Cypriot News Agency

The purpose of the proposed project was the creation of an innovative office environment that will establish new standards in office design and simultaneously become a landmark in the city’s developing area. The vicinity’s lack of any significant focal points set the basis for the structure’s introversion. Vibrant foliage in the four courtyards brings vitality and breaks-up the interior solidity of the suburban block. The building’s perimeter functions as a continuous and porous stratum that encloses the inner as much as the outer spaces. At ground level, it entices staff and guests to the building’s interior. Above, a semi-translucent platform houses the News Room, which like a lighthouse- forms a landmark by emitting light across a level region. The abovementioned structural qualities – permeability and brightness are a symbolic embodiment of the Cypriot News Agency’s function as a point of intersection of incoming and outgoing information. The new home for the Cypriot News Agency pans out over three floors and a lower ground floor. The ground floor principally consists of common areas, such as the main entrance, conference rooms and the canteen. These are organised around the four courtyards, with each of these yards serving a different purpose. The main entrance is through the courtyard that looks onto the road. On the northern side the courtyard attached to the canteen is an area for staff and guests to meet and interact. To the east, a third courtyard leads out from the office spaces located on the ground floor. First floor spaces are arranged according to functional criteria, these are the workspaces for graphic designers, photographers and administrative operations. The orientation of office areas is predominantly towards the protected courtyards with extensive glazing and windows that open out onto these spaces. To a lesser extent there are outward looking smaller apertures. Interior and exterior spaces are enfolded by a permeable layer of ceramic panels, their earthy hues form a “link“ between the brightly lit platform above to the natural environs of the grounds below. The News Room is located on the building’s top floor, in the form of a raised platform. Office spaces are randomly configured around four light wells that link this floor to the courtyards, draw in the foliage from below and offer a vista to the sky. The News Room’s perimeter is enveloped by an imperemeable shielded glass with interior insulation to provide protection from the sun during the day and allow the diffused light to fill the interior. At night, the light of the interior emanates out across the sky. Finally, the basement consists of the parking, the Business Centre, storage and electromechanical areas.