Teaching Activities & Student Projects: Vernacular Architecture and Contemporary Issues

The detailed analysis of traditional settlements, as well as the principles for their conservation and reuse, form part of the course Vernacular Architecture and Contemporary Issues. The course includes theoretical teaching and analysis of relevant issues in the frame of group and individual projects which are essential for the development of critical thinking and research skills.

In the first phase of the project, each group of students selects and conducts an analysis of a traditional settlement (urban fabric, typology and morphology of dwellings etc). In the second phase, each group focuses on a vernacular dwelling that needs conservation, which is captured through photographs and drawings, and prepares a scenario of reusing the dwelling. The rural traditional settlements selected for analysis in the academic year 2022-2023 are the following: Kalavasos, Tochni, Dhali, Avdellero, Ergates, Parsada and the historic urban area of Strovolos. In the buildings selected, in the above-mentioned projects, small scale changes are proposed to accommodate the new uses (such as new lightweight structures). At the same time, contemporary structures are added which are distinguished from the existing vernacular dwellings but at the same time being in harmony with the traditional settlements.