Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios design is inspired by traditional Cypriot architecture of local stone with small, shuttered openings which exclude the fierce heat in summer but open to allow the winter sun to penetrate.

The building is close to the 15th century Venetian walls of Nicosia and takes on an eroded form creating a contrast between solid and void that generate a series of courtyards & balconies, public and private. These connect to the street, the city, and to the spectacular views to the Pentadaktylos Mountains to the north resonating with both the ancient and contemporary quarters of Nicosia.

The Leventis Gallery and apartments are designed to minimise energy use by avoiding potentially harmful solar gains, enhanced insulation and airtightness and use of daylighting wherever feasible. A heavyweight structure with carefully shaded openings will be less reliant on energy hungry systems than many of its lightweight, highly glazed neighbours, but will still require cooling through the summer months.

Geothermal energy is harnessed via cast-in coils to provide background heating and cooling with a constant temperature of 20 degrees celsius.

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