Dali House
NICOSIA - CYPRUS
COMPLETED 2008
PRIVATE RESIDENTIAL
PHOTO CREDITS - VAKIS ASSOCIATES
We were commissioned to design a family villa for a young couple with three children on a 20,000 sq.m. plot located on the southern outskirts of Nicosia. The site posed a unique challenge: flat, dry terrain, limited natural vegetation, and no notable views.
However, it offered one rare advantage-direct access to treated water from a nearby private water treatment facility owned by the family.
Instead of viewing the site's constraints as limitations, we approached them as a blank canvas-a chance to design a house from the inside out, anchored by a lush, man-made garden that would transform the barren landscape into a Mediterranean oasis.
The villa is sited at the heart of the garden, surrounded by thoughtfully planned areas that would grow and evolve with the family. Using treated water sustainably, we were able to design an expansive lagoon-style swimming pool, pavilions, a full-scale championship tennis court, and a landscape rich with Mediterranean plant species, trees, and shaded paths.
The house itself is constructed using local stone and red roof tiles sourced from nearby villages, connecting the building to the vernacular of Cypriot rural architecture. Its south-facing orientation frames the garden as the primary view, ensuring that every room opens out to greenery, light, and seasonal colour.
In many ways, this project echoes the spirit of Andrea Palladio's early rural villas, such as Villa Emo, where simple agricultural estates evolved into grand family homes over time.
In a similar vein, our design had to balance permanence with flexibility, tradition with modern living, and personal dreams with architectural order.
As architects, it is a blessing when the relationship with a client becomes a lifelong collaboration, evolving with the family itself. This villa is not just a design-it is the beginning of that ongoing story.
