panos nikolaidis design

PROJECT

Eleftheria Square

CLIENT

International competition

DATE

2006

Eleftheria Square: Bridging Histories, Weaving Futures

Suspended above the ancient moat of Nicosia, Elefheria Square redefines civic space as a connective threshold—linking the medieval city with its modern counterpart, while descending into a reimagined landscape below. The project merges infrastructure, public realm, and symbolic continuity into a singular architectural gesture.

Located at the heart of Nicosia, Cyprus, Eleftheria Square is conceived as a hybrid structure—a public square in the form of a bridge. It spans the historic moat that once encircled the old city, now transformed into a linear park, and connects the fortified core with the contemporary urban fabric beyond. The design choreographs movement across multiple levels, integrating pathways, plazas, and landscaped terraces into a fluid topography. Drawing from both classical ideals and Gothic structural language, the project embodies a spatial dialogue between past and present, elevation and excavation, memory and momentum. It stands as a civic landmark that celebrates continuity—urban, cultural, and architectural.