Zaha Hadid Architect project in Cyprus | Christos Passas | TEDxEleftheriaSquare

The Eleftheria Square Project and the Walls of Nicosia

• The Eleftheria Square project in Cyprus is a significant architectural project that has been worked on extensively, and the designer has returned to the site earlier than usual due to its importance (37s).
• The project's story involves the historical, architectural, and personal journey of the designer, which includes moments of desperation and inspiration (53s).
• One of the main protagonists of the story is Julio Savorgnano, a brilliant Venetian architect and engineer who designed the walls of Nicosia in the 16th century (1m32s).
• Savorgnano was commissioned by the Republic of Venice to design the walls of Nicosia and worked on various Venetian fortifications in the Eastern Mediterranean (1m37s).
• His work spans the whole of the Eastern Mediterranean, and he is considered one of the most innovative and influential defensive architects of the Renaissance (1m55s).
• Savorgnano's most important work can be found in Kira, Corfu, Heracleon, Candia, and Nicosia, and he later rebuilt the walls of Palmanova in Venice (2m20s).
• The walls of Nicosia and Palmanova are both UNESCO sites and feature the latest innovations of Savorgnano's time, including inclined walls and recycled materials from the old walls (2m44s).
• Savorgnano demolished the old walls, consolidated the perimeter of the city, and gave the new walls a bigger inclination to deflect bullets (3m13s).
• He also removed the stones from the top part of the wall to cushion against the impact of cannon balls, which was a counterintuitive but genius design move (3m46s).
• The walls of Nicosia are considered some of the most beautiful in the world and a marvel of defensive fortifications, with designs based on strict geometrical definitions and mathematical equations (4m17s).
• The construction of the walls took about 8 months to build using labor from local Cypriots, but unfortunately, the walls were never truly finished (4m49s).
• The bridge connecting the old and new city was built by the British, and the walls of Nicosia are a testament to Savorgnano's innovative and influential design (5m9s).

The Redesign of Eleftheria Square

• Eleftheria Square, also known as Freedom Square, was originally a bridge built in 1882 to connect the old and new city of Nicosia, Cyprus, and was used as a gathering point for people until 2005 when it was redesigned (5m10s).
• The redesign aimed to create a suspended square that would respond to the urban conditions of the city, making it a landmark that would give definition to the city center and enhance the connection between the old and new city (5m54s).
• The initial idea was to propose a floating bridge over the moat, which would become a space of civic assembly, and the bridging square was inclined on one side to give a sense of kinesthesia as people moved on it (6m41s).
• The design was intended to create a dialogue with the Old Town Hall and was a very theatrical space, but it was later realized that something important was missing from the design (7m12s).
• The city's history and division were taken into consideration, and the project aimed to become an architecture of healing, with the goal of making the city more than just a divided space (8m21s).

Inspiration from Gardens and Landscapes

• Research was conducted on landscapes around the world, including the Gardens of Versailles, which were built in the 17th century and reflected the axial geometries of neoclassical French architecture and man's domination over nature (8m38s).
• The English romantic Gardens of the 18th century were also studied, which embraced the beauty of the natural world and hinted at political and social change (9m37s).
• The Arts and Crafts Garden movement rejected industrialized England and sought 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 based on the City Beautiful movement (10m9s).
• Despite its iconic status, Central Park's large scale can make humans feel diminished, highlighting the need for a different strategy in smaller-scale landscapes like Nicosia's Eleftheria Square (10m29s).
• The challenge in designing Eleftheria Square was to create a small, intimate space that felt connected to the larger landscape and was impactful despite its size (10m56s).

The Cypriot Garden Concept

• After a strenuous meeting, a walk through the construction site on a chaotic, rainy day sparked a moment of clarity, as the scent of the place emerged and memories of childhood and the Cypriot landscape flooded back (12m10s).
• This experience led to the idea of the Cypriot Garden, which emphasized the interactive and symbiotic relationship between the gardener and the garden (13m10s).
• The design team developed an affectionate relationship with the Cypriot landscape and its people, working with natural elements to create a model for a new Cypriot Garden (13m39s).
• Research into traditional Cypriot patterns, medieval embroidery, and village traditions informed the design, which aimed to create a sense of homecoming and connection to the island and its people (13m53s).
• The experience of working on the project was a complex, almost existential, process of reconnecting with one's roots and sense of identity (14m23s).
• The Cypriot culture is described as resilient, friendly, and welcoming, with a timeless and humane quality that is irresistible, making it a privilege to connect with the local characters and consider them as part of "My Tribe" (14m50s).
• The importance of recognizing that everyone belongs to one tribe or another, with their own origins and backgrounds, is emphasized, and instead of just thinking globally, it's suggested to consider how to build a garden that reflects the local culture, such as a Cypriot garden, a Maltese garden, or a Beiruti garden (15m11s).
• The goal is to preserve the richness of humankind by tracing the landscapes of people, cultures, languages, and histories, and to remind ourselves of our origins to figure out where we're going (15m40s).

Design and Construction of the Cypriot Garden

• The project's composition was developed through studying endless combinations to find the one that felt right, with a unique and meaningful representation of the local culture, using geometrically opposite shapes, such as stars and leaves, that fit within a system of triangulations (15m55s).
• The pattern was turned into a gradient transition that seamlessly knitted the design together, with a functional paving design that works in harmony with the local climate, allowing for breathing gaps and drainage (16m40s).
• The design incorporates water features that serve to cool the microclimate and provide environmental comfort, with trees indigenous to the Cypriot biome complemented by more exotic varieties, providing shade and helping to dry the ground faster (17m28s).
• The overall composition of the Cypriot garden is both simple and complex, highlighting the importance of each unique part making every element an indivisible part of the whole (17m52s).

The Synthesis of Design and Engineering

• The project is a multi-layered synthesis of archaeology, ecology, landscape design, and engineering, with an architecture of urban activism that aims to heal an injured territory through a deep understanding of sustainability (18m12s).
• The suspended bridge was designed to provide shading and create a soft breeze of air, signifying the first opening that unifies the parts of the modes, with the garden spreading underneath the bridge and becoming the unifying element (18m41s).
• The planer geometry of Altheria Square was encoded as a series of interconnected nodes, or "rosettes," each signifying a moment in time and a milestone that opens up to other potential milestones (19m9s).
• The project in Cyprus represents a passage through time, symbolizing the island's trajectory through moments of hardship and joy, ultimately becoming a timeline of hope and redemption (19m38s).
• The project features a skylight that is shaped using the passage of the sun, and every 1st of October at 1 p.m., the light of the sun falls on 999 crystal lights, signifying the gift of freedom and self-determination (20m5s).

Planting the Seeds of Hope and Unity

• Small trees were planted in nurseries early on so that they can grow by the time the garden is ready for plantation, representing a journey that started with unknowns and challenges but became possible through collaboration with the people (20m27s).
• The project is built with people who have something good to share, and it has planted a seed that will grow in time, teaching that what we have started shall make us who we must become to find peace internally and externally (20m59s).
• Alia square is a space of meeting, chance encounters, and escape from the mundane, where people can meet themselves, and it must be dedicated to future generations (21m26s).
• The project aims to reunify Cyprus, transforming a space of conflict into a space of hope, peace, and culture, and to pay the debts of the past to move confidently into a better future for all (22m1s).
• The experience is seen as a prayer that lasted for about 15 years, with the goal of reestablishing a connection between all the people of Cyprus and transforming the place of conflict into a place of culture, hope, redemption, and peace (22m17s).