University of Nicosia architecture students win awards in global urban farm competition

Nicosia, Cyprus. Second-year architecture students at the University of Nicosia received most of the prizes and honourable mentions in the global “Community Urban Farm” architecture competition for studio projects set in Gaza.

First prize went to Marilia Petrou and Vlada Dovguchits, while Despina Ignatiou received third prize.

Honourable mentions

Honourable mentions were awarded to Meto Hisotoci, Daria Shevchenko, Maria Veniamin and Despoina Pyrpou; Lali Dzsandzsgava and Morgane Azar; and Anthi Batsouli, Kleopatra Prodromou, Dora Michael and Lynn Danaf.

Studio project

The competition was a major component of the students’ spring semester studio, the department’s main course for the term, and led to the development of the “Community HOME GROWN” project.

Students competed against architects, designers, planners and students from all five years of study at leading universities worldwide, according to the University of Nicosia Architecture Department.

Humanitarian context

The competition allowed participants to select their own site. The department said the semester’s focus on architecture’s role in humanitarian contexts led the studio to select Gaza for the projects.

The course was taught by lecturers Angela Kyriacou Petrou, Afra Omidi, Teresa Tourvas and Yiorgos Hadjichristou as part of the Architecture Department’s second-year spring semester programme.