The idea of place making and the creation of a local community have been central in the design proposal for the new social housing complex in Larnaca. The design process has been informed by the challenges of the site and program as well as by a set of goals such as to create a distinctive identity and a strong sense of neighbourhood whilst integrating into the wider urban fabric, to provide open communal spaces and opportunities for social interaction and to design inexpensive but sustainable structures.

The programmatic requirement for 35 apartments is divided in four building units. The polygonal shape of the buildings allows for unobstructed views from every room while at the same time producing more free space between the buildings. These spaces become critical to the design and they are formed as “social gardens” that extend on the façade in the form of spacious semi-covered balconies.

The requirement for covered outdoor spaces for each apartment has a pivotal role in the design. Each outdoor terrace consists partly of a covered area and an open balcony. This space refers to the traditional architecture of the vernacular house in Cyprus and in particular the typological element of "Heliakos" - an open but covered elongated section in the form of a gallery which functioned as an extension of the interior and connected the courtyard with the house. This element has a bioclimatic character, as it offers shade and creates a pleasant semi-outdoor living space.

These galleries are complimented by balcony extrusions out of the building facade that hold floor-level planters for trees for additional shade during the hot months in Cyprus. These altering planted extrusions combined together create vertical gardens that frame the ground floor leisure spaces strengthening social interaction between the residents not only in the ‘social gardens’ but also between neighbouring buildings and balconies of the same building.