Platinum Winner of the International Architecture & Design Awards 2025
Architect / Designer:
Simzer Kaya
Studio:
SK Architects
Design Team:
Lead Architect & Designer / Founder : Simzer Kaya
3D Modelling and Rendering : Abel Enabunene Odion
Technical Drawings and Interior Design : Mobina Shafiei
Civil Engineers : Hasan Odun, Mücahit Demir
Country:
Cyprus
This headquarters project is designed to embody the essence of an internationally award-winning company, reflecting its values, transparency, and strong connections with both clients and society. The site presented significant challenges due to restricted town planning regulations and limited space, yet the design successfully maximizes functionality while maintaining an open and inviting atmosphere. The company prioritizes open workspaces that encourage collaboration, integrating indoor and outdoor environments seamlessly. The building features two distinct entrances—one dedicated to clients and staff, located on the main road-facing side, leading directly into the open workspace area on the ground floor. The second entrance, positioned on the more private rear side of the building, faces the car park area, providing discreet yet functional access to the administration floor and rooftop event space. This arrangement ensures smooth circulation for clients, staff, and administrative members while maintaining privacy for exclusive rooftop events. A central core, housing the main staircase and elevator, provides seamless vertical access to every floor, enhancing efficiency and connectivity throughout the building. This core links the basement’s multipurpose seminar and entertainment spaces, the open-plan working areas on the ground and mezzanine levels, the executive offices and assistants’ workspace on the first floor, and the rooftop garden, which serves as a dynamic event space. Except for the staircase core and main entrance, the entire structure is a steel-frame construction, supported by only four columns, allowing for expansive, flexible interiors within the constrained site. The ground floor, featuring mezzanine levels, provides open work areas that foster networking in a transparent environment. Situated on a corner plot with two main road-facing sides, the design incorporates garden terraces with ample seating, creating a welcoming and elegant setting for visitors.The façade includes folding and sliding glass doors, further enhancing the fluid connection between indoor and outdoor spaces. The basement serves multiple purposes, accommodating a seminar room for educational events and meetings, complemented by a skylight and inner garden that introduce natural light.Entertainment areas with a kitchen and bar contribute to the company’s vibrant and dynamic culture. The administration floor, located on the first level, houses three executive offices along with an open workspace for assistants, ensuring efficiency and connectivity. Sustainability is a key focus, with solar glass facades and a rainwater collection system that supplies a specially designed pool bistro table on the rooftop. The steel-frame structure adds flexibility to the interior layout while contributing to a modern industrial aesthetics.The headquarters project is a statement of the company’s identity, emphasizing its brand values of transparency,sustainability and innovation.
SK Architects
SKarchitects, founded in 2009 by Simzer Kaya, is a boutique architectural studio based in Cyprus. Simzer Kaya holds a Master’s degree in Architecture from the University for the Creative Arts in Kent, UK, earned in 2008. Passionate about steel frame constructions, she values the material’s flexibility and its ability to create wide, open spaces.
The studio specializes in detail-oriented, innovative designs, offering tailored solutions for each project. Simzer Kaya leads a skilled team of three architects and three engineers, collaborating closely to achieve bold and functional designs. Known for their honest, open approach, SKarchitects embraces cutting-edge technologies and techniques, particularly in steel construction. The studio is renowned for its fearless attitude toward challenging projects, pushing boundaries to deliver distinctive, forward-thinking architecture that reflects creativity, precision, and modern aesthetics.