers are mainly characterized by large, staggered and overhanging balconies, designed to accommodate large external vegetation, even over three floors of the building It is the answer to a contemporary desire? to live in a natural ecosystem without sacrificing city comfort, centrality and security. The towers combine the benefits of a high-rise building with the benefits of natural context: it offers environmental sustainability, provides the highest standards of comfort, and also offers to those who live breathtaking views and become a landmark in the skyline of the entire city. The greenery surrounding the terraces creates a feeling of intimacy and creates an evocative hanging garden landscape. The balance between architectural structure and technological systems guarantees optimal performance, guaranteed temperature, producing oxygen and absorbing of atmospheric pollution.

The variations in colour and shapes of the plants produces an iridescent landmark in every season and it is highly recognizable even at a distance. This characteristic has resulted in the image of the Vertical Forest becoming a new symbol for Milan.

It is the first biological and sustainable tower that has become a new architectural format, later replicated throughout the world.

‘Bosco Verticale’, Stefano Boeri

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1 ‘Tower 25, Jean Nouvel’

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A new Typology

Beyond a single building the “vertical forest” has become a new type of urban architecture with recent applications worldwide: in Lausanne, Nanjing, Utrecht, Paris, Liuzhou and also in Nicosia, Cyprus.

In Nicosia, there is a project by the French architect Jean Nouvel, which resembles in some parts to the Boeri project.

Situated in the heart of Nicosia, next to Eleftheria Square, it gives a new design to the old city; in fact, the close venetian walls hug the white and modern skyline, that become a landmark for the city because it is visible also from long distance.

The building is considered environmental friendly for the use of vegetation that cover the south facade.

Vegetation occupies most part of the balcony in each floor. The varying widths and depths of balconies on each floor creates a natural image as well as the illusion that the building is not static but actually 'breathing'.

Apart of the aesthetic value of the nature in this work, there are also many advantages of this choice: the plants provide a natural filter, which acts as a “brise soleil” screening the radiation from the sun, and the wind; they also give a considerable amount of soundproofing for the apartments and the offices; they extend the living space outside to enjoy the Mediterranean climate and vegetation. This vertical garden provides a pleasant atmosphere inside the building, something much needed when living in the centre of a city.

The east and west façade consists of a series of random pixelated small square windows that pierce the massive concrete walls and serve as openings for

natural ventilation during hot days. At night they light up creating a memorable effect to the passenger.

On the top two floors of the tower are occupied by a duplex apartment with a central court yard and shades that protect from the sun and leave the space open like a terrace. The project has become the last years an icon of the city.

Historical use of vegetation

Green sustainable and environmentally-friendly architecture is not simply a beneficial for the environment. It is mainly place-sensitive; in a globalizing world it leads to location-specific architecture by responding to local climatic conditions and by using local materials. It also offers better architectural quality with more natural and fewer artificial inputs. It provides economic as well as aesthetically interesting solutions.

Urban rural

With the increasing of urban population, the importance of the presence of urban green buildings also increases. The importance and power of urban green buildings based on their potentials to provide sustainable microclimatic environments within urban fabric. Additionally, in an urban scale the issues of conservation of fossil fuel and energy resources, and the need for more environmentally friendly energy sources are magnified.

‘Tower 25, Jean Nouvel’

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Green or Not?

The use of green in a facade of a tall building is an innovative idea, which goes beyond the typical high rise example. The facade covered by vegetation becomes a live part of the building and in continuous transformation with the changing of the seasons.

Beyond their immediate and obvious impact, these buildings also ask a series of questions: is it possible to make a building sustainable with a low budget?

The main problem of these buildings, in particular the Vertical Forest, which contains more vegetation than Tower 25 (about 800 trees, 2500 shrubs and 1500 ornamental plants), concerns the weight of the vegetation on the structure, increasing the cost of construction and maintenance; moreover, there are also costs for irrigation, which is automatically transferred to the residents. It is proved that this kind of buildings cost more than typical ones and are probably directed to a limited range of users.

The energy impact may be reduced, but costs of insulation, water-proofing and maintenance in general may be increased.

Despite their positive aspects it appears that there are just as many negative aspects, which create the doubt whether these luxurious works are more

architectural follies than actual masterpieces. Even from an ethical point of view, is it right to remove the agricultural green that could be used as public green, to make it privately owned by the rich?

Regardless its negative aspects, this new type of urban architecture which is still in an experimental stage can acts as an incubator of nature in urban environments that are in scarcity of natural landscape. It can also offer a natural alternative to technical solutions using nature.

__________________ Bibliography

Tower 25, Wikipedia Bosco Verticale, Wikipeia The Greening of Architecture: A Critical History and Survey of Contemporary Sustainable Architecture and Urban Design. Dr A Senem Deviren, Dr Phillip James Tabb

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GO GREEN

Plants as a design tool in Architecture Interiors

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By George Kyriakides SiSii Showroom and Office by Yuko Nagayama & Associates Photo by Daici Ano

Due to the environmental awareness movements of the 1960’s and 1970’s, architects started to consider the effects architecture has on nature and our way of building. This led to the spark of Green Architecture movements during the 1980’s, whose purpose was to promote design as a way of improvement not only of the performance of buildings but also of the quality of life. Each new decade since then brought forth new technologies and techniques as well as awareness to the growing problem of pollution. This often is achieved by using sustainable techniques and passive energy methods, however there are instances where the Greening of Architecture is taken quite literally and architects design buildings which incorporate actual plants and vegetation. As aesthetically pleasing the vegetation can be, it serves a bigger part in the performance of a building. For instance, vegetation can act as a shading device and even as a thermal envelope as well as improving the air quality. It is scientifically proven that the interior air quality

of a building is very important. Symptoms such as headache, eye, nose, and throat irritation, fatigue, dizziness and nausea can be a result of a “Sick Building Syndrome” (SBS). This often occurs when a building has bad air quality and inadequate ventilation due to pollution from indoor or outdoor sources. Cases of SBS were common during the late 1970’s when the syndrome was highlighted by the scientific community and was declared an important health hazard. While in 1986, the WHO estimated that 10-30% of newly built office buildings in the West had indoor air problems1.

As a response to the concerns about the quality of air, in 1989 NASA led a research on clean air, which resulted in the scientific confirmation that certain common indoor plants and soil micro-organisms not only improve the air quality and provide more oxygen, but may also provide a natural way of removing toxic agents from

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the air as well as high concentrations of indoor air pollutants such as cigarette smoke and organic solvents. In addition, plant roots and their associated microorganisms can destroy pathogenic viruses, bacteria, as well as organic chemicals and convert them into new plant tissue2. Some of these plants include plants that are commonly found in most households all over the world such as the English Ivy, Aloe Vera, Bamboo palm and Chrysanthemum. Other than the benefit of air quality, plants can also be used as shading devices to control how much sunlight enters the building.

Plants also have the ability to absorb and deflect sound, as well as regulate humidity and temperature in a room. A research article published in 20053, “An Environmental Approach to Positive Emotion: Flowers”, suggests that flowers can affect a person’s mood, influence their socio-emotional functions and even change their social behaviour and episodic memory.

Since antiquity, people have been using small plants and flowers to decorate their homes, the form of small gardens or even on the building facades. Gardens have always been part of the domestic space and planted courtyards provided people with ventilation, shade, oxygen and products, as well as a place to rest. Nevertheless, gardens and courtyards, have always been part of the building’s exterior or “outside” space. What about the inside of a building? Why should gardens be restricted to an outdoor environment? Could the use of plants inside change the lifestyle in the interior of buildings?

Taitung Ruin Academy by Marco Casagrande Photo by AdDa Zei

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Architects Yuko Nagayama & Associates have worked on these questions in actual projects. In 2011 they created an office space (SiSii) 5 in Kobe, Japan, which incorporates trees and vegetation inside the working environment, while using an elevated level as walking space and office tables. The result of this design idea was not only the improvement of the aesthetic and air quality of the workspace but also the creation of a new user experience for the building, in which people interact in a different manner than a regular office space.

One more example where plants are used in an interior space is the Taitung Ruin Academy in Taitung County, Taiwan by the Finnish Architect Marco Casagrande7 in 2014. The core of the factory is now covered with plants and auditoriums around the evaporator tanks. The roof has been is removed in selected areas where the plants grow to allow rain to enter the building, while wood and earth cover all the floors so that you can walk inside barefoot. The Architect has essentially created a jungle inside an abandoned factory which offers a biological connection between humans and nature which is the main aim of the Ruin Academy, to transform the organic knowledge into design methodologies and bring people closer to nature, as well as the ecological restoration of existing cities.

The aforementioned design ideas are a great representation of how an interior space can be improved and experienced in a contemporary and healthy way. The idea of using plants as an element of

the interior of spaces are not and should not be limited only to small projects such as that of Nagayama & Associates. As seen from the project in Taitung, larger scale projects are feasible. However, the integration of plants in interior spaces should also be extend to projects that involve more extended common spaces and even public buildings. Plans for future skyscrapers and largescale future vertical cities is the perfect chance to adapt plants into our daily lives, to create healthy interior spaces with new experiences through organic designs.

__________________________ 1https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sick_building_syndrome#History 2https://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=19930073077 3https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/147470490500300

109#_i39

4http://www.yukonagayama.co.jp/en/ 5http://www.yukonagayama.co.jp/jp/works/architecture/detail_27

.html

6https://www.archdaily.com/552367/taitung-ruin-academy-marco-

casagrande

7https://architizer.com/users/marco-casagran

de/

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Jewel Changi Airport by Safdie Architects Photo courtesy of Jewel Changi Airport

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The High-rise As A Response To Tomorrow’s

GROWING URBAN POPULATION

By Yvonne Asiimwe For every one minute that passes, 150 babies are born and for every three people, two live in a dense urban environment. The exponentially growing population will expect an increase in food production -twice as much to be preciseby the year 2050. With 55% residing in urban areas and an expected increase to 68% by 2050[1]the human race’s survival will have to depend on their urban environment, nature and infrastructure in order to survive. But, how will the architecture and urban fabric itself respond to an exponentially growing population with more than 9.7 billion mouths to feed?

The beginnings of the highrise: A 20th century technological revolution

Vertical expansion could be an answer.

Typologies such as the high-rise could serve as a field to incorporate new technologies that can be used a means to take advantage of renewable resources. The High-rise became common in late 19th and early 20th century due to technological advance in steel structure and technological innovations, such as the elevator.

Technology transfer in architecture is not uncommon, particularly in the 20th century with advancements in steel, iron and especially the elevator. Developments in this area facilitated the high-rise which eventually became iconic in New York and Chicago during the American technological revolution (fig. 1).

The initial attempts were driven by the exuberant profits made during the 20th century which fuelled ambitions to touch the sky as High-rise buildings increased in height in order to accommodate a growing number of workers and residents moving into urban areas during America’s economic boom. [i] High-rises today –however- have become a financial burden on the increasing number of

people who are relocating to urban areas.

According to Daniel Denvir, it is becoming apparent that “housing construction is failing to keep up with growing populations in the most desirable cities, pushing rents upward.” [1] They have also been identified as a significant contributor towards carbon emissions especially during the construction phase. The lifetimes of these buildings – in comparison to low-rise structures- has been considerably detrimental to the environment. “Researchers at UCL's Energy Institute have found that electricity use, per square metre of floor area, is nearly two and a half times greater in high-rise office buildings of 20 or more storeys than in low-rise buildings of 6 storeys or less.”[2] Therefore, taking into account the contradictory nature of the high-rise, the initial question would require rephrasing; How can architecture and urban environment respond to the growing population? Is the high-rise building a typology that can still answer this question?

Figure 1: Chicago’s Home Insurance building (1884) by William Le Baron Jenney. Image courtesy of Wikipedia

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The high-rise typology can be sustainable.

Using locally sourced materials and construction methods is one way to achieve sustainability. Using what’s available often eliminates the need to import and export thus cutting down on energy expenditures which would reduce carbon emissions.

Another method would be to exploit renewable resources and incorporate them into high-rise buildings in order to minimize the detrimental effects these typologies have on non-renewable energy sources. It cannot be overly emphasised how beneficial renewable energies have become when it comes to architecture. Many high-rises are often faced with high energy costs during the lifetime of the building. Designing in such a manner that considers aspects such as orientation, solar harvesting and wind directions could allow one capture the energy from renewable sources and cut down on the energy harvested from nonrenewable energies. The BIQ house( fig.2) in Hamburg Germany –for example- illustrates the potentials of experimenting with renewable energies on a high-rise. The facades take advantage of solar energy, algae and existing fuels such as biogas to meet the infrastructural needs of its users

such as hot water supply.

Could Vertical Urban Farming be a possible answer?

Agricultural urbanism outside cities Using local materials and renewable energies – however-does not entirely respond to the dilemma at hand. Contemporary architecture should always be able to meet the demands of a growing population which would mean understanding their agricultural needs within an urban setting. There are several examples of architectural interventions that incorporate agriculture effectively that have been applied recently. They often highlight systems which integrate sustainable production and farming into communities in a way that allows one to build around the production and processing of food. This could prove that agriculture can be merged within a metropolitan area while addressing issues such as affordable, healthy and locally grown products.

Many of these experiments however were implemented on the outskirts of cities. The south-lands project (fig.3) for example (in British Colombia) showed potentials by integrating agricultural practices within the already built communities and effectively included small farms, shared gardens, markets and processing centres. The promise shown by these projects like many other similar projects, however, appeared to only work if implemented along the countryside.

Fiure 3: southlands project in British Columbia. Image from https://www.dpz.com/projects/0720

The Sustainable High-rise, From Construction To Use

The ideas brought forward by Stefano Boeri have proven to tackle both issues of sustainability by contributing towards the fight against C02 emissions while incorporating greenery and agriculture within a vertical structure (as shown in fig.4). His ideas suggest the potential that may see farming and living merging together well in order to address the future demands of an exponentially growing population where 2/3 people will be likely to live within urban settings.

Figure 4: The vertical forest by Stefano Boeri. Image: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/334408677_Mitigation_Strategie s_for_Reduction_of_Embodied_Energy_and_Carbon_in_the_Construction_S ystems_of_Contemporary_Quality_Architecture#pf4 Figure 5: Design strategies in sunqiao Urban village: http://www.sasaki.com/project/417/sunqiaourban-agricultural-district/

The vertical forest The vertical forest by Stefano Boeri is perhaps amongst the most significant implementations of greenery within a city.

It merges both the high-rise with agriculture in an already established urban fabric. This idea is a promising prototype for a new building typology within growing cities. It not only focuses on the human aspect of the architecture but harmonizes other living species with the residents while advertently supporting biodiversity. A few years after the construction of the two towers in Purta Nuova in Milan “the Vertical Forest has given birth to a habitat colonized by numerous animal species (including about 1,600 specimens of birds and butterflies), establishing an outpost of spontaneous flora and fauna recolonization in the city.�

Figure 6: Design strategies in sunqiao Urban village: http://www.sasaki.com/project/417/sunqiao-urbanagricultural-district/

Examples of Vertical Agricultural Urbanism today.

Figure 2: BIQ house in hamburg germany. Image: https://www.buildup.eu/en/practices/cases/biq-housefirst-algae-powered-building-world

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The Sunqiao Urban development projects Another proposal not yet implemented that tackles urban farming within cities is the Sunqiao Urban development project idealized within Shanghai, china. The project addresses the large population within the area and its limitations when it comes to farmland and agriculture. It uses sustainable techniques together with new technologies. Some of these include aquaponic systems, rain water collection and solar harvesting methods in order to satisfy the energy demands of the building (fig. 5 and 6). The project focuses on merging vertical farming systems such as hydroponics within an urban environment.

Their proposal prioritizes growing popular vegetables consumed by the majority such as lettuce which make up a large portion of the area’s diet.

Although the specific project has not been implemented it suggests the possibility of high-rise buildings successfully merging farming strategies, sustainable approaches and living within an already established city.

[1]UN report,2018) [1](Denvir, 2015).

[2](Philip Steadman, 2017) [4] (https://www.stefanoboeriarchitetti. net/en/project/vertical-forest/ ,2019)

The High-rise: A Potentially Effective Response To The Exponentially Growing Population.

The Sunqiao Urban development project and Boeri’s vertical forest have shown the potential that lies in farming within a highrise. The latter has been implemented while the other theoretically drafts methods to merge farming with existing urban environments using highly sustainable methods. The high-rise can be a promising solution to the problem of urban overpopulation that will persist. However, it can only be effective when viewed holistically from construction to use. That means, taking advantage of sustainable techniques used in design and technological advancements in order to tackle a rapidly growing urban population could in fact be an answer to the dilemma presented.

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AN INTERVIEW

With the architect Yiorgos Hadjichristou

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By Vasilis Panayides This is an interview from the architect Yiorgos Hadjichristou. I chose to do this interview with Mr Hadjichristou because I find his work very inspiring. He focuses on the sustainability, so I find it very helpful for my work to talk with him.

Yiorgos Hadjichristou architects focus on sustainable designs because they want their buildings to be environmentally friendly.

He uses reusable and recycling materials as much as possible and he uses a bioclimatic approach.

Background

Yiorgos Hadjichristou studied architecture in the Soviet Union. Studying architecture was difficult and there were times that he considered to quit. There were however other experiences apart from his studies to help him develop into the architect he is today. He believes his travels that allow him to come in contact with other countries and cultures as well as his participation in many short courses the most important part of his

education. During all the experiences he gained, he manages to establish his interest in local cultures and their importance in architectural design.

Projects

One of Mr Hadjichristou’s favorite projects is his house. It is a renovating project that represents the extension of a traditional house which is based on the main strategies of bioclimatic approach.

The project specifically focuses on conditions that were developed through traditions such as the spaces that enjoy south orientation with various ways of shading and ensure cross air ventilation.

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Another valuable project is the ‘Smalto’ building which also received the National award for outstanding architecture.

Smalto is a dental Clinique that has a very position in the city. The plots of the avenue block the city from the greenery as they usually accommodate expensive how rooms on the ground. The building is raised up freeing the ground floor, so the city is reconnected with the green urban recreational area. The ascending is proposed as sets of stairs and platforms that offer a continuation of the park thematic into the belly of the building. The vertical circulation is interwoven with the spaces facilitating social informal interactions, and thus triggering vivid momentums of diverse interior and exterior contacts.

A final interesting project is the extension of one bedroom in Dala, Paphos for 1.5m only and ‘I like it because, as the clients admitted, it changed their life since it is open to nature, it was a Leptos development. I find that an outstanding project.’

The relation with clients

From his experience, it is difficult to know whether or not the clients are satisfied with the work. Of course, satisfying the client is important but every architect has to keep his own standards, as Mr

Hadjichristou supports. Usually there is a conflict whether or not the client is satisfied, or they find defects in the architecture. As an architect =, Mr Hadjichristou likes to have a good relationship with the clients. If there is no communication and things do not work, he quits the job. There were jobs, especially the big ones, that he quits.

Social aspects

The bioclimatic approach is the beginning of every project. Yiorgos Hadjichristou likes to start with the orientation, insulation, topography. That is why his house is chosen from Europe in terms of bioclimatic architecture. It is important to keep the most essential parameters from the beginning, for example orientation to the South with shading devices, cross-ventilation, thermal insulation. With social sustainability you have to generate an environment where people are inspired.

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The use of materials

The materials he is using are used commonly, but he would love to use other materials as well, such as adobe, or more experimental materials.

But at the moment he uses concrete, which he started thinking about the impact it has on the environment, as well as bricks, dry walls, gypsum-boards, steal.

SUSTAINABLE DESINGS: THEN VS NOW As Yiorgos Hadjichristou supports, it is good the EU enforced all those regulations that comply about strategies and sustainability about energy.

In the past people did it anyway because people didn’t want to feel cold in the winter or hot in the summer. He feels that the modernization left these parameters a little bit on the site and now it’s time to revisit them in a more creative way but most importantly they are very urgent because we cannot survive without them.

Regarding Mr Hadjichristou’s designs, he manages to integrate the strategy of sustainable designs by attending seminars as well as individual research, since as soon as he finished with his degree he didn’t know much about

sustainability. Of course, all the experience and knowledge that he gained through the years helped him to improve the sustainability.

Now, Mr Hadjichristou’s practice facilitates between architecture practice, his activistic work and with academy. He supports that everywhere the social environmental sustainability is what is driving any action taken by me.

Conclusion

Yiorgos understands sustainability as an equilibrium between adaption to the place, the climate, as well as the needs of the users. He understands sustainable architecture as a practice to cover social needs but also an activist way to address social problems. My opinion about sustainable design

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https://www.archdaily.com/10775/quinta-monroy-elemental

‘MAS CON LO MISMO: Alejandro Aravena’s architecture of scarcity ’

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By Dimitra Houvarta

The concern for a sustainable future lead to a complicated and difficult road. Design however can be a powerful tool towards that road. Design does not just consist of the manipulation of materials, but also of how the built environment, the products and the services are used and mainly how people will manage to live together meaningfully. Design should not be reduced to a mere technical solution but should be the comprehensive approach to improve people’s quality of life.

Is there today any example of architecture practice that is built upon these concerns?

A certain amount of people in many contemporary cities lives below the poverty line, while many live-in unhealthy conditions or even worst are homeless. The need for affordable and quality social housing now is urgent and will be even more in the future.

Innovative design of the future cities will be crucial for a sustainable housing of the increasing population in cities. That was the challenge which the Chilean Architect Alejandro Aravena, had to take upon with his studio Elemental. Aravena’s starting point for architectural design is “that the right design sustainability is nothing but the rigorous use of common sense. The results are often simple solution to the complex challenges”.1 With this Alejandro Aravena highlighted that sustainable design could simply mean to include the needs of citizens in the design and created synergies between the people, the government and other involved stakeholders in order to satisfy these needs in the simplest way possible. Having this philosophy in mind all three dimensions of sustainability are balanced in a participatory process: socially, environmentally and economical.

‘’The Role Of The Architect Is Being Challenged To Serve Greater Social And Humanitarian Needs” 2

Aravena highlights the ethical purpose of architecture when he argues that “Architecture serves progress”3 however he also argues that this progress should be in benefit of the local communities. This is something he pursues in the different projects of his practice located mainly in Chile. For Aravena architectural design should focus on the neighbourhood as the expression of the community in the city space. As he argues: “designing and building better neighbourhood is crucial if we want development to break the vicious circle of inequality”4. This priority informs the principles that Elemental Studio sets in the beginning of a project. Elemental team thinks, designs and builds better neighbourhoods, housing and the necessary urban infrastructure to promote social development and overcome the circle of poverty and inequality of the cities. By providing quality Aravena argues that “we understand projects whose design guarantees incremental value and returns on investment overtime, in order to stop considering it a more social expense”.5 In this spirit, Elemental contributes to improve the quality of Chilean cities, providing state of the art architecture and engineering,

understanding the city as an unlimited resource to build social equity.

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‘MAS CON LO MISMO-DOING MORE WITH THE SAME’

For Aravena an important factor of each project is the available budget and the price of land. He argues that architects should find solutions among problems such as a low budget for ordinary public housing, and a high price for land. This is possible, he argues, with inventive and creative thinking.

This creative thinking was conceived and tested by Elemental studio in 2004, when the team was asked to accommodate 100 families, that had been living illegally to a shantytown in the city centre of Iquique in Chile. The only fund they had was $10.000 subsidy with which they had to buy the land, to provide infrastructure and build the houses. Moreover, because the land was in the city centre it was three times more expensive and according to that the only solution, they had was to extend the houses in height in the limited land which they had available. The idea developed by Elemental team was an open housing typology using semi-built houses that are going to be finished by the inhabitants themselves. As Aravena stated, “Building half a good house instead of a small one”6 this is direct result of his famous ‘mas con lo mismo’ motto – ‘doing more with the same’. In this case by using the same budget the ‘Do Tank’ team managed to offer what family could not do correctly by itself: the kitchen,

the bathroom, the partitioning walls and the insulation. This strategic solution has an ecological content and it proves that Architecture can become sustainable by itself when using the project as an open process of transformation.

Upon completing this project Elemental used the same mentality of ‘mas con lo mismo’ with the use of materials. He focused on cheap but durable materials such as concrete and brick that were provided locally in order to provide the ‘half house’ to the residents who, in their turn had to develop the other half with materials that could find by themselves and are easy to use. The residents responded positively and one year after they filled in the empty spaces with diverse and imaginary solutions that responded to the needs of each family. This kind of comprehensive design is a persuading expression regarding the impact of social change and of the capability of reversibility of the structure imagined by Elemental. The framework which is solid and distinct was accompanied by a process that developed a neighbourhood and stimulated development, and this framework will continue to grow.

https://de.phaidon.com/agenda/architecture/articles/201 6/january/14/why-2016s-pritzker-winner-makes-halfbuilt-houses/

https://www.pinterest.es/pin/521995413060032014/?lp=true

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Concluding, one can observe that with the model that Aravena proposes social housing becomes an investment rather than a social expense. The inhabitants of Quinta Monroy benefited from this investment and as the years passed, they had the ability to build additions, to customise the design of the house, to increase the value of it or the ability build quickly, without reducing the quality.

With this process that Aravena proposes sustainable thinking is enriched and can be understood as an inclusive process that combines the sustainable development of a local community, the sustainable use of structures and materials without however overlooking the economic development of the city and the need to have a big impact in space with a low budget. Overall, this highlights that better design outcomes are

possible when an incremental approach is planned from the outset of development, and as Professor Pablo Allard stated: “His holistic and participatory approach in now being followed by other cities�.7 _________________________________ 1.

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6.

7.

https://www.archdaily.com/869994/alejandro-aravena-wins-2017gothenburg-prize-for-sustainable-development https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2016/apr/10/architectalejandro-aravena-pritzker-prize-elemental-housing-iquiqueconstitucion-tsunami-defences https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2016/apr/10/architectalejandro-aravena-pritzker-prize-elemental-housing-iquiqueconstitucion-tsunami-defences Reader Book ( page. 114, paragraph.2) https://www.ted.com/talks/alejandro_aravena_my_architectural_philos ophy_bring_the_community_into_the_process/transcript https://www.buildinggreen.com/newsbrief/sustainable-developmentthrough-open-source-participatory-design https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2016/apr/10/architectalejandro-aravena-pritzker-prize-elemental-housing-iquiqueconstitucion-tsunami-defences

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By Ahmed ElDakroury At the beginning of Hassan Fathy’s architectural career, many people doubted him and did not believed in his ideas about sustainability while others supported him, which slowly render him an established architect and an important representative of what we today call ‘sustainable architecture’.

This article aims at presenting the sustainable aspect of Fathy’s architecture and the relation to local cultures and traditional building techniques.

Sustainable Architecture And Local Construction Tradition:

HASSAN FATHY’S WAY

Hasan Fathy- the right Livelihood award https://www.rightlivelihoodaward.org/lau reates/hassan-fathy/

Hassan Fathy was an Egyptian architect born in March 23, 1900 and died in November 30, 1989. He is well recognized architect among the Arab architects especial for the dome structure and the hand-smoothed walls covered in adobe. His work was mostly noted for using adobe and traditional material. The use of natural material was inspired by the traditional architecture in Egypt. Hassan Fathy in his work insisted in revisiting traditional ways of building because he believed that the ancient ways of building for each country,

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could be the most fitting to use in a region because they were ways that were used and tested in practice during many centuries. His idea was that we, as architects, have to think as traditional local craftsmen, use traditional ways of building and relate it with the newly thought and brought up technology. Accordingly, he argued that: “once a particular tradition is established the architects is to keep this tradition going with his own invention and in science to give it that additional momentum that is save it from coming to a standstill”1. This vision is what distinguished Fathy’s architecture; sustainable architecture created along lines that work with the surrounding, using local resources and catering to the needs of its inhabitants.

By the late 1930s, Fathy’s work was showing awareness of local architectural details that allowed and helped in maximizing the amount of natural light and ventilation inside the house. He gained the knowledge all by studying and understanding how traditional ancient Egyptian

architecture worked with its environment.

Moreover, Fathy believed deeply that architecture should respond to the needs of the inhabitants, and by needs he meant both the physical needs as well as the psychological ones. He argued that: “in nature, no two men are alike … they will differ in their dreams. The architecture of the house emerges from the dream; therefore, in villages built by their inhabitants we will find no two houses identical”2. – Hassan Fathy, architecture for the poor.

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Hassan Fathy wrote this in his book ‘Gourna: a tale of two villages’ which was republished in the west as ‘Architecture for the Poor’. He wrote this book after he designed and built the new village of Gourna where he designed every single house according to the needs of each one of the inhabitants that were assigned to move to the “new village”. Gourna is a housing project located in Luxor on the West Bank of the Nile River, it was built between the period of 1945 and 1948, it was designed to house 174 persons. The project typology is using arches because it was typical in traditional Egyptian architecture and Hassan Fathy wanted to maintain that identity, and to reinforce that idea, Hassan Fathy used adobe bricks because it is the traditional material and also for its thermal characteristics.

The project was considered a failure at first because the people didn’t want to move into the new houses but fifteen years later, and after the inhabitants settled in and started their new life, it was considered to be one of the most successful projects. Hassan Fathy designed it to gain the most advantage of its surrounding, by using natural ventilation and lighting. In summer, the houses

stay cool and comfortable although Egypt climate is hot in summer. And in winter, the houses are warm and cozy, this was all achieved by using the right material and by allowing the sun light to heat up spaces and then store the energy in materials with thermal mass, such as adobe walls, to be then distributed when needed, naturally. Hassan Fathy lived in one of the houses for 15 years in that village, and currently, there are people living there and not willing to move out although the government has introduced offers of “better living houses”. People claim to be emotionally attached to the place and they do not want to leave it because it already satisfies their needs and gives them the comfort level they desire. And for some other inhabitant, they claim they have helped in building the houses which grew them to be attached to it. In a way, we can see how the inhabitant can grow connection to the living space all just by integrating something of identity in it.

This attachment proves that Fathy’s concern for relating spaces with specific needs was eventually successful.

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Fathy can be considered as an architect that was thinking ahead of his age and era. He managed to achieve such a level of design by understanding how architecture was built and designed in the past, and understanding the traditional material that was used, when it was use, how it was used and why it was used. Hassan Fathy believed that the best way to design and build something is by starting to look at what is underneath your leg which motivates the concept of using as found natural material which motivates the sustainable movement. Which relates to the reason of why Hassan Fathy use adobe a lot in his designs, adobe is the natural material in Egypt, that gives tradition character, but also for its technical qualities; it is a thermal mass material that can preserve a steady temperature providing comfort, and for its economical qualities; it is a cheap material because it is the local material, and also can be easily built by local technicians which saves time, thus price.

To conclude we can say that Hassan Fathy’s work can indeed be considered a precious offer to sustainable thinking. His aspect of sustainable thinking was inspired by the traditional way of building that was experienced and implemented in the ancient time. He also emphasizes on the use of natural material believing that the natural material ‘grows’ like a natural element in a region based on its need and adapting to its climate and conditions, thus, it is best to use natural material to achieve a highly efficient and sustainable design/project. ______________ Fathy, H. (n.d.). Architecture for the poor. 1st ed. p.62.

Fathy, h. (2017). Hassan Fathy: Egypt's architect of the poor. [online] Aljazeera.com. Available at: https://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/2017/03/hassan-fathygoogle-inspired-works-170323084504344.html [Accessed 15 Jan. 2020].

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By Sande Masidza

Rammed Earth: An ancient method of Construction with temporary interest.

Fig. 1. Mansion.M (2017) Fig. 2. Mansion.M (2017)

Rammed earth construction is the process of compressing a sand mixture into a hard material. It is often confused with the more widespread method of adobe construction.

Although they are both methods of construction based on the mix of types of soil with waterproofing additions, there are also some differences. One difference is that adobe requires dry weather to cure the bricks for wall construction, whereas rammed earth is able to be produced also in wet weather. This makes rammed earth a climate adaptive method, and the development of rammed earth in rainy climates led to a construction method similar to constructing a sand castle using formwork. A mixture of soil and cement is compacted into

forms, and later, when the forms are removed, the solid earth walls remain. "A material usually consisting of clay, sand, or other aggregate (such as sea shells) and water, which has been compressed and dried; used in building construction.� (Hill, 1975)

The Resurgence And Evolution Of

RAMMED EARTH TECHNOLOGY In Sustainable Design

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Properties that make it a sustainable construction method Rammed earth is seen as more sustainable and environmentally friendly than other construction techniques due to the reduction in use of cement and other harmful chemicals. Given that rammedearth use locally materials, they have low total

Fig. 5. Mansion.M (2017)

Technical Characteristics Of A Sustainable Method Of Construction.

Fig. 4. Mansion.M (2017)

Use of rammed earth has been observed as far back as the Yangshao cultures in china, around 5000 BCE. By 2000 BCE, rammed-earth techniques were used for walls and foundations al around china. In the early 1800s, rammed earth was introduced to the United States of America through the book Rural Economy by S. W. Johnson.

energy used in the production and create minimal waste. Subsoil is used in the production, conserve the topsoil for agriculture. (Easton, 2012) Removable and reusable formwork, reduces the amount of lumber used.

Rammed earths manufacturing impact is dependant on the levels of cement used as an additive and the amount of soil that is locally sourced, as large buildings required quarried aggregates to increase load bearing capabilities.

Fig. 3. Mansion.M (2017)

The resurgence of rammed earth today is due to the need for sustainable materials and methods of construction. The many practical benefits of rammed led to the renewed interest by architects.

One of the most important being its considerable thermal mass. “The walls work basically like a battery, storing thermal energy as the temperature rises and keeping it from being transferred into the interior of the building during the heat of the day�

(Craven, 2018). This maintains the cool interior during the day. Then when night approaches and outside temperature drops, the rammed earth walls slowly radiate stored heat to warm up the interior. This cyclic is effective in heating and cooling the interior through all seasons. It is most efficient in climates larger range changing of temperatures.

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The rate of effect of the Rammed earth can be manipulated through the density, thickness, and thermal conductivity of rammed earth render which allows it to be adjusted for the context of its specific site and climate. This makes it an adaptive and climate sensitive material.

Rammed-earth construction also has the ability to reduce the ecological impacts of deforestation and the pollution of artificial materials, from the waste products during the manufacturing process. One of the modern variants of rammed earth is the development of Stabilized rammed Earth. (SRE) Many of the disadvantages related with the performance of rammed earth are external surface protection, water resistance, shrinkage and strength.

These are averted by the addition of a stabilizer. This has become standard practice in many countries and is seen to reduce uncertainty and risk. Many types of stabilizers have been experimented with over time, however the most common is cement, which is usually 7% of the mix. Although this increases structural

reliability. However cement reserves high embodied energy related with the energy it needs for its manufacturing and this compromises the environmental credentials of rammed earth, counteracting the environmental benefits of the traditional rammed earth methods. However this can be counteracted by implementing extra protection and maintenance of non-stabilized rammed earth, that can extend its life-span. (Craven, 2018) Over time there has been developments that have led to what we today know as Modern Rammed Earth Method. The new interest in rammed earth in contemporary construction is also in response to increasing scrutiny in fire safety regulations and the need to find new interesting materials that are able to provide the required fire safety specifications, Rammed earth buildings are water, fire, and termite resistant. As well as being naturally sound- and mold-resistant leading decreased maintenance on the building.

Fig. 7. Archdaily (2016)

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An example of rammed earth in Architecture An example of innovative use of rammed earth in architecture is the Observation Tower Negenoord,

by De Gouden Liniaal Architecten in 2016 In this project the architects wanted to use the local

materials excavated from the Maas area (local area): The common materials in this area were earth, clay and gravel. They decided to use the rammed earth building technique for the external walls with the intention of avoiding the application of any additional protective layers, as they wanted to slowly expose the gravel over time. Inside, a central core with stairs is made out of concrete, which is sandblasted to expose the aggregates as well. The idea was to use the material of the building as an indicator of its location and anchor it in its surrounding environment. (Liniaal, 2016) The rammed earth building technique is thousands of years old and can be found in the whole world.

Soil-damp earth gets poured in layers of 15cm into a formwork and is compressed mechanically to 12cm.

The correct mixture of sand, clay and gravel makes it suitable for building load-bearing walls.

Fig. 6. Archdaily (2016)

There is a an extended scientific research in issues such as the above in the recent years. Meror Krayenhoff, founder of Sirewall, has developed his own variation of rammed earth to increase performative properties such as insulation, and also combing with other modern technology to create a composite system.

Known as Stabilized Insulated Rammed Earth or SIREwall.

"We use a little bit of cement—5-10 percent cement—and we use some steel reinforcing to make it strong against earthquakes. We put the soil in on either side of the foam and compact it.”

(Krayenhoff, 2014)

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Conclusion: Local-sensitive And Cost-effective

Fig. 8. Archdaily (2016)

In conclusion the rammed earth construction method is cost-effective, and the use of regional materials minimizes transportation costs of materials and people, decreasing the total embodied energy of the construction process. The low tech process allows for local people to be involved in construction, strengthening the building connection to the surrounding environment. The main principles of rammed earth technology are very effective low tech solutions to many of the problems that sustainable architecture is trying to resolve.

However in order for mass adoption in all scales of projects more scientific research is needed both in its chemical as well as structural aspects.

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References

negenoord-de-gouden-liniaal-architecten?ad_medium=gallery

D. Easton, T. Easton. (2012) Modern earth Buildings (1st ed.). M. Hill. (1975) Dictionary of Architecture and Construction, Cyril M. Harris, ed.1975, p. 395 Nottingham Uk, Woodhead Publishing Craven, J. (2018). What is Rammed Earth Construction?.

Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/what-is-rammedearth-construction-177948 Manisson, M. (2017). Rammed Earth Construction Detail.

Retrieved from http://www.greenspec.co.uk/buildingdesign/rammed-earth/ Liniaal, G. (2016). Observation Tower Negenoord. Retrieved from https://www.archdaily.com/871476/observation-tower-

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By Maria Tziakou The traditional architecture of Cyclades, Greece is a characteristic example of sustainable design. It consists of a series of passive design that aim to maximize the comfort of the build environment., while they succeed in adjusting to climate.

The Cycladic house is built in order to cover the basic daily needs in accordance with the environmental conditions of each island.

The climate in general can be described as Mediterranean and it is moderate, coastal with dry, sunny and high temperatures and intense radiation from the sun in summers and mild, damp winters. The Cycladic islands are known for the strong winds with direction mainly from south, which are dry and hot, and from north which are dry and cold. Traditional architecture aimed at managing the diversity of winds, either by bringing the pleasant summer breeze in the house with cross openings or by preventing the harsh and cold winter wind with the use of high walls and trees.

The stiff landscape had a dominant role in the formation of the characteristic Cycladic style.

The villages had to adjust to the, often unfriendly, terrain and at the same time take advantage of the available scarce resources.

Materials

The limited presence of wood and the difficulty of transferring materials from other places was also a decisive factor in the formation of the traditional methods of construction. The scarcity of resources would not allow the beams to be more than 3 meters, limiting in this way the structures to only one floor. In cases that the houses needed another floor, they were using the topography to gain height.

The structures consisted mainly from stone that was very common material in area. The stone was covered with lime that provided the structures the characteristic white color that dominates in Cycladic architecture. This technique was used to protect the stone and protect the houses from the strong sunlight as the white color is known to reduce the sunrays absorption, especially during the summer months.

CYCLADIC And

Architecture

SUSTAINABLE

Development

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Orientation and Insulation Southwest orientation was common to the residences to attract natural sunlight.

The walls were usually 60-80cm thick which had enough thermal mass to keep the desirable indoor temperature steady both during the summer and the winter. Small openings on the northern side of the houses helped to keep the temperature cool in the summer by leading through the house the northern winds (meltemia) , common in Cyclades islands, especially during summer.

The fact that many houses were built entirely or partly underground also helped, along with the thick walls, in insulating the house and providing the indoors with a steady temperature all through the year.

The lack of greenery in most of the islands along with the need for protection from high temperatures developed the need to the inhabitants to protect the scarce vegetation. This led to the creation of small courtyards that were shaped between the houses because of the high concertation of them in one area, creating evaporative cooling and protection from direct sun especially in summer time.

Cycladic Architecture Now

The Cyclades the recent years have been a very popular vacation destination, creating a specific seasonal lifestyle and emerging new needs. This has redirected the use of traditional buildings from serving local needs to the covering of needs of a larger and more diverse sum of inhabitants.

Comfort, relaxation and recreation are the main things the tourists sick when they visit a Cycladic island. Also, with the progress of technology new materials are easier to be found, so the design stops to be limited mainly to the local sources. All these changes have also affected the way that sustainable design can be re-evaluated in these areas.

The topography and climate that acts as restriction is today an inspiration to many contemporary architects. Some of them appreciate the value of traditional architecture as a source of methods of sustainable design that are already historically tested to the specific place and that are proven to respond to local conditions.

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Aloni, decaArchitecture Architects: decaArchitecture Area: 237.0 m² Year: 2008 Location: Antiparos, Greece One such example is ‘Aloni’, designed by decaArchitecture. The design of the house incorporates the landscape and local materials such as earth-retaining stone with the luxury of a new domestic space.

light, generous views and a compact but rich relationship to its setting”

The house merges with the landscape, creating a unique relation with its surroundings. even though its design doesn’t remind formally the traditional white Cycladic houses the architects took into account original traditional elements for the creation of the house such as the materials and the topography.

The architects describe the house as a structure that is ‘curved into the flowing landscape’: “The presence of the house is revealed by the four courtyards carved into the flowing landscape. The courtyards separate the living spaces into five interior areas, an arrangement which resembles the fifth side of a dice. As a result, the house is protected from the elements yet is full of natural

Aloni, decaArchitecture

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Also, the courtyards that were created by letting the topography flow within the house, are used as main part of the design in the residence. The intertwining of the columns of the house with the landscape resulting in the effect of a structure that becomes part of the landscape is also a characteristic of the traditional Cycladic architecture.

Hug House, React Architects

Architects: React Architects Area: 150 m²

Year: 2016 Location: Paros, Greece A different approach to traditional Cycladic architecture is the Hug House by React Architects.

The house is a complex of two buildings protected by a masonry wall that wraps around them. The separate buildings host living spaces and share a courtyard and the pool within the surrounding was.

Hug House, React Architects

An element that relates the project with the traditional local architecture is the shape of the house and the arrangement of the separate spaces, as can be seen on the plan. The traditional houses used to divide the house into separate parts in order to arrange easier according to the topography and this quality it can be seen in the Aloni house.

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About the design the architects argue:

“The stone walls encircle and ‘hug’ the building, protecting it from prying eyes. In some places, the walls become a building, and in others, courtyards are created, adapted to the ground and to the environment.”

The exterior wall that protects the life within is a common traditional method of protection of houses, but also of other resources necessary for sustaining life in the islands, such as the productive trees. The entrance is on the western side of the site, at its highest point, and has been inserted between the masonry buttressing walls.

The courtyard at the rear, protected from the strong winds, organizes the functions by creating a nucleus with direct reference to the building masses. Such arrangement is encountered in the monasteries of the area, with the cells on the perimeter and the church in the center.

Both houses seem to share common strategies even if it is not obvious through the design, the similarities can be observed to the way they work with sustainability. The use of local material, the

way that the structure is blending with the landscape, but also the inspiration and the use of traditional elements.

In Aloni from decoArchitects it can be observed the notion of courtyard, that in traditional houses where shaped organically through the arrangement in space. In both examples can be seen the way the space is organized to adapt to the stiff landscape. In the Hug House, from React Architects the use of the white color in the exterior in combination with the stone, and the courtyard between the structures they are one of the characteristics of traditional Cycladic design.

Those are an example of how the sustainable methods of design in traditional architecture can be a source of inspiration for contemporary architecture and many different architectural expressions

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References: Philippidis D., 1999. Greek Traditional Architecture Aegean: Cyclades Sinou, M., 2006. "From the traditional to the contemporary Cycladic sustainable house", Management of Environmental Quality Stasinopoulos Thanos N.,2006. “The Four Elements of Santorini Architecture Lessons in Vernacular Sustainability�, The 23rd Conference on Passive and Low Energy Architecture, Geneva, Switzerland https://www.archdaily.com/45925/aloni-decaarchitecture https://www.archdaily.com/889427/hug-house-react-architects

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CLIMATE-CONTROL Typologies in

CYPRIOT VERNACULAR

How sustainable are traditional Architecture in Cyprus, in regards to climatic control.

Architecture

By Antonis Peratikos

Ever since the construction of the first habitable spaces, there was a constant strive of improving our comfort levels in such places, and more specifically thermal comfort. This is evident throughout the vernacular architecture of the island, where various techniques can be identified, that were implemented when constructing a building, in order to increase its thermal comfort.

The typical traditional Cypriot Settlement

Cypriot houses would usually consist of one to three main living spaces aligned next to each other, all facing towards the south, to an open courtyard (iliakos) which usually contained small gardens with citrus fruit and palm trees.

The orientation of the living spaces provided adequate amounts of sunlight especially during winter’s small day-lengths , to accommodate the daily activities of the users, since all work related actions had to be done before sunset.[1]

Different arrangements of interior spaces around the courtyard in rural vernacular architecture.

Source: Philokyprou (2016)

Courtyard acting as a buffer zone.

Source: Kontonis (2016)

The courtyard is an important sustainability element, as it acts as a buffer zone. A roof overhang towards the south, to create the roof of the courtyard, in addition with deciduous vegetation planted within the courtyard, provided shading during summer months, but allowed for solar gain during the winter.

Moreover, within the courtyards, cooling elements were often found, such as wells or fountains for the storage of water, which in addition with the watering of the plants, provided evaporative cooling to both the interior and exterior spaces of the house, by decreasing the temperature of the air passing through this buffer zone.[2] [3]

e

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Vernacular Strategies to enhance thermal Comfort The strive for thermal comfort was not evident only on the typology and orientation of the typical vernacular dwellings, but it is also noticeable on evidence that indicate specific strategies of the users, to further control the climatic conditions.

Utilization of the wind was not something foreign for Cypriots during that time, as many were fishermen and used wind to sail their boats, but also in agriculture, since windmills were employed as water pumps to irrigate the fields.

Prevalent wind direction was often taken into account, so that it can aid in bioclimatic sustainability as well. In agricultural areas, hay bales stored for feeding the animals, were often stacked on top of each other, creating a permeable wall that allows wind to pass through. They offered partial shading, and usually they were located perpendicular to the prevalent wind direction, so that during hot summer days, the hay bales were watered and wind passing through them cooled down the space through evaporative cooling.

Evaporative Cooling through wet hay bales.

Source: Made by student

Water does not spoil the hay, as it dries relatively fast under the hot summer sun, therefore the food of the animals was also used as a climateconditioning element when needed, until it is consumed and replaced by new hay bales. The concept of repurposing stored elements for extra benefits, but leaving them intact while using them, until the day of consumption, is a highly intelligent approach towards sustainability.

Another prevalent strategy indicating strive for thermal comfort was the use of climbing vines (klimataria), generally to the east side, but sometimes also towards the west, so that seasonal shading was provided to the openings of the respected orientations. The production of grapes was the primary reason for the cultivation of the climbing vines, since grapes are a common ingredient in traditional Cypriot cuisine, which adds another dimension of sustainability to these vernacular structures, of being more autonomous and self-sufficient.[4] In regards to bioclimatic sustainability, the climbing vines were of equal importance, as their placement and orientation in relation with the house, helped in minimizing the solar gain during the morning hours, where solar exposure to interior spaces is maximized. The use of the vines, which are also deciduous, ensures that the shading is provided seasonally, so that there is no decrease of solar heat gain during the cold winter periods. [5]

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Expanding to the Public

The use of structures to support the growth of the vines, for more thermal comfort is evident in traditional dwellings all around the island, and it has to be noted that in many cases these structures where expanding further from the plot so that adjacent public spaces would be benefiting as well. An example is the village of Alona, where on a central road of the village, the houses adjacent to the road have their climbing vine pergolas, extending to the opposite side of the street. Since the users spent most of their time during daytime outside working, and since walking was the main mean of transport, they spent a lot of hours in the streets. Having these shading elements throughout the streets, not only offered more product yield to the owner by having a larger surface are of grapevines, but it also made public spaces more thermally comfortable, generating resting points for the user throughout his route.

Again further from the bioclimatic approach, this strategy engages with other aspects of sustainability of more social implications, providing opportunities for socialization. These could be group activities as simple as resting and chatting on the street, to more infrequent activities such as grape gathering and vine trimming, or even village gatherings such as weddings or religious celebrations. [5]

Public Spaces in the village of Alona

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Panayia tou Araka, Lagoudera

Climate Conditioned Worship spaces

Climate control was not evident only on domestic spaces, but also on places of worship. Panayia tou Araka is an interesting example, of climate control in such public spaces. It is located in Troodos mountains and was built during the second half of the 12th century. The church is a single-aisled domed structure, with a cross-shaped, steeppitched roof that extends to form a latticedwoodwork portico.

This wooden lattice surrounding the actual structure acted as a buffer zone between the structure and its environment, similarly with the courtyard effect, but in a much more controlled approach, so that it generated a microclimate around the church, which aided with the thermal comfort on both the interior and exterior spaces.

The dome is covered by a separate roof structure creating a secondary buffer zone between the interior and exterior. This extra insulation layer wrapping up the church provided more constant temperatures throughout the years, and this is evident by the perfectly preserved murals, dating back to 1192. [6] References: 1.Philokyprou, M., & Limbouri-Kozakou, E. (2012). The Role of the Central Courtyard.

Surveys in the Vernacular Architecture of Cyprus. In International Conference Surveys on Vernacular Architecture. Their significance in 20th century Architectural Culture, ESAP, pp. 400–414 2.Kontonis P., (2018). “Courtyards in Traditional Cypriot Architecture”, University of Nicosia, Cyprus, pp.9-12 3.Philokiprou M. , Michael E., (2016). Social and Environmental aspects of Courtyards in Cyprus Vernacular Architecture, University of Cyprus-Department of Architecture 4.Serghides D., (2010). “The wisdom of Mediterranean Traditional Architecture versus Contemporary Architecture: the energy challenge”, The Open Construction and Building Technology, vol.4, pp.29-38.

Evaporative Cooling through wet hay bales.

Source: Made by student

5.Philokiprou M. , Michael E. , (2014). “Η ΒΙΟΚΛΙΜΑΣΙΚΗ ΔΙΑ΢ΣΑ΢Η ΣΗ΢ ΠΑΡΑΔΟ΢ΙΑΚΗ΢ ΑΡΧΙΣΕΚΣΟΝΙΚΗ΢ ΣΗ΢ ΚΤΠΡΟΤ”, Biovernacular Research Program, Nicosia, pp.27-33 6.Monogios P., https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/panagia-tu-araka, Atlas Obscura [accessed 29 December 2019]

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ACTIVIST AS ARCHITECT

By Bella Hermanson One early morning in august last year, a young girl named Greta Thunberg was sitting outside the Swedish parliament protesting against the lack of action on the climate crisis. This was the start for the global movement FridaysForFuture where youth all over the world are demanding the right to a future and healthy planet. Today, one year later there has been strikes in 228 countries with over 13 million participants. 1 If the act of a 15-year-old could spark a global debate, if millions of children are demanding a change and the authorities to act, how can we respond in the role as architects? If we are the ones designing our urban fabric how much influence do we actually have? What is the responsibility of the

architect for the environment and the future generations?

Forming the Urban Fabric

”As an architect you design for the present, with an awareness of the past, for a future which is essentially unknown.”

- Norman Fosters As Norman Foster puts it, we as architects have to design, using the knowledge from the past and preparing for the future we can’t predict. In the act of designing we are changing the existing landscape into a new built environment. The way we are forming the urban landscape has a huge impact on the environment locally,

crisis protest

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but also globally. In Sweden, Thunberg’s home country, the building industry are responsible for 40 percent of the energy related carbon dioxide emissions. 2 Clearly, we have an impact both in the way we are forming our urban fabric and on the process of doing it. While designing everything from the smallest scale of furniture, to buildings and cities, to the bigger scale of infrastructures and societies, we have decisions to make that impact the sustainability of our planet.

The Greening of Architecture

Right from the beginning of the environmental movement, the architects have been a part of the sustainable development. Already in the 60’s environmental awakening there were projects exploring new forms and technologies on bioclimatic design. This exploration continued in the 70’s with solar technologies and off-grid projects, often in the outskirt of the city. During this time these technologies was also applied into bigger scale housing project such as solar communities. 3 One example of these 70’s explorations is the work of Michael Reynolds. He used unconventional recycled materials to create a model for an autonomous home. This resulted in his earth ship module. He combined all necessary alternative methods to enable the module to be off grid and use the resources from the site. Most importantly he investigated how to use all these technologies and methods to meet the needs of the living space.4

The eco-technology of the 80’s and 90’s was developed for a broader use and also present in more high-profile projects. In the beginning of the new century the greening movement of architecture had developed into numerous different approaches of sustainable design.

Act as Activist

An activist is defined “a person who works to achieve political or social change”. 5 Being an architect means you will change a physical space.

This change will directly or indirectly have a political and social impact. Is it only demands of the client which give the opportunity to develop new sustainable methods, forms and use of materials?

Or can the architect act on her own to make a change? Can the architect act as an activist?

As we saw in the historical examples most of the project were originally driven from curiosity and a will to push forward the knowledge, not necessarily by the clients or the market. These projects were made to change the society, protecting the environment and care for future generations and it’s these acts which grew and spread the development towards a sustainable way of living on our earth.

These have been acts to push for a change, both for technological research but also often a chance to spark a debate on the way of living and the network our urban environment creates. These has certainly been acts of an activist.

Greta Thunberg in a climate crisis protest

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Means to act

So what is happening today? How can an architect act as an activist toady? What is the means to act for a change?

Even if the development is driven by the single new explorations the change is created by the big mass. Architects need to take a political stand for the environment. During 2019 architects and firms have all over the world declared climate and biodiversity emergency. Professionals has gathered to together work for a change in the policies.

Together they are working for a rise of awareness on the climate crisis among their clients and the industry. They are also asking for

a faster change in the design practices and the method following, but they also have concrete ideas how the profession can better their impact on the environment. One of these examples is to create an open source platform to share knowledge and research. Another is to include life cycle costing with the whole life carbon modelling while working on a project to reduce embodied and also operational resource use. 6

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Through the history, the architects have definitely had a big impact on the environmental movement. The architects, with its expertise on designing the space we live in and the urban systems we are a part of, they have great opportunity to make a change for the world. This makes architecture as a profession a great tool for activism.

At the same time, architecture is a tool for activism one could confidently argue that a sustainable approach is a duty of the architect. In a way the architect must act as an activist.

__________________________ References 1.Fridays for future web page, https://www.fridaysforfuture.org/statistics/graph [15 Jan. 20] 2.Architects Declare Sweden, https://se.architectsdeclare.com/ [15 Jan. 20] 3.Tabb, Philip James, The Greening of Architecture. Ashgate: January 2, 2014 4.Reynolds, Michael, Earthship: How to build your own. Solar survival architects: September 1, 1990 5.Oxford dictionary, https://www.lexico.com/english [15 Jan. 20] 6.Architect declare, https://www.architectsdeclare.com/ [15 Jan. 20]

Jewel Changi Airport by Safdie Architects Photo courtesy of Jewel Changi Airport

Architect as activist

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Implementation

GREENERY Of

In

PUBLIC COMMUNITY SPACES:WhatAreTheBenefits?

And

n

Y

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By Razan Zulof It is quite factual that the implementation of greenery has been evident in countless building designs and community spaces throughout the years in the history of architecture. From the historic Hanging gardens of Babylon, to the famous Taj mahal to Barcelona’s fascinating park del clot. All these are examples of how greenery and vegetation can add to a building design and enhance a public space. Nature, and, more specifically, vegetation are considered today as tools that can help us encounter major contemporary problems such as pollution and climate change. At the same time vegetation provides a sense of wellbeing and aesthetic pleasure. Greenery, vegetation and nature, all these are used nowadays in the design of what is known as Green Open Spaces. The aim of this article is to highlight the importance of this type of spaces and examine their nature and how they affect the safety, health or wellbeing of their user.

Green Open Spaces

Green Open Spaces are defined as all types of public or private open spaces in the urban areas that are completely or mostly covered with vegetation. They can range from small parks and playground fields, to substantially maintained environments and natural landscapes, such as parks, gardens, or even undefined areas including grasses, shrubs and trees.1 Green Open Spaces fall under the category of Urban Open Spaces, alongside Grey Spaces, which are the hard land surfaces that are purposely designed for the use of humans,2 as indicated in [Shape A].

Although they are commonly considered open to the public, Urban Open Spaces are however sometimes privately owned. We can see that in examples such as higher education campuses, neighborhood/community parks and gardens, and institutional or corporate territories and lands.3

Green Urban Space As An Urban Link

Green open spaces in many cases act complementary to a building. Greenery can attract interest to a building, however, more importantly, it provides to a building ease of access. This porous quality of a green space can provide an urban quality to a building, link it in a better way with its urban context. For example, in Zaha Hadid’s Beko masterplan in Belgrade, the ground-scape forms a series of rippling green landscapes mixed with the rigid man-made textures, materials and colors that inform the movement of circulation through and around the site. A large exterior green courtyard in the middle is a result of the built edifice being pinched in a certain way, which positively acts in favor of the flow of civic traffic.4 The human flow becomes one with the landscape and the landscape becomes one with the human flow.

The Green Space that this outline of the building creates, helps in integrating the building to the rest of the development and its immediate urban environment .

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Green Spaces: Mental and Physical health enhancers

It is proven that with the presence of Green open spaces, human health and wellbeing can be vastly improved mentally, physically and even socially.

One study indicates that Open Green spaces play a role in Improving mental health, due to the proximity they offer with natural context which is beneficial for human . With very immediate and specific benefits such as the reduction with blood pressure, muscle tension and feelings of fear and anger, as well as the increase of self-esteem.5 The study also indicates that the presence of greenery, even when just observed from a bedroom window, is able to reduce symptoms of attention deficit disorder in children, increase their ability to communicate with others, as well as reduce depression6. Open public spaces for walking,

cycling, playing and other outdoor activities, especially when including an increased amount of green texture, can improve safe mobility and basic services for women, the elderly and children, in addition to low-income populations, which in this case promotes health equity and creates safer communities.

WA Department of Sport and Recreation, (2009) states that Green Spaces help enhance social outcomes. As they encourage social interaction and development of social skills, improve social networks and social wealth, as well as increase community cohesion. One study found that it is three times more likely for people who use public open spaces to achieve recommended levels of physical activity than people who do not.7

Zaha Hadid’s Beko Masterplan in Belgrade

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In this project, direct contact with nature benefits all services. The green spaces are scattered on the balconies and on the roofs, to the point that vegetation is literally offered to the inhabitants in an apparent plenitude. The proximity of the gardens with the workspaces enhances the wellbeing of the

inhabitants by increasing their ability to think clearly and cope with the pressures of daily life, as well as providing a better atmosphere for working.9 Their introverted character at places also serve as outdoor work, informal meeting, and relaxation areas.10 While the openness and flexibility of the exterior space provides open places for physical activities such as hiking and cycling.

Deaths from physical inactivity are estimated at 3.2 million deaths a year, as per a recent study by the United Nations. The specific building is meant from its design stage, as a counteraction towards this reality. Furthermore, being around vegetation and green surfaces reduces death from heart attacks or stroke caused by high temperatures and sunstroke, because of their solid role in lowering temperatures and improving the climate. 11

the Soprema HQ - Eco-futuristic building

Besides their effect on mental health, Open Green Spaces appear to have a very immense impact on physical health as well. Especially because they encourage a healthy lifestyle. This is mostly evident in community buildings that work as a living cell.

Such an example is the Soprema HQ - Eco-futuristic building in Strasbourg, France. A, yet unbuilt, ecological prototype of the green city of the future..

The special thing about this project is that, as the architect Vincent Callebaut states, will “transform the balconies and roofs of the project into gardens, vegetable gardens, and hanging orchards.�8 As noted by the architect it will also include recreational and relaxation areas where people naturally stop and converse.

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Green Open Spaces: Possibly an answer to more integrated and healthy buildings?

Open green Spaces do play a role in enhancing and benefitting the environmental values of a public and community area. As they offer great opportunities for positive change and sustainable development for our cities. They help make cities and towns more integrated with their urban environment, safer and healthier places to live, work, visit and play and even more aesthetically pleasing. Taking into account health issues when planning public green spaces can provide the greatest number of common benefits. Open green spaces are an important element that must be maintained within and outside urban areas not merely because of its aesthetic value, but more importantly, its health and environmental impact on human life. It is e important for architects, urbanists and designers to inform their design with issues concerning health and wellbeing, related with the use of green. It is even more important to educate communities about the importance of green spaces, how to preserve them and their biodiversity, and encourage societies to make the most secure and optimal use of them.

_______________________________ 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

(Mensah, 2014) (Mensah, 2014) (Shackell & Walter, 2012) (Rakhshandehroo, Johari, Afshin, 201-) Zaha Hadid’s Beko Masterplan in Belgrade (United Nations, n.d.)

(Evergreen, 2015) (United Nations, 1997) WA Department of Sport and Recreation, (2009) Soprema HQ - Eco-futuristic building by Vincent Callebaut Architectures. Available at: < http://88designbox.com/architecture/soprema-hq-ecofuturistic-building-by-vincent-callebaut-architectures2868.html> 9. (United Nations, n.d.)

10. Available at: <http://88designbox.com/architecture/soprema-hq-ecofuturistic-building-by-vincent-callebaut-architectures2868.html> 11. (Evergreen, 2015) (United Nations, 1997)

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58 RESUSTAIN

A SQUARE IN DOUBT?

By Myria Christodoulou

A controversial project

Eleutheria Square is one of the most controversial projects in Nicosia today and possibly the most debated. During the latest years, this project has been a matter of argument because of its extremely high financial cost and its long delay in construction. It was awarded the first prize in an architecture competition in 2005 and now, 15 years later, it is still in construction. While its functionality, as a main public space of the city centre, is also doubted. Today, it is considered a necessity for any project to follow the principles of sustainable development and let alone the Public and Municipal Projects. The question that this

article wants to discuss is whether we can actually consider Eleutheria Square a sustainable project.

What is sustainable development? The three pillars of sustainability

Before deciding about the sustainable character of the square, we should first define what sustainable development is and what its components are. Up to today, there have been about 200 different definitions of sustainable development1

Picture 1: Retrieved from https://www.zaha-hadid.com/

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A popular approach in the 21st century is summarised under the title ‘The three pillars of sustainability’, which includes society, economy and environment2,3. The three pillars often appear in bibliography as three intersecting circles. In the Venn Diagram, sustainable development is represented as the common place of intersection among the three components.7 Which demonstrates that sustainable development can only happen when all three components co-exist harmonically. And the opposite: that we cannot actually talk about sustainable development when one or more of the three components does not exist. 2 If the overall condition of the world today was translated through this theory, the circle of economy would be the largest one, which is using the resources of environment, without replacing them, and society is not benefited enough from this economic development. If the environment circle keeps shrinking, the circles of economy and society will collapse, because there will not be enough natural resources for these to be sustained.7

Social Sustainability

Picture 1: Sustainable development as a Venn Diagram

Social Sustainability, as a concept, has its roots in the 1960s social upheaval, which started in the United States, soon spread to Europe and many other Western countries. The movement was connected with the outbrake of riots in 1968 in Chicago, Paris, London, Tokyo and Prague. At the time, there were concerns for the validity of the Vietnam war. However, this was just the initial cause. The movement soon expanded to include universal values

demanding equal opportunities and respect to people of different social classes, race, gender and sexual orientation, as well as expressing a concern about providing those, equally, to the future generations.

The understanding of social sustainability by that time was more mature than the, previously expressed, American Dream and its consumerist understanding of equality. Social sustainability was linked with a form of reverse – consumerist ideals and the feeling of the responsibility of the individuals.These events later matured into a world view and the theory and practice of what we today call ‘social sustainability’.4 According to McKenzie Social Sustainability can be, generally, defined as “a positive condition within communities, and a process within communities that can achieve that condition”.

Goals related to social sustainability are the equality to provision of necessary needs and services, equality of generations, respect between different cultures, participation of citizens in communities, a sense of community ownership, the mechanisms that help a community to be independent and be able to cover their needs and the provision of a supportive political system.2,7

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Environmental Sustainability

According to Morelli (2011) Environmental Sustainability can be defined as “as a condition of balance, resilience, and interconnectedness” that enable the provision of human needs without compromising the future regenerating capacity of the ecosystems that those depend on, and at the same time don’t affect the bio-diversity.2 Morelli (2011) divides the supportive principles of environmental sustainability in 5 categories: - Provision for Societal Needs - Preservation of Biodiversity - Regenerative Capacity - Reuse and Recycle - Constraints of non-renewable Resources and Waste Generation

Sustainable Economy

A definition of sustainable economy, given in the website of World Wide Fund For Nature refers to sustainable economy as “one that is resilient and provides a good quality of life for everybody. It stays within the limits of the planet and helps keep global warming within the well below 2°C threshold.”8

A Square As A Place Of Intersection

The creation of a square in a city can be an effective way to promote this sharing between social concerns, the economy and the respect to the environment. In Ancient Greece a square or “agora” was a large space located at a central point in the city. It was a congregation space of political discussions and trade, with importance in administration and justice, as well as a religious and spiritual centre. It was positioned in harmony in relation to the existing landscape, planted with trees on the perimeter and provision of fountains.9The provided functions were essential in order to sustain the city.

This character of the square as an intersection of economy, society and environment in the contemporary era, still remains. A public square is a place where all citizens have equal right for access, political expression, participation, communication and entertainment. The economic activity is, also, present near a gathering space for people. In addition, squares as open spaces with the provided greenery and water features offer to the citizens the experience of nature, sunlight and air, which are, often, absent from the urban landscape but essential, in many ways, for the human nature.

Picture 2 (Retrieved from https://avantgarde.com.cy/)

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Eleutheria Square, in its initial form, was built in 1882, during British colonization, to connect the old and the new city, which had, just, started being developed for the first time with governmental buildings and new neighbourhoods.

Then, it was just a small wooden bridge, which, later, was improved and widened. For many years, it had been a point of reference and a space where many social, cultural and political events took place.

Eleutheria Square was later in mid 20th century given to the circulation of cars. In addition, two other nearby bridges were created to connect old and new city. This led to the blocking of the moat into separate areas, which was not in favour of the pedestrians who used the moat as a walking space.

The contemporary project of the Eleftheria square that started in 2005, was not the first time that Nicosia Municipality made efforts for the regeneration of the square. The first competition was launched in 1972, but the project was cancelled because of the events of 1974. The latest competition was published in 2005, with estimated cost to be â&#x201A;Ź6.492.685. On the 21st of April 2005, they announced that Zaha Hadidâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Office proposal was chosen among the 46 participants. In Nicosia municipality, there was a strong belief that her emblematic architecture would regenerate the area and become an international tourist attraction.

The works began in 2008 with excavations, from the archaeological department, to discover the ruins of the original walls of the city, because these that stand today, were built much later.

According to those findings, the drawings should be reworked.

Picture 3: Retrieved from https://www.zaha-hadid.com/

The history of Eleutheria square10

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Picture 4: Retrieved from https://www.zaha-hadid.com/

The construction begun in 2012 and was given to big local construction company for €22.969.825 with an estimation to be completed in two years.

Things didn’t go so smoothly, so the Nicosia Municipality and the Construction Company were led to a legal arrangement for ending the contract in 2014. The project was not completed.

Then a second construction company was chosen for the completion of the project and the construction began again one year later. Since its initiation the project suffered many increases in the initial budget estimation reaching eventually €36.800.000 in 2017. Today the project is at the final stage, but it is still not clear when it will be completed. This means that up to today the project duration counts, already, 15 years.

According to a poll published in newspaper “I Simerini”, the most Cypriots are disappointed

about the overall project situation in Eleutheria Square. Also, most of them believe that there are legal responsibilities in relation to the management of this project that should be investigated. 11

The Design Principles Of The Project.12

The project consists of 3 different areas. The bridge in Eleutheria Square, the landscaping of the moat under the bridge, and an underground parking space under Omirou street.

The general goal of the design team was to reestablish some key-qualities, which are essential for a healthy city centre. Those are fluidity and openness, accessibility and interconnectedness and inclusivity and variability.

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As we mentioned earlier the area of the moat was obstructed by trees and by car traffic and as a result, the movement of pedestrians is difficult.

They solved this problem by making the access points for pedestrians not only physically but also visually accessible and by reconnecting the pieces of the moat in one continuous space under the new floating bridge. The bridge now is accessible only for pedestrians. Also, the project assists the traffic flow by providing an underground car parking in Omirou Street. In this way the necessity of car use in the area is reduced and the traffic jams are avoided.

The design of the Eleutheria Square by Zaha Hadid Architects takes into consideration characteristics, which make the city of Nicosia unique in order to blend the project into the character of the city. They direct attention to the Venetian Wall and its original ruins, which were found after the excavations and they will now be exposed. Also, they consider the issue of the division of the city and they propose that, in the future the moat should be reunited as a ring that goes around the city.

The bridge with its supports, which are made out of reinforced concrete, have a sculptural form.

They are a family of objects, tripods, bipods and singular supports, which have the flexibility to be placed in chosen positions to create a fluid underground space. This shaded space has an area of 1500 square meters and allows for the functionality of the space in the summer. The water features and the trees serve the same purpose.

We should, also, consider that the design team wanted to design a space that will be capable to include as many types of users as possible. For those users there are many different smaller areas, which will offer different activities (sitting areas, projection/outdoor cinema area, area for large public events, commercial areas and cafĂŠ).

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Conclusions

We can see that the intentions of the project were to promote all aspects of sustainable development in the city of Nicosia. The public square is a project that can offer entertainment to all people independently of their income or social class.

Especially if it is supported with additional infrastructure which make it physically and visibly accessible. In addition, a project like this, which makes the movement of pedestrians in the city more comfortable, can reduce the use of car and subsequently reduces the carbon emissions related to traffic. A landmark of iconic architecture can attract more tourism in Cyprus, which is, still, one of the main sources of income in our economy.

However, bad management and wrong decisions affected negatively, for the moment, all of those aspects (society, economy and environment).

Cypriots are not excited for the new project, but, rather, disappointed. Especially knowing that, in March 2013, while this project was at its beginning, many of them were losing their savings and jobs. A project that was intended, initially, to cost 6.5 million euros, then it was designed to cost 23 million and costed 37 million up to 2017 (without the underground parking in Omirou street). A feeling of trust and security of the public towards politicians and decision-makers is a key factor for social sustainability. In addition, we should consider that there are many other social and environmental projects that could be realised with the money that was spent on this project.

The environmental cost from the construction of this project is quite important if we consider that

construction sector is responsible for a large percentage of CO2 emissions. The chosen materials in combination with the volume of this monumental piece of architecture are responsible for a large quantity of CO2 emissions, even if we consider only the production of the materials. The extended period of construction and cost shows that there had to be done additional works and transportations. Finally, the road diversions for the construction of this project have caused traffic jams, everyday, since 2012 and this led to additional CO2 emissions.

Regardless the good intentions, the project seems to fail in all three main pillars of sustainability: The architects meant to provide a environmental friendly square with plenty of vegetation, the square however will be responsible for an increase in carbon emissions, they meant to attract people, however the long absence of the square in any form from the life of the city has estranged people with this part of the city, while the project has totally failed economically as it ended to be very expensive in construction and apparently costly in maintenance.

We canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t say, with certainty, if Nicosia will, eventually, be benefited from this project or not.

What we can say is that, it will take time to counteract the negative results that it caused in social, economic and environmental sectors and, according to the theory of sustainable development, it cannot be considered a sustainable project.

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______________________________ 1http://www.circularecology.com/sustainability-and-sustainable-

development.html#.XhBmo0czZhE 2Morelli, John (2011) "Environmental Sustainability: A Definition for Environmental Professionals," Journal of Environmental Sustainability: Vol. 1: Iss. 1, Article 2.

3Purvis,

B., Mao, Y. and Robinson, D. (2018). Three pillars of sustainability: in search of conceptual origins. Sustainability Science, 14(3), pp.681-695.

4Tabb,

P. (2017). Greening of Architecture. Taylor and Francis.

6 The Future of Sustainability Re-thinking Environment and Development in the Twenty-first Century. (2020). Report of the IUCN Renowned Thinkers Meeting, 29-31 January 2006. Zurich, p.2006.

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S. (2004). Social sustainability: towards some definitions: Hawke Research Institute, University of South Australia Magill 8http://www.wwf.eu/what_we_do/sustainable_economies/ 9https://theancientwebgreece.wordpress.com/2017/02/25/%CE%

B7-%CE%B1%CF%81%CF%87%CE%B1%CE%B9%CE%B1%CE%B1%CE%B3%CE%BF%CF%81%CE%B1%CF%84%CF%89%CE%BD%CE%B1%CE%B8%CE%B7%CE%BD%CF%89%CE%BD/

https://dialogos.com.cy/platia-eleftherias-olimeris-tinchtizane/?fbclid=IwAR2spQatEcy5m4S9qs0QF9Ay1Kg6b42YmC7U BT1DYYVgoaMc9Ml39CaDIlU7 11https://www.sigmalive.com/news/local/606146/dimoskopisi-sden-aksize-i-anamoni-gia-tin-plateia-eleftherias 12https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JbfZKrx0pAA&list=WL&ind ex=148&t=0s 10

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