The competition brief called for a new 3000m2 Passenger Terminal for Limassol Port’s eastern expansion project. The proposal envisioned a building that would be able to handle passenger flows intelligently, by being dynamically flexible and reconfigurable, but at the same time offer a rich spatial complexity, avoiding the generic. Lifting the 400m long main deck above ground allowed the building to co-exist with existing port flow mechanisms (trucks and buses pass below deck to deliver goods and passengers), while the seamless continuity between main and upper deck allows for the spill-out of uses onto the building’s roof, unlocking the potential for interweaving routine passenger processing functions with leisure and recreation functions. The building was conceived as an extension/destination to Limassol’s waterfront urban space, becoming a great elevated deck offering urban facilities combined with great Mediterranean vistas.
The proposal built on the idea of a simple orthogonal structural box frame that would be both economical to erect and would allow for great configuration flexibility. This structural frame was elevated and suspended on vault like concrete structures that allowed for maximum spans at ground level, while also being impervious to the corrosive environment of the pier. The two decks forming the two sides of the frame where then folded on each other to offer one seamlessly continuous flow of space from ground to roof deck and back, unlocking the building’s spatial potential.
Architects: Michael Cosmas Architecture, Socrates Stratis Architecture, J+A Philippou
Project Architects: Michael Cosmas, Paris Philippou, Socrates Stratis
Team (MCA): Christos Malekos, Marios Papademetris
Structural Engineering: J+A Philippou
Mechanical Engineering: J+A Philippou
Electrical Engineering: J+A Philippou
Lighting: n/a
