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In the plan of the symmetrical house, balance was
also reflected in its façade, with the front door
placed at the centre and flanked by a window on
either side. In cases where the building was moved
back from the street, a covered portico shaded the
front entry – this was achieved by using space
from the front of the original
iliakos
. On other oc-
casions a covered porch was built along the entire
front of the house. Windows were added to the
side elevations of these free-standing houses, and
the side elevations themselves acquired composi-
tional importance.
With the introduction of new technology, indus-
trialised, easy-to-use materials and an increasingly
modern way of life, the people of Cyprus inevita-
bly abandoned the island’s traditional architecture.
Young architects, educated abroad, returned to Cy-
prus in the 1950s-1960s, bringing modernismwith
them.During the years following the independence
of Cyprus, the urban landscape transformed ac-
cording to the modern international style. The first
tall buildings appeared in the Republic, and their
morphology expressed the technological achieve-
ments of the construction industry: extended can-
tilever concrete roofs, prefabricated brise-soleil,
and reinforced concrete structural frames. A large
number of public buildings, including schools,
were constructed during this period, as was much
of the island’s tourist infrastructure, which needed
to accommodate an increasing influx of visitors.
This new architectural style was also adopted by
the Republic’s city dwellers, who took to the mod-
ern, urban way of living in all its manifestations.
Contemporary architecture and techniques re-
placed or altered the historic building stock. After
a long period of indifference, when vernacular ar-
chitecture was synonymous with rural misery, tra-
ditional/historic architecture (along with the mod-
ern movement) is once again being appreciated as
a valuable component of our island’s cultural heri-
tage. Today, thanks to renewed interest, historic
rural and urban settlements are being rehabilitated
and revitalized. The government is supporting this
trend by providing generous financial and other
incentives for restoration and rehabilitation proj-
ects, and by organising events aiming at making
the public aware of the value of traditional Cypriot
architecture.
The urban house. Photo: Irene Hadjisavva
Traditional housing settlement. Photo: Irene Hadjisavva