Paris-based firm RE: has recently completed the design for an extension and refurbishment of the Cyprus College of Art in Paphos. With the idea of continuation, rather than radical reimagination, the project extends the existing sculptural wall of the college, creating new carvings and sculptures from a series of hung perforated copper-clad sheds.
Through this design, the cast concrete wall becomes a horizontal core for the building. Furthermore, this space will contain a series of building services, and can become a place of participation, as it may be carved or painted.
Arranged around the wall and the existing structures of the school, the sheds—new studio spaces—will maintain a “low-slung” character and “[reinforce] the village typology and deinstitutionalized nature of the existing school, while a new tower announces the position of this important cultural institution” explained the architect.
The extension and refurbishment aims to continue the college’s motto, “for artists, by artists,” by encouraging freedoms through its character.
The studios’ copper color is derived from the Lady of Lemba statuette, which was excavated from the site of the college and has since become a symbol for the village.
Learn more about the project here.
News via RE:.
