History and Theory - Contemporary Architecture
Undergraduate course (Y3)
This course focuses on architecture from the end of the twentieth century onwards. It investigates the definition of postmodernism and its influence in architecture, and the lineage of contemporary architectural thought, discourse, and practice. The course is structured on a systematic inquiry into the history and theory of architecture, calling the students to become historiographers of the present, engaged with philosophical, social, material, political, and environmental exigencies, relevant to contemporary architecture. The course aims to develop an understanding of the interdisciplinary forces that inform architecture, positioning disciplinary challenges that are entangled with architectural agency.
Research Methodologies [in Architecture]
PhD course
This course offers an overview of various types and practices of research methodology in the architectural discipline, laying the groundwork for an advanced research project. Current debates on the relationship of architecture, history and theory, conventional and experimental research, as well as questions about disciplinary and interdisciplinary boundaries are explored. These research methods are positioned in the broader context of historical evolution and epistemological inquiry. Students are encouraged to "think again" their own methods and to experiment with a variety of tools enhancing their analytical and critical lenses.
Architecture and Society
Undergraduate course (Y2)
The relationship between space and society has been long discussed in the work of geographers and anthropologists. This course brings together historical and contemporary examples of the inevitability of architecture to discuss society, to reflect upon the way the world works, and to provide for social needs. As a 2nd year mandatory course, it brings together a set of relationships for students to start grasping the multitude of approaches that architecture and society may have, such as power and hierarchy in the built environment, gender imbalances in the architectural profession, as well as the space provided by architects, the way architecture can facilitate space for disabled people, non-humans, and the environment, among others.
For students' work, click here.
Architecture and Landscape
Undergraduate course (Y3)
This course introduces architecture students to theories related to the concept of the "landscape." It explores aspects of ecological design in the entwinement of architecture and landscape, and the role of architecture in planetary issues, such as climate change, extraction and consumption of resources, as well as urban and landscape resilience. The course aims to raise awareness among future architects towards more-than-human landscapes, from the scale of the building to large-scale territories.
The course, in the form of a micro-studio, envisions 2050 in sites around Cyprus, often contemplating the entanglement of architecture - landscape - heritage. Amid climate crisis, a multispecies turn, and a posthumanist society... are we looking for a New World?
History and Theory - Architecture before 1800
Undergraduate course (Y1)
A dense course that spans the evolution of architecture from ancient times to 1800. While the course takes a global view of architectural history as often found in typical textbooks, the fact that it takes place at the University of Cyprus calls for a parallel discussion between prevalent narratives and events, such as found in David Watkin's A History of Western Architecture (1986), and the historical conditions of the island; a place of conflict, occupation, and colonisation from antiquity to the present. Occupied by the Assyrians, the Greeks, the Lusignans, the Venetians, and the Ottomans, among many others, Cyprus's architectural history before 1800 reveals congruities and incongruities with global perspectives on architectural styles, movements, and evolution.