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European University Cyprus Medical School Building

Konstantinos — Tue, 24 Feb 2026 05:31:12 +0000

This article by Konstantinos was published on ek magazine | Architectural Publications.

Functional Connection

The recently completed addition to the campus of the European University Cyprus houses the Schools of Medicine, Dentistry and Veterinary Medicine. More specifically, the building comprises standard tertiary education classrooms along with their supporting facilities, as well as laboratories of various kinds in conjunction with a series of complementary communal spaces.

Urban Context and Institutional Role

Given the building’s significant institutional role within the university campus, the architecture was required to establish a connection with the existing facilities while preserving the distinctiveness of its character. The project site lies along one of Nicosia’s main traffic arteries (Agiou Prokopiou Avenue), an urban environment that remains largely under development. As such, the building seeks to respond with a restrained yet substantial presence within this context of extended distances and high-speed movement. The architecture of the area presents certain characteristics, which the project was called upon to respect.

Design Philosophy

The objective, therefore, was for the extension to become the new architectural expression of the university and to shape its modernised identity, while retaining the fundamental lines of the existing buildings’ morphology. This connection was achieved through the design of the facades using customised aluminium frames that reference the earlier morphology of the openings, while simultaneously providing the necessary protection against constantly shifting climatic conditions. The specially designed profiles shade the interior without restricting views, creating an engaging interplay between closed and open, solid and transparent. Within the broader modernisation of the university facilities, both the facades and the existing buildings were renovated and upgraded. In parallel, a smart building management system was installed to optimise energy performance and operational efficiency.

Functional Integration & Lighting

Beyond the aesthetic unification with the existing built complex, a key objective was the functional interconnection of the university buildings, which are developed on either side of a road axis. To ensure safe and comfortable movement between them, an elevated bridge was designed, organically integrated into the university’s internal circulation network. The architectural design was completed with a lighting study that discreetly highlights the lines and individual features of the facades. The exterior lighting lends depth and continuity to the complex’s presence, maintaining its identity and visibility even beyond operating hours.

The post European University Cyprus Medical School Building was originally published on ek magazine | Architectural Publications | ek magazine – Architectural Publications.

Zubiaur School of Music

Giannis — Sun, 01 Feb 2026 09:45:28 +0000

This article by Giannis was published on ek magazine | Architectural Publications.

Designing for the perimeter

The new Zubiaur Musika Eskola in Amorebieta-Etxano, on the outskirts of Bilbao, emerged from an architectural competition held in 2015. Conceived as both an addition and a reinterpretation of its context, the project establishes a clear dialogue with the existing facilities while asserting its own architectural identity.

Context Integration

The building transforms the existing dividing wall into an additional façade, completing and redefining the perimeter of the current complex. The original wall of the adjoining frontón ballcourt is preserved and elevated as the central protagonist of the intervention. By exposing and layering the successive walls, the project makes the passage of time legible, allowing traces of the site’s history to remain visible. In doing so, the design safeguards local heritage and collective memory, integrating them into the contemporary architectural language.

Once the formal autonomy of the neighboring cultural center is acknowledged, the Musika Eskola operates as an independent volume. It respects the orthogonality and abstraction of the surrounding structures, yet distinguishes itself as a singular and recognizable element within the ensemble.

Spatial Organization

The newly conceived façade-dividing wall is set apart from the main volume, generating a ground-floor patio and a vertical void that extends alongside the upper levels. The plan wraps around this courtyard, which functions both as a drainage basin and as a rainwater retention space in the event of flooding.

A subtle setback from the longitudinal façade creates a sheltered porch at ground level, marking the main entrance and reinforcing its civic presence. Above, the upper floors complete the program in the form of a regular three-story prism, arranged parallel to the new façade-wall and complemented by a projecting corbel. The compact floor plates maximize usable surface area, forming an efficient and clearly defined spatial container.

Façade & Staircase Design

To achieve fully open-plan interiors, the structural system is pushed to the perimeter, allowing the façade to act as a self-supporting envelope. This strategy liberates the interior from structural constraints, enhancing flexibility and spatial clarity.

The staircases are positioned outside the primary prism and enclosed in glass, heightening transparency and reinforcing the building’s abstract character. More than a circulation device, the stair becomes an architectural promenade: it frames views toward the adjacent park, reveals the scale of the internal courtyard, and underscores the building’s identity as an extended, cohesive, and singular spatial composition.

The post Zubiaur School of Music was originally published on ek magazine | Architectural Publications | ek magazine – Architectural Publications.

The Juilliard School Tianjin

Giannis — Sun, 01 Feb 2026 09:01:43 +0000

This article by Giannis was published on ek magazine | Architectural Publications.

Glass bridges

The Tianjin Juilliard School serves as a dynamic center for performance, practice, research, and interactive exhibitions, with communal spaces intentionally designed to welcome the public into the creative and performative process of music.

Design Philosophy

As the first performing arts institution in China to offer a U.S.-accredited Master of Music degree, it provides graduate programs in orchestral studies, chamber music, and collaborative piano. The school also offers a pre-college program for students ages 8–18, an instrumental training program, adult education courses, and a robust schedule of public performances.

Functional Organization

The 350,000-square-foot campus is located in the Yujiapu Financial District. The building consists of four faceted pavilions that house a 690-seat concert hall, a 299-seat recital hall, a 225-seat black box theater, as well as administrative offices, faculty studios, and rehearsal spaces. Five glass bridges span a large public atrium that extends the surrounding park into the building, creating an open and welcoming environment where students, visitors, and concertgoers can gather, relax, and observe informal performances and rehearsals. These bridges contain classrooms, teaching studios, and practice rooms enclosed in transparent glass, promoting both visual and auditory access to music study and encouraging spontaneous as well as structured interaction among students, faculty, and visitors.

Technological Integration

Echoing the design language of The Juilliard School in New York, the Tianjin campus incorporates advanced telecommunications and video conferencing technologies to foster close collaboration between the two institutions. The Juilliard Imagination Space, for instance, is a digitally connected exhibition venue capable of hosting livestreamed performances between Tianjin and New York, reinforcing the school’s global academic and artistic exchange.

The post The Juilliard School Tianjin was originally published on ek magazine | Architectural Publications | ek magazine – Architectural Publications.