residence unfolds around internal courtyards in cypriot barren landscape

christos pavlou brings nature inside ‘House with courtyards’

christos pavlou architecture builds a residence standing on a large piece of land located a few kilometres outside of Nicosia, Cyprus, in a barren area with no neighbourhood or much greenery. The design attends to the user’s needs of an outdoor living setting while allowing the natural surroundings to determine the formed structure. The conceptual approach draws from the typology of the traditional Cypriot rural houses, arranging the private zones enclosed within the building’s own boundaries with inner courtyards being the basic structural elements of the residence.

The dialectical relationship between indoor and outdoor space transforms the courtyard into a tool of architectural composition, creating interior spaces directly connected to their external environment. Patios and courtyards become integral parts of the design offering protected extensions and gathering spots for outdoor activities. Internal spaces and living zones are organised around courtyards and patios, spread throughout the premises.

the volume forms around three large open courtyards

The design team divides the volume of the two-story house into two parts integrating three large courtyards in-between and side by side. All the spaces, both on the ground floor assembling the living areas and on the upper floor organizing three bedrooms, are planned in a linear arrangement and parallel to the green courtyards. Each courtyard serves as an integral component of the interior space influencing the environment of the house. On the ground floor, a double-height courtyard separates spatially yet unites visually and functionally the kitchen from the living room. Two other patios function as exclusive extensions of the living room and the kitchen respectively providing additional space for outdoor activities.

On the upper floor, the bedrooms on the west side open onto protected but uncovered continuous long balconies. A perforated vertical wall, appears floating above the ground floor, protecting the bedrooms from the western sun and shielding the noise from an adjacent busy road. The enclosure forms a contact point between the house and the private gardens with the sky and the surrounding landscape. The boundaries begin to blur by bringing the green indoors through the atriums. The residential experience revolves around the inner courtyards and gardens, enabling users to enjoy the intricate shadowplay, the vegetation and the seasonal colors of nature.

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project info:

name: House with courtyards
designer: christos pavlou architecture | @pavlou_christos

location: Nicosia, Cyprus

photography: Unseen Views | @unseen.views