Borderline

Since 1974, a 185-kilometer (115-mile) border called the Green Line has bisected the island of Cyprus into the Greek-Cypriot south and the Turkish-Cypriot north. The division even runs through the middle of the island’s capital city of Nicosia. The political situation has left its mark on the city’s urban development: Since no one knows what will happen to this important historic hub, there is hardly any investment in the city center. As a result, Nicosia has continued to evolve primarily along its fringes, and magnificently so. The periphery of the Greek-Cypriot section is home to the Aretaios hospital. ‘Because there were no reference points in terms of architecture or urban development in this ‘noman’s land,’ I decided to create a unique arrangement,’ says the hospital’s architect, Haris Hajivassiliou. The Cypriot designer created a compact, L-shaped building with a distinct structure that encompasses a cozy courtyard to the south. Like all buildings on Cyprus, it is a bulwark against the Mediterranean heat: the façades are painted gleaming white. On the north-facing side, horizontal bands of windows let plenty of daylight into the operating and consultation rooms. Inside, visitors are welcomed by a refreshing world of marble, glass and USM. ‘Thanks to its harmonious proportions, the furniture system creates very little “noise” – it fits in with its surroundings discreetly and, in particular, with my architecture,’ says Hajivassiliou, who also uses the USM Haller Modular Furniture in his own office. USM also does not compete with the main feature of the building: the elegant ramp that leads from the entry level on the second floor to the courtyard below. This ‘architectural promenade’ allows the hospital’s patients, visitors, doctors and staff to experience not just a functionally oriented hospital that operates like a machine, but also a place of recovery and contemplation.

Aretaios Hospital, Nicosia (Cyprus)                                                                                                          Private clinic with 80 beds, 15,000 square meters (161,000 square feet)                           Furnishings: USM Haller pure white and light gray                                                                               Sales partner: simos karamichalis swiss office furniture, Kolonaki (Greece)                        Architect: Haris Hadjivassiliou, Doma Architects, Nicosia (Cyprus), in collaboration with Vassilis Troullides

 
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