The extraordinary timeline of Eleftheria Square | Christos Passas | TEDxEleftheriaSquare

Introduction and Historical Context of Eleftheria Square

• The Eleftheria Square project was conceived through a journey that weaves historical, architectural, and personal elements, with the story beginning with the introduction of Julio Saano, a brilliant Venetian architect and engineer (1m11s).
• Julio Saano was commissioned by the Republic of Venice in the 16th century to design the walls of Nicosia, among other things, and is considered one of the most innovative and influential defensive architects of the Renaissance (1m32s).
• Saano's work spans the Eastern Mediterranean, with notable projects in Corfu, Heracleon, Candia, and Nicosia, and he integrated the latest innovations of his time into the design of these walls (2m6s).
• The original limestone walls that circumscribed Nicosia in the 14th and 15th centuries were bastions made of wall, very upright like traditional castles, but Saano demolished the old walls, consolidated the perimeter, and inclined the new walls for better defense (2m59s).
• Saano recycled the material from the demolished walls to rebuild the new construction, removed the stones from the top part of the wall to cushion against cannon balls, and designed the walls based on strict geometrical definitions and mathematical equations (3m34s).
• The walls of Nicosia, designed by Saano, are considered some of the most beautiful in the world and a marvel of defensive fortifications, but unfortunately, they were never truly finished (4m14s).
• The construction of the walls took about 8 months to build, using labor from a significant number of local Cypriots who needed to be defended, and the bridge connecting the old and new city was built by the British (4m49s).

Eleftheria Square: From Gathering Point to Redesign

• Eleftheria Square, also known as Freedom Square, was initially used to connect the old and new city of Nicosia in 1882 and later became a place for events and rallies after Cyprus gained independence on October 1, 1960 (5m10s).
• The area remained an informal gathering point until 2005 when a competition was won to redesign the bridge and surrounding area, aiming to create a suspended square that would respond to the urban conditions of the city (5m41s).
• The design intention was to create a welcoming space of free flow and movement, enhancing the connection between the old and new city, and bringing people into the area (6m15s).
• The initial idea was to propose a floating bridge over the moat, which would become a space for civic assembly, and the bridging square was inclined to give a sense of kinesthesia as people moved on it (6m44s).
• The design was oriented towards the Old Town Hall to create a dialogue, and it was a very theatrical space (7m10s).

The Design Process and Inspiration

• During the design process, the importance of the city's archaeology and monuments was realized, and it was understood that they are integrated parts of the culture (7m25s).
• The design team looked at the city's UPS and realized that the Green Line, signifying the historical evolution of the city, had been violently interrupted, and the city of Nicosia is still divided 50 years later (7m59s).
• The project aimed to be more than just a design, but an architecture of healing, and the team researched landscapes around the world for inspiration, including the Gardens of Versailles and English romantic Gardens (8m21s).
• The Gardens of Versailles, built in the 17th century, reflected former neoclassical French architecture and man's domination over nature, while the English romantic Gardens, developed in the 18th century, embraced the beauty of the natural world and hinted at political and social change (8m42s).
• The Arts and Crafts Garden was a rejection of industrialized England, aiming to restore the landscape to its pre-industrial ideals (9m55s).
• New York City's Central Park, created in the late 19th century, is a masterpiece of landscape architecture that incorporates various landscapes and experiences, but its huge scale makes humans feel diminished (10m9s).
• Eleftheria Square, despite being smaller in scale, demanded a more intimate and humane design, requiring a different strategy to make the small piece of land impactful (10m43s).
• The challenge was to make the small landscape part of the grand landscapes and as important as they are, despite its size (11m0s).

The Cypriot Garden: A Personal and Cultural Connection

• After a strenuous meeting, a walk on the construction site during a rainy autumn day triggered a scent that emerged from the ground, stopping time and exploding an infinite number of memories (11m34s).
• The memories that emerged were of childhood, including first steps and kindergarten in a makeshift trench shelter, making the connection to the people, family, and friends deeply personal (12m52s).
• This moment led to the idea of the Cypriot Garden, where the gardener is the carer of the garden, and an interactive and symbiotic relationship became meaningful (13m10s).
• The mission changed to finding the cultural treasures of the historical land, developing an affectionate relationship with the Cypriot landscape and its people as gardeners (13m30s).
• Research involved traditional knitted patterns, medieval embroidery, and visiting villagers who have been doing this for centuries, such as those in the village of Lefkara (13m55s).
• The experience of the project became a homecoming, reintroducing the designer to their people and tribe, a tough and strange process of knowing something intimately but feeling separate from it (14m15s).

Resilience and the Aim of Eleftheria Square

• The people involved in the project, often sensitive and affected by life's problems, are extremely resilient (14m47s).
• The Eleftheria Square project aimed to create a timeless and humane space that celebrates the richness of human culture and diversity, while also preserving the local Cypriot heritage (14m50s).

Design Elements and Features

• The design team studied various compositions to find the perfect blend of uniqueness and meaning, resulting in a geometric pattern of stars and leaves that fit harmoniously within a system of triangulations (15m58s).
• The pattern was interpreted into functional paving designs that work in harmony with the local climate, featuring breathing gaps and drainage systems that allow rain to nourish the ground and prevent erosion (16m57s).
• The square's design incorporates unique constellations of water features that cool the microclimate and provide environmental comfort, as well as indigenous and exotic tree species that provide shade and help dry the ground (17m26s).
• The overall composition is a multi-layered synthesis of archaeology, ecology, landscape design, and engineering, aiming to create an architecture of urban activism and healing for the injured territory (18m8s).
• The suspended bridge was designed to provide shading and create a soft breeze, signifying the unification of the square's parts, while the garden spread underneath the bridge, becoming a unifying element that invites people in (18m41s).

Symbolism and the Timeline of Cyprus

• The planar geometry of Eleftheria Square was encoded as a series of interconnected nodes, or "rosettes," each representing a moment in time and a milestone that opens up to other potential milestones (19m9s).
• The extraordinary timeline is an animation that represents a passage through time, symbolizing the trajectory of the island of Cyprus through its moments of hardship and joy, and ultimately a timeline of hope and redemption (19m38s).
• The Skylight in the bridge is shaped using the passage of the Sun, so that every 1st of October at 1 p.m. exactly, the light of the sun falls on 999 Crystal lights signifying the gift of freedom and self-determination (20m5s).
• Small trees were planted in nurseries early on, so that they can grow by the time the garden is ready for plantation, representing the journey from unknowns and challenges to making the impossible possible (20m27s).

Dedication and Legacy of Eleftheria Square

• The project of Eleftheria Square is built with people who have something good to share, and it is not finished, as it is a space of meeting, chance encounters, and a space for dreamers, realists, and poets (21m26s).
• The project is dedicated to future generations, with the hope of reunifying Cyprus, transforming the graveyard of conflict into a space of hope, peace, and culture (21m55s).
• The experience of the project is seen as a prayer that lasted for about 15 years, with the goal of transforming the place of conflict into a place of culture, hope, redemption, and peace, and paying the debts of the past to move confidently into a better future (22m17s).