Aura: A unique high-rise residential complex on the Limassol seafront

Aura, which is expected to be granted building permission soon, is a unique proposed high-rise residential complex that is expected to be built on the Limassol seafront.
Standing at 43 storeys tall, the tower will feature 2,3 and 4 bedroom apartments as well as 5 bedroom penthouses.

Arranged in a vertical stack of four ‘sky villages’, each with an open courtyard at its base, the tower consists of a three-dimensional ‘pixelated’ elevation, with cantilevering terraces projecting out over 5m towards the sea to the south and mountains to the north. This 3D elevation self-shades the building on the more exposed south elevation from the sun and wind, making the balconies comfortable outdoor extensions of the apartments and contributing to a passive, sustainable environmental strategy for the building.

The introduction of open courtyards at the heart of the building forces the traditional solid core to ‘dematerialise’ into an array of eight fin walls integrated within the apartment layouts; four in the north-south direction and four in the east-west. These are joined to form a rigid frame below each sky garden with a technical floor, housing the plant for each village. These transfer levels also allow space for deep-rooted trees and water tanks for their irrigation, as well as supporting every village independently. This innovative design for a tower combines technologies for high-rise construction with a domestic and sustainable village-like dwelling.

With only eight fin-shaped walls touching the ground, the amenity and apartment floors are raised 25m above a 300m-long, 40m-wide park that sweeps uninterrupted under the tower, connecting the waterfront deep within the urban fabric. This not only provides the neighbourhood with a unique piece of public realm, but also contributes to the passive ventilation of the tower, park and surrounding area.

Aura has been designed by the internationally prestigious architectural firm Foster+Partners, and is supported by a multitude of surveyors from Cyprus and abroad.