pantelis charalambides

Influences of Vernacular

Architecture on Cypriot

Sustainable Housing

Design

welsh school of architecture | Pantelis Charalambides wsa5 1

Influences of Vernacular Architecture on Cypriot Sustainable Housing Design

2 Pantelis Charalambides wsa5| welsh school of architecture


Abstract: The collected wisdom of a place‟s native inhabitants has made them capable of finding viable solutions on working with the environments in which they build. This came from a process of trial and error over a period of many centuries and has formed the vernacular traditions specific for each place across the world. However, over the last few centuries phenomena such as the technological advancement and the globalization have created a trend towards an international style of buildings mainly influenced from the Western world which has resulted in vernacular building traditions to become obsolete. This has created a series of problems ranging from the harm to the environment to the identity crisis in the architecture of cultures around the world. This problem raised the awareness of the professionals in the field of architecture who sought to find ways to create buildings which are more responsive to the environment, often referred to as „sustainable‟. However, most of the principles of sustainable design where already applied in traditional dwellings many centuries ago proving that it is possible to provide comfortable environments using traditional solutions. Based on the opinions of leading researchers in the field of vernacular architecture, this dissertation analyses the Cypriot vernacular dwellings in order to define a set of principles for practicing sustainable housing designs in Cyprus. The analysis is separated into four sections: the historical, the environmental, the social and the technical. The validity of these principles/guidelines is then cross referenced against a contemporary sustainable design and draws some findings which will hopefully provide the basis of contemporary housing design in the Cypriot context.



Influences of Vernacular

Architecture on Cypriot

Sustainable Housing

Design

Pantelis Charalambides wsa5

0808451

A dissertation submitted in partial fulfilment of the degree of March, 2013



Contents:

Chapter 1: Introduction

Chapter 2: Generally on Vernacular:

2.1 Defining the Vernacular

2.2 Characteristics of Vernacular

2.3 Approaches of Studying Vernacular Architecture

Chapter 3: Hypothesis and Method:

3.1 The importance of studying Vernacular Architecture

3.2 Aims/Objectives and Method of study

Chapter 4: Cypriot Vernacular analysis

4.1 Historical Aspects

4.2 Environmental Aspects

4.3 Social Aspects

4.4 Technical Aspects

4.5 Formulation of principles

Chapter 5: Contemporary Sustainable House testing

5.1 Cypriot Vernacular

5.2 Historical Aspects

5.3 Environmental Aspects

5.4 Social Aspects

5.5 Technical Aspects

Chapter 6: Conclusions-Findings



List of Illustrations:

Figure 01: Grouping of vernacular architecture approaches

Figure 02: Existing and Appropriate evolution of architecture throughout history

Figure 03: Paros

Figure 04: Alleys in Paros

Figure 05: Semi-Circular Arch

Figure 06: Equilateral pointed arch

Figure 07: Example of Monochoro Typology Figure 08: Monochoro Typology

Figure 09: Monochoro

Figure 10: Monochoro Makrynari

Figure 11: Dichoro Typology

Figure 12: Dichoro Makrynari

Figure 13: Dichoro Typology and its variations

Figure 14: Dichoro Makrynari Figure 15: Vertical Repetitions of Monochoro and Monochoro Makrynari Figure 16: Solarium with arches

Figure 18: Examples of horizontal epektaseis

Figure 17: Solarium with timber shelter

Figure 19: Examples of vertical epektaseis

Figure 20: Houses with Iliakos



Figure 21: View to the Ssospiton

Figure 22: Mezzanine addition

Figure 23: Kritou Terra

Figure 24: Kritou Terra headwaters

Figure 25: Kritou Tera settlement growth follows the river

Figure 26 Monochoro with the entrance on the shorter side

Figure 27: Environmental performance of monochoro and dichoro houses

Figure 28: Environmental performance of house with iliakos

Figure 29: Settlement allocation on map. Pano Arodes (orange) and Kathikas

(blue

Figure 30: Ringed Development of Pano Arodes settlement

Figure 31: Finger Development of Kathikas settlement

Figure 32: Natural-Feature-Dependant Development of Kritou Tera settlement

Figure 34: Dwelling Complexes in Kathikas

Figure 35: Dwelling Complexes in Pano Arodes

Figure 33: Blank facades from the public footpath in the settlement of Kathikas

Figure 35: Dwelling Complexes in Pano Arodes

Figure 36: Dwelling facades from the public path in Pano Arodes

Figure 37: Monochoro in Kritou Tera with entrance in the public path

Figure 38: Relationship of houses to the two streets

Figure 39: House built from sieropetres

Figure 40: Fences built from athasopetres



Figure 41: Walls made out of mixture of rubble

Figure 42: Window detailing as seen from the exterior

Figure 43: Window and door detailing as seen from the interior

Figure 44: Wall with skalosiotripes

Figure 45: Doma

Figure 46: Amfiklini roof Detail

Figure 47: Sketch of Y-shaped beams as seen from the interior

Figure 48: Derived Principles

Figure 49: Ramón Esteve behind the model of the house

Figure 50: concept sketch of the cubic shaped building

Figure 51: North facade

Figure 52: South facade

Figure 53: Spatial organization

Figure 54: The fireplace



Chapter 1: Introduction

Traditional architecture has developed over many

centuries through a process of trial and error. The

collected wisdom of each place‟s native inhabitants

has made them capable of finding viable solutions

on working with the climate extremes.1 However,

over the last few centuries phenomena such as the

technological advancement and the globalization

have created a trend towards an international style

of buildings mainly influenced from the Western

world which has resulted in vernacular building

traditions to become obsolete.2 People rightfully

seek for high levels of comfort within the

environment of their house. This can be achieved

by incorporating high-tech ventilation systems as

well as many other products of technology in

buildings. However, these systems are expensive

in initial cost and very energy consuming. In order

for this energy to be consumed many of the earth‟s

natural resources have been for centuries

irrationally exploited and caused harm to the

environment in many ways. This problem has

brought the world to a point where these issues

need to be addressed responsibly in order for the

world as we know it to stay in existence. As a

result, a tendency towards more climate

1 Despina K. Serghides, „The Wisdom of Mediterranean

Traditional Architecture Versus Contemporary Architecture – The Energy Challenge‟, The Open Construction and Building Technology Journal, 4 (2010), 29-38 (p.29) 2 Paul Oliver, „Afterword: Raising the Roof‟, in Vernacular

Architecture in the Twenty-First Century Theory, Education and Practice, ed. by Lindsay Asquith and Marcel Vellinga (London: Taylor and Francis, 2006) pp. 262-268 (p. 268)



responsive buildings has started to become the

new trend in the field of architecture.3

With the term „sustainability‟ rapidly becoming

more and more popular in the architectural

community and it is now the most ethical way to

practice architecture in the twenty-first century.4

However, most of the principles of sustainable

design where already applied in traditional

dwellings many centuries ago proving that it is

possible to provide comfortable environments

within a house using traditional solutions.5 This is

not to say that designers should blindly mimic the

vernacular traditions of the place in which they

practice. Instead, computer technology, modern

construction methods and innovative materials can

be used in collaboration with vernacular traditions

in order to search for ways of providing climate

responsive houses. Ignoring a place‟s architectural

heritage and disregarding the wisdom of the past is

at best ill-informed if not arrogant.

Therefore, this research‟s purpose is to study the

characteristics of Cypriot vernacular architecture

based on the opinions of leading names in the field

3 Yannas Simos and Willi Weber, Lessons from Traditional

Architecture: Achieving Climatic Buildings by Studying the Past. 1 vols. (London: Earthscan, 2011) 4 Suha Ozkan, „Traditionalism in Vernacular Architecture ‟, in

Vernacular Architecture in the Twenty-First Century Theory, Education and Practice, ed. by Lindsay Asquith and Marcel Vellinga (London: Taylor and Francis, 2006) pp. 262-268 (p. 268) 5 Despina K. Serghides, „The Wisdom of Mediterranean

Traditional Architecture Versus Contemporary Architecture – The Energy Challenge‟, The Open Construction and Building Technology Journal, 4 (2010), 29-38 (p.29)



such as Paul Oliver, Marcel Vellinga, and Amos

Rapoport and through their opinions provide

information to define a set of principles for

designing appropriate modern sustainable houses

in Cyprus. After that, a contemporary sustainable

house in Cyprus will be used as a case study and

through the derived principles, test and question its

validity as a sustainable response to the Cypriot

context and state where it has succeeded, how

could it improve and where could it be revised.

The findings will hopefully give a clear idea of what

is an appropriate house design for the Cypriot

context and will provide the starting point of a

much broader research for myself and other

designers to define the principles for appropriate

housing designs in Cyprus.



Chapter 2: Generally on Vernacular

2.1 Defining the vernacular:

Since the beginning of time, humans have been in

the need of a shelter in order to be protected from

the natural elements. This primitive need has

intuitively urged people to start building their own

dwellings which according to the context in which

they were living, had a series of characteristics that

made them differ from the dwellings of people who

lived in other areas. This set of building traditions

has been described over time in a variety of ways

by people who sought the study of this field of

architecture and the main terms being used to do

so were: indigenous, folk, anonymous, primitive,

and popular architecture6. However, the term

which most comprehensively describes these

dwellings and their traditions is ‘vernacular’.

Derived from the Latin vernaculus (native), these

pieces of architecture are categorized based on

the fact that they follow certain building traditions

(religious, tribal or localized).7 These building

traditions

6 Amos Rapoport, House Form and Culture (Toronto: Prentice

Hall, 1969), p.1 7 Paul Oliver, „Introduction‟, in Encyclopedia of Vernacular

Architecture of the World, Volume 1: Theories and principles, ed. by Paul Oliver (Cambridge University Press, 1997) p.xxi



place vernacular dwellings within their

environmental, national as well as their cultural

context. In addition, their building form is strongly

defined by the local material resources and

technologies available at the time, the structural

systems employed, as well as the environmental

conditions of the context. On the cultural aspects

the beliefs, the behavioural patterns and the

community’s social structure have a bearing on the

building type, functions and meanings of these

dwellings.8 Others also believe that the analysis

and study of the economic activity of a culture also

have an important role to play in defining

vernacular architecture.9

8 Paul Oliver, „Introduction‟, in Encyclopedia of Vernacular

Architecture of the World, Volume 1: Theories and principles, ed. by Paul Oliver (Cambridge University Press, 1997) p.xxi 9 Suha Ozkan, „Traditionalism and Vernacular Architecture in

the Twenty-First Century‟, in Vernacular Architecture in the Twenty-First Century, ed. by Lindsay Asquith and Marcel Vellinga (London: Taylor and Francis, 2006) pp. 97-109 (p. 100)



2.2 Vernacular Characteristics:

The main characteristics of vernacular dwellings

are that they follow a strategic choice of site, and

they respond to the area’s micro-climatic

conditions. The dwellings are constructed using

locally sourced materials and they are built by their

owners/occupiers or occasionally with the aids of

specialists who are still however, members of the

same community using intuitive knowledge which

is handed down from generation to generation.

Moreover, vernacular architecture’s building

traditions respond to the culture’s social and

economic environments and they evolve along with

the culture’s intuitive wisdom.10

Even though the diversity of these building

traditions across the world would make any

attempt to define vernacular in a few words seem

unrealistic, perhaps the most accurate and concise

definition of vernacular architecture is written by

Paul Oliver in his book: Encyclopedia of

Vernacular Architecture of the World (1997):

Vernacular architecture comprises the dwellings

and other buildings of the people. Related to their

environmental contexts and available resources,

they are customarily owner- or community built,

utilizing traditional technologies. All forms of

vernacular are built to meet specific needs,

accommodating the values, economies and ways

of living of the cultures that produce them.

10

Paul Oliver, „Introduction‟, in Encyclopedia of Vernacular Architecture of the World, Volume 1: Theories and principles, ed. by Paul Oliver (Cambridge University Press, 1997) p.xxi



2.3 Approaches of Studying Vernacular

Architecture:

The study of vernacular architecture is a broad

subject and is increasingly attracting the interest of

many specialists from a variety of fields. As

mentioned above, vernacular architecture is

heavily influenced on culture’s traditions, customs

and beliefs, so naturally the study of it can reveal a

great variety of information useful for people from

many areas of study in a great variety of ways.

Each of those fields takes its own positions in

vernacular architecture study in order to obtain the

information relevant to them. Therefore, in the

study of vernacular architecture a series of

different approaches and concepts have been

developed, with the main ones being: Aesthetic,

Anthropological, Archaeological, Architectural,

Behavioural Patterns, Cognitive, Etic/Emic

concept, Conservationist, Developmental,

Diffusionist, Ecological, Ethnological, Evolutionary,

Folkloristic, Geographical, Historical, Museological,

Phenomenological concept, Recording and

Documentation, Spatial concept, Structuralist

theory and the Generative-Transformational

method.11 (Appx. 01) This list of approaches

doesn‟t mean that each study has to follow each

and every one of these but rather gives the full

picture of the variety of research fields in

vernacular architecture. However, due to many

overlaps in their principles the approaches can be

grouped into four sections. (Fig. 01) As mentioned

above, these four sections provide the headings

11

Paul Oliver, „Introduction‟, in Encyclopedia of Vernacular Architecture of the World, Volume 1: Theories and principles, ed. by Paul Oliver (Cambridge University Press, 1997) p.xxi



which will form the main body of this text, in

analysing the Cypriot vernacular.

A common issue observed in most of the

approaches is the fact that in the study of

vernacular building traditions focused mainly on

the monument-buildings such as the temples,

palaces and tombs in order to conduct their

researches. In the field of archaeology for

example, the study of vernacular architecture until

recently, focused on the monument-buildings.

However, in the last years the focus has shifted on

the study of the city as a whole in order to gain a

better understanding of the aspects interested in. It

has been proven that the study of the vernacular

dwellings and their relationships with monument-

buildings was equally (if not more important) than

the study of only the monument-buildings. 12

Similarly, the architectural community traditionally

has been giving great importance on the study of

monument-buildings and the appraisal of the

designer/architect for their talent, good taste and

ingenuity. Even though this might be right to an

extent, the study of monument-buildings only

accounts for a very small portion of the whole

building activity at any given time, even until today.

13 Considering that the majority of the built

environment has been built without the aids of a

designer/architect by people using intuitive

knowledge, one can safely say that the study of

the bulk of the built environment has largely been

ignored by the architectural community. This

tendency to categorize the monument-buildings as

the “important” and the only ones worth to study,

12

Amos Rapoport, House Form and Culture (Toronto: Prentice Hall, 1969), p.1 13

Amos Rapoport, House Form and Culture (Toronto: Prentice Hall, 1969), p.2



neglecting vernacular dwellings and the

environment which they compose, gives an undue

importance to the former.14 Rather, it is the bulk of

the built environment-which mostly comprises of

the dwellings- that can give someone the most

valuable lessons on a culture‟s traditions, customs

and beliefs and in the field of architecture

especially, there are many lessons to be learnt

from the study of the vernacular dwellings.

14




Figure 01: Sections of Vernacular Architecture Approach15

15

Author



Chapter 3: Hypothesis and Method

3.1 The importance of studying Vernacular

Architecture.

As with many cultures around the world,

contemporary Cypriot dwellings have lost their

identity and they are now mere followers of global

trends mainly influenced from Western cultures.16

All the above were results of globalization which

was a consequence of the technological

advancement. The rapid technological

advancement that the industrial revolution brought

along had a massive impact on this as well as the

way people lived until then. It has certainly

expanded many possibilities in a great variety of

aspects of life, the extent of which is something

that will not be discussed here as it is a whole new

topic of research itself. However, there is a belief

by many that ‘technology’ and ‘vernacular’ are two

contradictory terms and cannot coexist in an

architectural proposition. This statement might be

right to an extent but this is only because people

have been using technology in the wrong way

when it comes to dwelling design and

construction.17 Technology with respects to

architecture, has enabled a more active control of

the environmental conditions of buildings through

the aids of mechanical systems to regulate the

internal comfort levels, it has given many

opportunities on the choice of materials other than

17

Isaac A. Meir and Susan C. Roaf, „Traditionalism and Vernacular Architecture in the Twenty-First Century‟, in Vernacular Architecture in the Twenty-First Century, ed. by Lindsay Asquith and Marcel Vellinga (London: Taylor and Francis, 2006) pp. 199-230 (p. 216)



the locally available ones, it has pushed the limits

of building materials’ into new levels and has given

many other possibilities which whether they were

beneficial or not is a controversial matter.

However, this series of new capabilities has given

the power to many people responsible for the

design of these buildings (the majority of them

being architects) to design without considering the

context in which they build. As a consequence, this

created numerous problems. The most significant

ones is the harm to the environment and the loss

of cultural identity in the architecture of many

around the world.

After decades of irrational exploitation of the

earth’s natural resources due to the new abilities

that technology brought along, and after many

examples of inappropriate-for –their-contexts

designs issues of sourcing and transporting

materials, the impact of a building on its

environment during and after construction (i.e. the

carbon footprint of the building) have emerged as a

topic of concern in the architectural community.

Moreover, the technological advancement has

brought some other issues as well. As previously

mentioned, every culture in every corner of the

world has its own building traditions. This set of

building traditions were followed by everyone in the

given community and they were in a way an

unwritten building law which everyone accepted

and obeyed without questioning. They were

considered to be the principles of building in each

area and they were a matter of concern for

everybody living in the given area and were



handed down from generation to generation.18

However, with technological advancement came

the globalization which in turn might has had a

catastrophic effect on the ways people build. It has

brought a homogenizing effect in buildings around

the world. As a consequence, homogenization has

brought the disappearance of each culture’s

building traditions. Homogenization has broken the

link between society and its building traditions and

the latter ceased to be an active influential factor

on the way people build.19 (Fig.02)

18


Suha Ozkan, „Traditionalism and Vernacular Architecture in the Twenty-First Century‟, in Vernacular Architecture in the Twenty-First Century, ed. by Lindsay Asquith and Marcel Vellinga (London: Taylor and Francis, 2006) pp. 97-109 (p. 108)



Existing Appropriate

Figure 02: Existing and Appropriate evolution of architecture throughout

history20

20

Author



Undoubtedly, the ceasement of validity of local

building traditions has yielded architecture that is in

most cases inappropriate to the complex nature of

an area’s cultural norms and environmental

conditions in a number of ways. 21

Firstly, the purposefulness of the vernacular

dwellings’ construction was lost. Every single

element of a vernacular building was put together

in the specific way for a reason, leaving at the

same time a sense of openness for evolution to

happen. This idea of the purposeful interrelation of

elements was evident in a great range of scales;

from the relationship of all the building elements

that comprise a small dwelling (micro) to the

relationship of buildings within the whole

settlement (macro) and the relationship of all of the

above to their environment. This characteristic is

something which the majority of the contemporary

designs miss. As a consequence, in the course of

time most of the contemporary buildings will prove

conceptually and visually incompetent to compare

with the timelessness of vernacular buildings. The

reason for that being that these buildings will

inevitably never feel rooted to their social nor their

environmental context as they do not respond to

them.22

Secondly, modern societies tend to put a premium

on originality and often this is done for no particular

21

Suha Ozkan, „Traditionalism and Vernacular Architecture in the Twenty-First Century‟, in Vernacular Architecture in the Twenty-First Century, ed. by Lindsay Asquith and Marcel

Vellinga (London: Taylor and Francis, 2006) pp. 97-109 (p. 108) 22




reason, rather than its own sake. This tendency is

an effect of the extinction of the vernacular building

traditions as a regulator in a culture’s architecture

and consequently modern societies think of

vernacular traditions as something undesirable.23

However, this desire for originality in buildings

sometimes produces results which are based on

ill-thought responses to real life conditions of a

place. Although this is a socio-cultural

phenomenon of modern societies, it has a direct

impact on the resulted architecture.

Thirdly, as technology progresses people’s needs

follow, creating needs that people possibly never

had. Either because they were suppressed over

the knowledge that they cannot be achieved (due

to the lack of the necessary means) or simply

because they were genuinely non-existent before

people knew they could have them. The effect that

this had in architecture was the gradual increase

for the need of more complex buildings/briefs

which could not be satisfied just by following the

vernacular building traditions, making this way

vernacular building traditions obsolete compared to

the specialization of all the professions that

emerged as a result of the technological

advancement.24 The above statements are not to

say that technology should be excluded from the

process of designing and constructing buildings as

it has become an integral part of the industry and

claiming to do so would be naïve, nostalgic and

more importantly unrealistic. Technology in

23





respects to architecture needs to be used in

search of ways of reinforcing the vernacular

traditions rather than replacing them altogether.

The idea of using both collaboratively is what

should be the goal of every self-conscious

designer.

The ways in which the technological advancement

and its bad use have had catastrophic effects to

the environment has started to be realized by

many in the field of architecture. With the term

‘sustainability’ becoming more and more popular in

the architectural community, it has now become

one of the most popular principles for

environmentally and socially ethical responses in

the twenty-first century when it comes to building

design. However, the principles of vernacular

architecture and sustainable design share a lot of

common grounds. Therefore, the study and

thorough understanding of vernacular dwellings

and their traditions should become an integral part

of sustainable housing design in any given context.



3.2 Aims/Objectives and Method:

Establishing the fact that the study of vernacular

architecture can most certainly teach many

lessons on the design of sustainable housing

design, this essay’s aim is to discover the

characteristics that determined the design of these

vernacular dwellings through the process of

analysis. Then, through the careful evaluation of

these characteristics, determine which could be

applicable in the design of contemporary Cypriot

sustainable housing today and which are no longer

valid in order to be tested against a contemporary

sustainable design of the region. These principles

would ideally become the starting point of many

local architects to follow in their housing designs in

order to create designs which are addressing

contemporary needs through the aids of

contemporary means but at the same time

appropriate and well rooted to the Cypriot context.

For the conduction of this research the main

Cypriot Vernacular characteristics will be analysed

based under the four groups of approaches of

study which can be found in earlier chapters: the

historical, the environmental, the social and the

technical. A study under each one of them will

ensure a holistic approach to the matter but will

also help the readers navigate themselves easily

through the text. Through the analysis of the

Cypriot dwellings based on the four groups of

approaches a set of principles/guidelines will be

created to provide the basis of modern sustainable

housing designs in Cyprus. After generating the

set of principles/ guidelines an evaluation of which

of these are still applicable today and which have

become obsolete will take place.



Finally, a contemporary sustainable house situated

in the Mediterranean region will be used as a case

study and through the derived principles, test and

question its validity as a sustainable response to

the Cypriot context and state where it has

succeeded, how could it improve and where could

it be revised. The findings will hopefully give a

clear idea of what is an appropriate housing design

for the Cypriot standards and will provide the

starting point of a much broader research for

myself and other designers to define the principles

for appropriate housing designs in Cyprus.

So far the majority of published material available

on Cypriot vernacular architecture has been

merely descriptive. The aim of this research is to

go beyond the mere description of Cypriot

dwellings and give guidelines on how to practice

sustainable architecture in the design of

contemporary Cypriot dwellings. Ideally, this piece

of writing will be the beginning of a much larger

one which will be constantly updated according to

the changing needs of later societies and evolve

through time just like the vernacular dwellings used

to do.



Chapter 4 Cypriot Vernacular

analysis:

Throughout its history, Cypriot vernacular

architecture has gone through various evolutions

as a result of the natural conditions as well as the

changing economic, political & social situations of

the island. 25 Due to the island’s large area and the

varied morphology of the ground there were two

forms of dwellings developed with the most evident

difference being in the roof type. The two roof

types were the flat roof (epiklini26 or doma) and the

pitched (amfiklini). In the early examples of

dwellings the flat roof was primarily used in the

lowlands and the pitched in the highlands. 27,

However, in later evolutions the choice of the

dwelling form was determined by the needs and

occupation of the inhabitants, the materials

immediately available and the actual use of the

roof rather than merely its location. Therefore, it is

not rare to come across settlements in Cyprus that

include dwellings with both flat and pitched roof

Dwellings. For example, a flat roof would be more

useful for a farmer as some of the produce had to

be sundried (olives, tomatoes), while the pitched

roof would be more useful for a stock breeder for

storing straw for the animals. 28

4.1 Historical: influences on the dwellings according to the

historical development.

25

G. Ch. Papacharalampous, I Kipriaki Ikia (Nicosia: Kentron Epistimonikon Erevnon, 1968), p. 4 26

The denoted word is the name in Greek and this convention will be used throughout the text 27 Antonia Theodosiou and Anastasia Pitta, Oikismoi tou Akama (Nicosia: Anastasios G. Leventis, 1996) p. 124 28 G. Ch. Papacharalampous, I Kipriaki Ikia (Nicosia: Kentron Epistimonikon Erevnon, 1968), p. 4



Figure 03: Paros29

Figure 04: Alleys in

Paros30

29

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:ParosHuis.JPG> [accessed 10/01/2013] 30

<http://www.cycladia.com/blog/news/cycladic-architecture> [accessed 10/01/2013]

The fact that the first inhabitants of the island was

found to be Greeks (from as early the second

millennium BC)31 is a clear sign where the

influences of the dwelling types and the

settlements’ patterns came from. These influences

also had a large impact on the development of the

island’s family and social structure.32 Therefore the

first forms of dwellings in Cyprus were based on

dwellings found in various Greek islands due to the

Greek cultural background of the inhabitants as

well as the climatic similarities of the influential

places with Cyprus. The architectural language of

the flat roofed dwellings was based on the

Cycladic, Dodecanesian and Cretan architecture

which comprise the southern part of Greece.33 The

architecture of the southern part of Greece is

characterized by white washed houses which are

built on steep topography, next to and on top of

each another. Their cubic shapes and their

smooth-edged corners give out a unique sense of

space. (Fig. 03) Although densely-built the

settlements as a whole give a sense of airiness.

The spaces in-between the dwellings comprised of

narrow alleys (Fig. 04) which connected the

houses and occasionally some break-out spaces

were found which formed the public spaces of

landmarks within the settlements. These

landmarks would either be the church, the school

or the coffee house of the settlements.34 Even

31 G. Ch. Papacharalampous, I Kipriaki Ikia (Nicosia: Kentron Epistimonikon Erevnon, 1968), p. 1 32

G. Ch. Papacharalampous, I Kipriaki Ikia (Nicosia: Kentron Epistimonikon Erevnon, 1968), p. 1 33

<http://www.cycladia.com/blog/news/cycladic-architecture> [accessed 28/12/12] 34

<http://www.skiathos.gr/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=71&Itemid=108&lang=el> [accessed 29/12/12]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:ParosHuis.JPG

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:ParosHuis.JPG

http://www.cycladia.com/blog/news/cycladic-architecture




http://www.skiathos.gr/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=71&itemid=108&lang=el

http://www.skiathos.gr/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=71&itemid=108&lang=el



Figure 05: Semi-

Circular Arch35

Figure 06:

Equilateral pointed

arch36

35

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<http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e9/Spetsb%C3%A5ge.png> [accessed 10/01/2013]

though for the first inhabitants of these islands the

aesthetics wasn’t the main purpose of their

structures, the architecture yielded had a unique

and special character which at the same time

responded to the high solar exposures of the

summer and the strong winds of the winter. 37

4.1.1 Influences:

Throughout its history, Cyprus passed through the

hands of many conquerors (Appx. 02) and each of

them had its influences on the island’s

architecture. Perhaps the most influential period of

the above eras in respects to architecture was the

middle Ages where for the first time the arches

were introduced into the island’s architecture. The

arches were either used in the interior as openings

in the partition walls (later evolutions of dwellings)

or on the exterior walls of the dwellings. This

addition was made under the Byzantine Empire

where during its early stages the Franks and

during its later times the Venetians ruled. 38

The two types of arches found in Cypriot

vernacular is the round or semi-circular arch (Fig.

05) and the equilateral pointed arch (Fig. 06) each

of them introduced in the respective era.39 In rare

cases someone might come across dwellings with

37

<http://www.cycladia.com/blog/news/cycladic-architecture> [accessed 28/12/12] 38 Stephanos Sinos, Anadromi sti Laiki Arxitektoniki tis Kiprou (Athens: Emp Scholi Architektonon Michanikon1976), page 93 39

G. Ch. Papacharalampous, I Kipriaki Ikia (Nicosia: Kentron Epistimonikon Erevnon, 1968), p. 2




triangular arches but these are mere imitations of

gothic buildings remnants of the Crusades Era.40

Even though it had no roots to the Greek

architecture and cannot be found in any other

Greek place, its application in Cyprus came as a

result of the island’s history and it became an

integral part of the island’s architectural heritage.

In its application the local builders beautifully

incorporated the feature into the Cypriot vernacular

adapting the construction methods to suit the local

building traditions by simplifying its form and

construction to suit the simple minimal form of the

buildings.41

During the Ottoman Empire the fear and

oppression that dominated the inhabitants of the

island was another influential factor of the

architecture of the island. The houses became

introverted opening up to their back gardens.

Moreover, the windows facing any public path

were minimized and in some cases they not

included at all. This was done initially for safety

against the conquerors however in later years

these strategies were adopted to achieve more

privacy in the interior of the house.

40 G. Ch. Papacharalampous, I Kipriaki Ikia (Nicosia: Kentron Epistimonikon Erevnon, 1968), p. 2 41 Stephanos Sinos, Anadromi sti Laiki Arxitektoniki tis Kiprou (Athens: Emp Scholi Architektonon Michanikon1976), page 93



Figure 07: Example

of Monochoro

Typology 42

Figure 08:

Monochoro

Typology43

42

Antonia Theodosiou and Anastasia Pitta, Oikismoi tou Akama (Nicosia: Anastasios G. Leventis, 1996) p. 25 43

Antonia Theodosiou

and Anastasia Pitta, Oikismoi tou Akama (Nicosia: Anastasios G. Leventis, 1996) p. 27

4.1.2 Typologies and Evolutions:

According to the people’s needs, the place’s

historic evolution and the development of its social

structure the dwellings evolved in layout creating

this way the different typologies of the Cypriot

vernacular house. There are three basic typologies

and each of them has many alterations, however,

the principles are similar: 44

1. The basic type of a single space:

monochoro or a double space dichoro

2. The basic types: monochoro or dichoro

elongated either in height or length or both

makrynari

3. And the combination of the two: epektaseis

Monochoro (single space) (Figs. 07 & 08)

This typology has two main variations both of

which house the activities into a rectangular room.

The first variation is the single room which houses

sleeping preparing food and keeping animals in a

rectangular shaped room. (Fig. 09) The second is

the makrynari, a prolonged rectangular shape

which is separated through a step into two areas.

There was the main area where the family

activities took place, such as eating and preparing

food and a smaller one for keeping the animals.45

(Fig. 10)

44


Antonia Theodosiou and Anastasia Pitta, Oikismoi tou Akama (Nicosia: Anastasios G. Leventis, 1996) p. 75



Figure 09: Monochoro 46

α. 4.00 - 4.30 m, β. 6.00 - 7.00 m, γ. 2.60 - 3.30 m

Figure 10: Monochoro Makrynari 47

α. 4.00 - 4.30 m, β. 6.00 - 7.00 m, γ.

2.70 - 3.25 m

46

Antonia Theodosiou and Anastasia Pitta, Oikismoi tou Akama (Nicosia: Anastasios G.

Leventis, 1996) p. 75

47 Antonia Theodosiou and Anastasia Pitta, Oikismoi tou Akama (Nicosia: Anastasios G.




Figure 11: Dichoro

Typology48

Figure 12: Dichoro

Makrynari49

48


Antonia Theodosiou

and Anastasia Pitta, Oikismoi tou Akama

(Nicosia: Anastasios G. Leventis, 1996) p. 76

Dichoro: (two spaces) (Fig. 11) and (Fig.

12)

Dichoro was the evolution of the monochoro and it,

too, featured two evolutions: The two-room house:

dichoro and the elongated two-room house:

dichoro makrynari’. (Fig. 14) The main difference

from the monochoro typology was the addition of a

partition wall creating a segregation of the

communal from the private areas.50 The partition

wall featured either a rectangular opening or in the

dwellings of the wealthier featured an arch. This

partition was either perpendicular or parallel (Fig.

13)

Anoi: Two storey dwellings

Later evolutions of the two aforementioned

typologies featured the addition of a storey above.

In contrast to the single storey typologies these

houses could also be found detached. The main

purpose of upper floor was to provide a more

private space for sleeping.51 Other beliefs are that

the extra storey served as storage space for the

farmers’ produce or straw for feeding the animals.

(Fig. 15)

50





Figure 13: Dichoro Typology and its variations52

α1: 5.70 - 9.50 m β1: 6.00 - 9.50 m γ1: 2.70 - 3.30 m γ2: 2.60 - 3.00 m

52





Figure 14: Dichoro Makrynari 53

α2: 5.40 - 8.00 m β2: 10.00 - 15.00 m γ4: 2.70 - 3.15 m γ5: 2.80 - 3.50 m

Figure 15: Vertical Repetitions of Monochoro and Monochoro Makrynari 54

53




α: 4.00 - 4.50 m β: 6.00 m γ: 5.50 - 6.50 m

α: 4.00 - 4.50 m, β: 11.00 m, γ: 5.50 - 6.50 m

54





Figure 16: Solarium

with arches55

Figure 17: Solarium

with timber shelter56

55 Stephanos Sinos, Anadromi sti Laiki Arxitektoniki tis Kiprou (Athens: Emp Scholi Architektonon Michanikon1976), p. 128 56 Stephanos Sinos, Anadromi sti Laiki Arxitektoniki tis Kiprou (Athens: Emp Scholi Architektonon Michanikon1976), p. 118

Epektaseis: Variations

Even though some dwellings had different

characteristics than the three aforementioned

basic typologies, all of them had as basis one of

the three. Such variations could include the

addition of extra rooms or an extra storey. All of

these additions were adaptations of the houses

based on the inhabitant’s specific needs. They

were effectively repetitions of typologies grown

horizontally i.e. two dichoro typology dwellings

place adjacently (Fig. 18α) or placed

perpendicularly to form an L-shape (Fig. 18β) or

the addition of a monochoro or dichoro into the

existing monochoro makrynari or dichoro

makrynari (Fig. 18γ). The vertical additions could

be the an extra storey in the monochoro or dichoro

typology (Fig 19α) or the addition of the extra

storey to convert the existing house into the anoi

typology (Fig 19β) or the addition of the

monochoro or monochoro makrynari on top of a

dichoro or a dichoro makrynari (Fig. 19γ).

The determining factors of the location of the

extensions in relation to the existing house were

the shape of the plot, the orientation of the dwelling

and the maximization of use of existing boundary

walls. In these extensions it was common to come

across the additions of a space between inside

and outside which was usually placed in front of

the entrance and was effectively a covered porch

named solarium



(iliakos)57 (Fig. 20). This addition was what allowed

the use of arched openings on the facade of the

buildings mentioned above.58 (Fig. 16 and 17)

57





Figure 18: Examples of horizontal epektaseis59

59





Figure 19: Examples of vertical epektaseis60

α

β

γ

60




Figure 20: Houses with Iliakos 61

61

G. Ch. Papacharalampous, I Kipriaki Ikia (Nicosia: Kentron Epistimonikon Erevnon, 1968), p. 135



Figure 21: View to

the Ssospiton62

Figure 22:

Mezzanine

addition63

62

Antonia Theodosiou and Anastasia Pitta, Oikismoi tou Akama

(Nicosia: Anastasios G. Leventis, 1996) p. 148 63

Antonia Theodosiou

and Anastasia Pitta, Oikismoi tou Akama (Nicosia: Anastasios G. Leventis, 1996) p. 148

Ancillary Spaces:

As the cultural development of the island evolved

the social needs of the inhabitants grew resulting

in the need for other ancillary spaces.64 Such

space was the in-house room (ssospiton) (Fig. 21)

which was added as an extra room at the back of

the dichoro typology. Cypriots were famous for

their warm hospitality therefore this room served

as a guest room as it was not unusual to have

guests sleeping over relatively often. In it they

usually built a timber mezzanine (Fig. 22) which

served as a warehouse for storing the food

supplies of the family as well as cereals for the

animals therefore making use of the room

throughout the year.65 Ssospiton can be found in

some dwellings of the dichoro typology and was

usually added at the back of the house. In later

evolutions the room was moved on the side.

Another additional room commonly found was the

cooking room (mairkon) in which the kitchenware

was stored and the food preparation was taking

place. All the rest of the ancillary spaces were

placed in the dwellings’ garden. and included a

stable, a washing closet, a cistern for washing

clothes and a built outdoor fireplace which was

used for cooking meals in the summer.66

64


G. Ch. Papacharalampous, I Kipriaki Ikia (Nicosia: Kentron Epistimonikon Erevnon, 1968), p.34 66

G. Ch. Papacharalampous, I Kipriaki Ikia (Nicosia: Kentron

Epistimonikon Erevnon, 1968), p.38



Figure 23: Kritou

Terra67

Figure 24: Kritou

Terra headwaters

67 Antonia Theodosiou and Anastasia Pitta, Oikismoi tou Akama


4.2 Environmental: Analysis of morphological/topographical

data such as ground contours, natural features such as rivers, and

microclimatic data such as sun orientation, prevailing winds, and

humidity levels.

4.2.1 Morphological/Topographical factors which

affected the settlements and their architecture:

The fact that Cypriot vernacular dwellings are characterized by simple and frugal forms was a proof of the sensitivity the inhabitants showed to the landscape. By building them as low as possible into the landscape they showed their intention to make the dwellings subordinate to their environment and the topographical characteristics of an area. This was a determinant factor on the dwelling siting as well as its typology.68 In lowlands where the topography of the ground was relatively flat the dwellings featured a flat roof and they were primarily single-storey presenting a horizontal growth. In highlands where the topography was steeper and the available plots where smaller in comparison to lowlands, the dwellings were usually two-storey high presenting a vertical growth. Moreover, the fact that the plots are smaller on highlands meant that the settlements were densely-built. This helped reducing the intensity of the strong winter winds and allow for more heat retention in the interior of the houses. Due to the low availability of arable land the dwellings were placed on the rocky part of the available land in order to leave the arable land free for harvesting and growing animals. 69 Another environmental factor which affected the

location of the dwellings within a settlement was

the availability of natural features such as water

around the area. For example, Kritou Terra (Fig.

23) which is one of the few settlements in Cyprus

68





that benefits from a river running along the

settlement had all of its 200 dwellings facing the

river.70 Along the southern part of the river, the

water-related activities and constructions

flourished with the main ones being the fountain of

the headwaters (Fig. 24) taking advantage this way

to the fullest the availability of the water.

Moreover, the north-western part of the settlement

follows the direction of a sub-branch of the river

because of which the settlement becomes curvy. 71

The dwellings form a linear development and they

follow the two main circulation axes of the

settlement which separate the village into an

acclivity and a declivity.72 However it was the

river’s shape which determined the building

allocation and therefore the two main circulation

axes (Fig.25). With the exception of the two

circulation axes the rest of the settlement’s paths

are formed as spaces in-between the boundary

walls of the houses which followed the topography.

This meant that the boundary walls were built in

such way as to avoid large height differences from

one side to another and therefore waste of

material. The above strategic choices showed how

the inhabitants evaluated their options and took

advantage to the fullest extent the area’s

characteristics and natural resources.

70






Figure 25: Kritou Tera settlement growth follows the river73

73




Figure 26

Monochoro with the

entrance on the

shorter side74

74

G. Ch. Papacharalampous, I Kipriaki Ikia (Nicosia: Kentron Epistimonikon Erevnon, 1968), p.106

4.2.2 Microclimatic conditions and effects on the

dwellings‟

The microclimate of the area such as the sun

intensity and the sun angles, the prevailing winds

as well as the humidity levels were another

determining factor on a settlement’s architecture.

Orientation/ Solar Gains:

The orientation of the buildings was also an

important decision that had to be taken and was

heavily influenced by the environmental conditions

of the area. The houses were traditionally, long

and narrow which was done to allow as much

sunlight access as possible into their interior. 75

Usually, in the single and two-room houses

(monochoro and dichoro), the doors were being

placed on one of the shorter sides of the

rectangular shaped buildings (Fig. 26) and in later

evolutions (monochoro and dichoro makrynari) it

was placed on the longer side but always facing

south to allow for the bigger opening to face the

sun and therefore allow more sunlight in the

interior (Fig. 27).76 The garden was also south-

facing which meant that the entrance opened into

the garden (Fig. 27). 77 This reinforced the idea of

the strong connections of people with nature.

75


Epistimonikon Erevnon, 1968), p.30 76 G. Ch. Papacharalampous, I Kipriaki Ikia (Nicosia: Kentron Epistimonikon Erevnon, 1968), p.4 77




In later evolutions, in dwellings which featured

solarium (‘iliakos’) the entrance was always

exposed to the sun and was effectively warming up

the three walls instead of only one. Exposing as

many thermally massive wall surfaces as possible

to the sun ensured maximum solar gains which

were extremely beneficial during the winter (Fig.

28).78 In contrast to the low winter solar ray the

high summer ones were blocked off from the

shelter allowing the air underneath the solarium to

cool down and provide comfortable conditions.

Prevailing winds:

The solarium was also serving as a buffer zone

between inside and outside which was blocking-

out some of the strong winds in the winter. The

addition of the solarium was also particularly useful

as to restrict unwanted infiltration from the

entrance door which was the biggest opening in on

the house (Fig. 28). Moreover, the northern and

western walls of the dwellings were usually kept

blank or with minimal openings to block-out the

strong prevailing winds coming from these sides.79

Although they were small, the openings on the

northern side of the dwellings had a significant

importance for the cross ventilation of the house

something essential, especially during the

harvesting period (Fig. 27). 80

78


Epistimonikon Erevnon, 1968), p.29 79






Humidity:

In the highlands where the humidity levels were

high the main spaces of the dwellings were placed

on the top storey leaving the ground floor for the

ancillary spaces such as for keeping the animals

and storing food supplies.81

81

Stephanos Sinos, Anadromi sti Laiki Arxitektoniki tis Kiprou

(Athens: Emp Scholi Architektonon Michanikon1976), p. 38



Figure 27: Environmental performance of monochoro and dichoro houses82

Figure 28: Environmental performance of house with iliakos 83

82




83

G. Ch. Papacharalampous, I Kipriaki Ikia (Nicosia: Kentron Epistimonikon Erevnon, 1968), p.141



Figure 29:

Settlement allocation

on map. Pano

Arodes (orange) and

Kathikas (blue)84

84 Antonia Theodosiou and Anastasia Pitta, Oikismoi tou Akama


4.3 Social: Analysis of settlement patterns, squares/meeting

points, main circulation arteries, important public buildings, and social

aspects of individual dwellings.

4.3.1 Settlement Growth Patterns:

In general there were two ways which a settlement

could grow. The first way of settlement growth was

by placing the main square in the most prominent

site of the area. This would form the centre of the

village in which the church and the coffee house

with a small shop in it were situated (i.e. the public

buildings of the village). The dwellings were then

allocated either in a ringed development around

this central core (Fig. 30) or in fingers (Fig. 30)

which had the central core as the focal point. The

first way of development can found in the

settlement of Pano Arodes and the second in

Kathikas. (Fig. 31) The topography of the site

would determine the public footpaths which in turn

determined the way in which the dwellings will be

developed around the main square (in rings or

fingers). This was the most common planning type

of Cypriot village. However, in some cases when

the place had special environmental characteristics

they became the determinant factors on the

planning growth of the village. These

characteristics were the area’s topography or the

availability of water features such as a river. The

topography for example determined the

settlements footpaths and the dwellings would be

built around the existing infrastructure leaving the

landmarks’ allocation second in priority. In the case

of the availability of a water feature such as a river,

the dwellings would be built along it in order to

make them out of its use (Fig. 32). This meant that



the landmarks of a village such as the church, the

coffee house and the shop were placed in a

separate building block from the dwellings. In any

of the two ways of settlement growth the

landmarks were easily accessible by all the

dwelling blocks within the settlement. 85

85





Figure 30: Ringed Development of Pano Arodes settlement86

86

Author



Figure 31: Finger Development of Kathikas settlement87

87

Author



Figure 32: Natural-Feature-Dependant Development of Kritou Tera settlement88

88

Author



Figure 33: Blank

Facades of Kathikas

Figure 34: Dwelling

Complexes in

Kathikas89

89


4.3.2 The streetscape and the internal courtyards:

The public paths were separating the settlement

into building blocks which usually comprised of

complexes of three to four houses. The positioning

of the dwellings was done in such way, so as to

create secluded internal courtyards. The

introverted character of the complexes was

underlined by the fact that the houses’ entrances

were placed away from the public realm (Fig.33,

36) and opening into the internal courtyard (Fig.34,

35) achieving this way a level of privacy and safety

during war times. All the activities were taking

place in the secluded internal courtyard formed the

everyday social life of the inhabitants, away from

the eyes of the passers-by and more importantly

the conquerors. Within the courtyard the

neighbouring relationships were usually brotherly

and helping each other especially during war times

was an integral part of everyday life. Moreover, it

was not rare to find whole complexes which were

owned by related families. Within the courtyard,

the space immediately outside the house was each

family’s private garden. The connection with nature

was an integral part of the Cypriot life therefore a

family would spend a substantial amount of time

outdoors in their private garden. Especially in the

later evolutions of dwellings which featured a

solarium, this became even more evident. In the

solarium there was an outdoor fireplace which was

used for cooking and a cistern which was used for

washing. The addition of these two features in the

solarium is a clear indication of how extensively

the outdoor area of the house was used.



Figure 35: Dwelling Complexes in Pano Arodes 90

90 Antonia Theodosiou and Anastasia Pitta, Oikismoi tou Akama (Nicosia: Anastasios G. Leventis, 1996) p. 57



Figure 36: Dwelling facades from the public path in Pano Arodes 91

91 Antonia Theodosiou and Anastasia Pitta, Oikismoi tou Akama (Nicosia: Anastasios G. Leventis, 1996) p. 98



Figure 37:

Monochoro in Kritou

Tera with entrance

in the public path92

Figure 38:

Relationship of

92


houses to the two streets.93

In some settlements however, the entrances of the

houses were directly opening into the main

movement axes (Fig. 37). This was due the

morphology of the area which had dramatic height

differences between the front and the back of the

house as well as the lack of garden. The majority

of the dwellings had streets running on both the

upper and lower part of the dwellings, restricting

the choice of the entrance positioning.94 In these

cases, there were two entrances immediately

accessible from the public paths both at the higher

and the lower part and they were accessible by an

interior staircase which was named petroskala95

(Fig. 38). Inevitably the morphology of the area has

heavily influenced both the everyday life of the

inhabitants as well as the architecture of these

villages since it was not possible to have internal

courtyards.

4.3.3 Public Buildings:

In times of war the church was the only body which

was autonomous. The building of the church was

the asylum from the conquerors. For this reason,

the church played an important role in a

settlement’s social activities. There the children

were getting their education, were nurtured by

93






Greek ideals and values, as well as the values and

beliefs of Christianity. 96Therefore it was not rare

for the priest of the village to become the teacher

of the village. All the community meetings were

taking place in the church in order to discuss

issues of public concern such as tax collection. It is

believed by many that it is because of the church’s

autonomy that the Greek identity with all its

customs and traditions remained alive on the

island.97 The social life of the people was taking

place in the church every Sunday in the liturgy and

the fanfares which were being organized by the

body of the church. These fanfares were held in

honour of the patron Saint of the village in the

squares outside the church. Every village had its

own patron Saint and their inhabitants ensured it

was a different one from their neighbouring

villages. These fanfares were very important

events for the trade continuation in times of war.98

In times of peace, men were meeting in the

coffeehouse in which there was usually a small

shop. The coffeehouse was one of the most

important buildings of the village since it was

normally the primary venue for social interaction

such as playing cards or discussing the

happenings of the day.99

96

Stephanos Sinos, Anadromi sti Laiki Arxitektoniki tis Kiprou (Athens: Emp Scholi Architektonon Michanikon1976), p. 21 97


(Athens: Emp Scholi Architektonon Michanikon1976), p. 21 98



(Athens: Emp Scholi Architektonon Michanikon1976), p. 25



4.3.4 Uses of the dwelling

The dwelling was considered the guardian of the

family life as well as for the customs and morals of

the Greek culture especially in times of war.100

The importance of the dwelling in a family’s social

life was underlined by the fact that the

infrastructure such as the footpaths and the

location of the landmarks and their squares was

formed in such way to serve the dwelling’s

orientation.101 The Cypriot vernacular dwellings

operationally cover all the range of activities

needed in order for the families to survive through

the difficulties of the agricultural life. The man was

usually working outdoors either as a farmer or

shepherd. Usually he worked in the fields and in

some occasions in his own garden.102 He was

responsible for bringing the food and money into

the house. The everyday life of a woman primarily

included activities within the house such as taking

care of the family’s children, washing and knitting

clothes for the family and the knitting of linen for

the house. 103 The people’s activities show their

strong dependence on the house, and one can

easily say that these houses were what the

contemporary architects describe as live-work

units. During the night, during winter times and the

harvesting period, the living space was the place

where all the family gathered and spend time.

100








The fireplace and the dining table were considered

sacred because these were the spaces in which

the parents were nurturing their children with

values such as religious and Greek morals. The

grandparents were putting the children to sleep

with storytelling of their experiences which always

had an educational value behind them. This is also

the places where the whole family cooked and ate

together listening to the sounds of the holy liturgy.

The above activities had an almost sacred

meaning for the family whose bonding was

strengthened through them. Therefore, the place in

which all of the above took place inevitably had a

sacred character.104 The above shows how

important and sacred were the family traditions for

the Cypriots. Most of them still exist until today in

modern families.

4.3.5 Dwelling Customs:

There are many customs in building the Cypriot

vernacular house which apply either before, during

or after its construction. Like the vernacular

principles define, a dwelling was being built by the

persons who would inhabit it. In most cases it was

mainly the husband of a newlywed with some help

from the wife and sometimes from the father of the

bride. In some occasions the groom would ask for

help for some more specialized people if it was

necessary, called master-builders

(‘protomastores’).105 However, this was avoided

whenever possible since every groom was taking

pride in constructing of his house.

104






Figure 39: House

built from

sieropetres106

Figure 40: Fences

built from

athasopetres107

Figure 41: Walls

made out of mixture

of rubble108

106



Stephanos Sinos, Anadromi sti Laiki

4.4 Technical: Analysis of: materials used, construction

methods, form of the dwellings, sizes of structural and secondary

elements, span sizes, building heights, storey heights etc.

4.4.1 Materials:

Local stone, timber, and rarely clay or plinth forms

the material palette of Cypriot vernacular

dwellings. However, the type of stone varied

depending on the location the dwelling-to-be-

built.109 And the stones used can be separated into

three types: the hard stones, the soft stones and

the mixtures of crushed rubble. 110

Stone:

The hard rocks were left rough due to the difficulty

of smoothening them out. Such rocks were the

sieropetra (hard as steel) and schistolithos (Fig.

39). There were also the softer stones, which

were easy to shape such as the athasopetra,

pouropetra, marmaropetra and alafropetra (Fig

40).111 These were the most commonly found

stones however they were not widely used

because they were prone to decay from weather

conditions such as the strong winds and the

rain.112 The third form of stone was the mixtures of

a variety of stones in the form of rubble. Such

mixtures were primarily used as infill materials

even though sometimes they were used for the

fencing of the houses and the courtyards.

Arxitektoniki tis Kiprou (Athens: Emp Scholi Architektonon Michanikon1976), p. 76 109










Plinth:

The plinth and the clay were the alternative

material choices for wall construction however they

were not widely used due to their lack of thermal

properties, robustness and the laborious

preparations needed for their production. For the

production of plinth, specialized people were

responsible who placed the mixture of the

materials into timber formworks sized 400 x 300 x

6mm and exposed them into the sun to dry. After

they dried, they were transported on site, which

was usually close by, and they were adhered into

the wall using clay, gypsum or lime.113

113





Figure 42: Window

detailing as seen

from the exterior.114

Figure 43: Window

detailing as seen

from the interior.115

114


(Nicosia: Anastasios G. Leventis, 1996), p. 140 115


Timber:

The types of timber used in the dwelling were also

depending on what was available in the immediate

context and it was usually pine tree, olive, and

cypress or carob tree.116 The roof and the

secondary elements such as doors, windows,

pergolas, and balconies were the primarily building

parts which were made out of timber. They were

usually left untreated and in rare cases they were

painted in colours that invoked the Greek identity

such as cyan, blue or green.

4.4.2 Wall Construction:

The stones which formed the walls were of

rectangular shape and this was achieved by using

hand tools. Their size varied between 400-650mm

in length x 250-350mm in width x 200-220mm in

depth. In areas were the locally available stone

was very hard it was used in more irregular shapes

due to the lack of the necessary means to shape it.

Around the openings such as doors, windows and

chimneys the stones used had a slaty shapes with

depth of around 180mm (Fig. 42) and (Fig.43). In

the houses of the wealthy, the joints between the

stone were incredibly thin. The bonding material

which was used was clay gypsum or lime in others,

the infill material was a mixture of rubble. During

construction a scaffold was employed which was

attached to the wall-to-be-constructed. After the

wall was fully erected, the scaffold was removed

however the gaps in the wall remained and they

(Nicosia: Anastasios G. Leventis, 1996), p. 140 116

Antonia Theodosiou and Anastasia Pitta, Oikismoi tou Akama (Nicosia: Anastasios G. Leventis, 1996), p. 114



Figure 44: Wall with

skalosiotripes117

117


were sized around 100-200mm width by 100-

20mm height. These “pixels” on the wall were

named arseres or scaffold holes (skalosiotripes)

and they were intentionally kept open after

construction as they were very useful for

ventilating the space and bringing some light in.

This technique was introduced in the dwellings

during the Ottoman Empire replacing this way any

unnecessary windows facing the street (Fig. 44).118

4.4.3 Roof:

As previously mentioned, there were two types of

roof used in Cypriot Dwellings. The first was flat

which was slightly sloped towards one side named

amfiklini or doma and it was used in the basic

typology (monochoro). For its construction logs of

Cypress or Pine trees were used which had the

bark removed. Because of the restricted size of the

logs in terms of height they were placed width wise

which restricted the spanning distances to

maximum 3.3 metres. The logs were placed in

intervals of 250-350mm depending on the

diameter, which varied between 120-150mm. On

top of the main rafters they usually placed small

branches of carob tree or straw held together with

rope. If they used carob tree branches for the

second layer they would place dried spiny shrubs

as the third layer to block off rodents from entering

the house. If however they used straw the third

layer would be a thin layer of soil. In both cases

grains of slat were sprinkled every now and then to

avoid vegetation from growing on the

118




Figure 45: Doma119

119


roof (Fig. 45).120 In later typologies, such as the

monochoro or dichoro makrynari, the pitched roof

(amfiklini) became more widespread. For the

construction of the pitched roof two orthogonally

sectioned beams (nefka) were used which their

size was 250 x 250 mm. In this type of roof the

beams were spanning lengthwise. At the point

where the two beams were joined a large timber

vertical support was placed. It always had Y-

shaped branches on its top end in order to support

the joint between the two beams. This was either

the log of an olive, pine or carob tree and was

around 300mm in diameter. The log was cut during

winter time (preferably January) to avoid erosion.

In most cases underneath the two beams there

was a smaller beam (mesodotzi) which was used

for extra the reinforcement of the joint of the two

beams and to close the gap between the base of

the Y-shaped support and the two main beams.

Rarely two timber 150mm supports (males) were

attached diagonally to the two main beams and

rested on the main trunk of the Y-shape element

for extra support. The Y-shaped column was

usually elevated from the ground resting on some

stones to avoid water decay. However, in some

houses the logs rest straight on the ground. 121

The next layers and the procedure followed were

identical to the first type except that in some later

dwellings they used tiles instead of dried spiny

shrubs (Fig. 46), (Fig. 47)122

120

Antonia Theodosiou and Anastasia Pitta, Oikismoi tou Akama (Nicosia: Anastasios G. Leventis, 1996), p. 127 121





Figure 46: Amfiklini

roof Detail123

Figure 47: Y-shaped

beams as seen from

the interior.124

123


Stephanos Sinos, Anadromi sti Laiki Arxitektoniki tis Kiprou (Athens: Emp Scholi Architektonon Michanikon1976), p. 117

4.4.4 Flooring:

The first form of flooring was the soil or rock on

which the houses were built. The only treatment

that the soil got was to be flattened and

compressed. Later, the floors of the houses were

covered with tiles made out of gypsum

(gypsomarmara) which were cut in the desired size

using a handsaw. Usually the sizes were 300mm

width by 300, 450, 600,750, 900 or 1200mm in

length. The tiles were then adhered on the ground

using a mixture of straw and clay.125

4.4.5 Wall renders:

On the earlier dwellings the external surface of the

walls was left un-rendered with the masonry

construction exposed. In later evolutions some of

the houses had the external walls rendered with a

mixture of gypsum powder and water which was

always white colour. However, the interior of the

houses was always rendered in white. The gypsum

was applied in three layers to make sure it created

a smooth finish.126

4.4.6 Colour Palette:

The colour palette of the buildings was white or of

ochre tones with the secondary elements of the

house such as windows, doors, balconies and

pergolas left in natural timber colours. Whenever

125





the secondary elements were painted, they would

be done so in shades of blue or green. This was

usually done after the island was freed from the

various conquerors as a sign of celebration of the

ever-present Greek identity. 127

4.4.7 Fireplace (‘Niskia’):

The fireplace was made out of stone as part of the

wall construction and in the earlier evolutions of

the house (monochoro), it was placed in the corner

while in later (monochoro or dichoro makrynari), it

was placed in the middle of the longer wall of the

house. It was not unusual for the corner ones to

have semi-circular shape when seen in plan. Their

size varied between 1250mm and 1400mm in

width and was elevated around 700mm form the

ground. This was used either for lighting fire as a

heating source or for cooking.

4.5 Formulation of Principles:

The following table summarizes the important

lessons learnt from the analysis of the above

sections. The principles are separated into the

aspects analysed in the main body. Each aspect, it

I separated into macro and micro scale principles

in order to distinguish which one can be used for a

small dwelling and which ones can be used for

planning. (Fig. 48)

127

G. P. Papacharalampous, I Kipriaki Ikia (Nicosia: Kentron




Figure 48



Figure 49: Ramón

Esteve behind the

model of the house

Figure 50: concept

sketch of the cubic

shaped building128

128

Dominique Gauzin – Müller, Sustainable Living: 25 international examples, (France: Birkhäuser, 2006), p.134

Chapter 5: Case Study

5.1 House in La Solana, by Ramón Esteve:

The case study chosen is a holiday house located

in La Solana, a small town south of Valencia. It

was designed by the local architect Ramón Esteve

(Fig. 49) in nineteen ninety eight. The architect

drew his inspiration from vernacular architecture

and his focus was the interaction between use and

function as well as the appropriate use of

materials. His design is based on the principles of

domestic vernacular architecture with an interest to

providing a comfortable environment for the

occupants even during the extremely hot summer

months, which are typical in the Mediterranean

region.129 His ideas, inspirations and approaches

provide a perfect case study to compare against

the principles derived in the previous chapter

(Appx 03). For the purposes of a more direct

comparison to the principles, the building will be

placed in the context of the Cypriot region.

5.2 Historical:

The design of the house follows a minimalistic form

with cubic shapes and volumes which is one of the

basic principles of Cypriot vernacular dwellings.

The architect‟s shows sensitivity to the landscape

which is evident from the fact that the single-storey

house sits low into the landscape (Fig.50). The

north façade walls face the street and they are

entirely blank making the house seems as if it is

turning its back to the street (Fig.51).

129




Figure 51: North

facade130

Figure 52: South

facade131

130

Dominique Gauzin – Müller, Sustainable Living: 25 international examples, (France: Birkhäuser, 2006), p.135 131


Once this threshold is passed however, the spaces

become more fluid and open up into the south

facing garden. The introverted character of the

house reflects the vernacular traditions on the

ways to deal with privacy issues. The spatial

organization of the house is segregated into the

communal areas and the private ones.

5.3 Environmental:

The thick walls on the northern side of the house

block off the prevailing winds coming from the west

and the north during the winter. To allow some

light into the interior, there are slits of openings low

in the walls which also serve for ventilation

purposes. The south and eastern sides are more

permeable to allow breezes in and cool the house

down during the summer. 132 The exposure to the

intense sun which in the Mediterranean region

could create overheating and glaring problems on

the south and east sides during the summer, is

controlled with the use of roof overhangs. In the

parts of the house which are more exposed to

southern sun such as outside the living room the

roof overhangs are longer creating outdoor roof

terraces.133 This way during the summer the

interior spaces are bathed with natural without

allowing the high solar rays to enter the house

keeping temperature of the house lower than

outside. Moreover, the shade created underneath

the overhangs cools the air before entering the

132





house. The thermally massive walls of the northern

side of the house also help in keeping the

temperatures low during the summer by blocking

out the heat. The south-facing glazing panels

expose the walls of the northern façade to the low

winter sun. The thermally massive walls store the

heat throughout the day and they release it into the

space during the night hours. In addition, during

winter the thermally massive walls absorb the heat

released from the fireplace and they then re-emit it

into the space. The combination of the two cover

the heating needs of the house in the majority of

times meaning the use of the radiators is very rare.

The floor to ceiling height in the communal areas is

4 meters while in the private ones nearly 3. These

proportions are typical in the Mediterranean

countries as the focus is to create draughts to cool

down the space during rather than retaining heat in

winter. The height difference between communal

and private areas is done because of the

architect‟s intention to follow the topography of the

site (Fig. 52)



Figure 53: Spatial

organization134

Figure 54: The

fireplace135

134


<http://www.archello.c

om/en/project/house-monasterios/image-

5.4 Social:

The communal spaces are grouped on the western

part of the building while the private ones are

located on the eastern (Fig. 53). Moreover, the

private spaces of the house are separated from the

communal ones through a height differentiation

creating this way a segregation of spaces with

minimal use of internal partitions. (Fig. 54) The

segregation of spaces through height differences is

a characteristic also found in the early examples of

Cypriot vernacular dwellings where the space for

living was slightly elevated from the area where the

animals were kept. Moreover, the room allocation

in the private part presents a hierarchy which

reflects the family hierarchy. This is achieved by

positioning the master bedroom in the far eastern

edge, by making it larger and by providing it an en-

suite bathroom. The house also features a

freestanding fireplace which is located in the

centre of the living room. Its prominent position

underlines its importance within the house and as

in the vernacular buildings this becomes the

meeting point of the whole family, a custom which

is still sacred for the Mediterranean cultures. As

mentioned above the connection with the nature is

an important aspect of the Mediterranean life.

Therefore the provision of outdoor terrace in order

to be used as a living space during the summer

provides a modern interpretation of the solarium

found in late examples of Cypriot vernacular

dwellings.

21>[accessed 20/01/2013]

http://www.archello.com/en/project/house-monasterios/image-21






5.5 Technical:

The primary material for the walls used is local

limestone-blocks. The 600mm blocks were

constructed using traditional methods.136 One

could argue that use of a scarce material with high

extraction costs such as the limestone contradicts

with the vernacular principle of using locally

available materials and therefore it is an

inappropriate choice for a sustainable house.

However, its use offers a wide range of functions: it

is load-bearing, it houses the technical equipment

and it is thermally and acoustically insulating.

Therefore, the use of limestone goes beyond the

mimic of vernacular tradition and proves much

beneficial in cost as well as environmentally

friendly.

The roof was made out of concrete which is a

thermally massive material and can block off high

temperatures in the summer months. Incorporated

on the roof, there is a rainwater collection system

with a tank which allows for seventy thousand litres

of water to be stored. This water can be used for

the pool or for watering the plants. Due to the lack

of sufficient rainfall in the area the use of such

system is not sufficiently justified. Instead, a green

roof could be used to provide insulation from the

intense sun as well as to be used as green terrace.

This response would be more responsive to

vernacular traditions. Moreover it would be more

appropriate to the architect‟s initial concept of

providing comfortable environmental conditions

within the house.

136

< http://www.ramonesteve.com/residencial/vivienda-la-solana#navegador-siguiente> [accessed 20/01/2013]

http://www.ramonesteve.com/residencial/vivienda-la-solana#navegador-siguiente

http://www.ramonesteve.com/residencial/vivienda-la-solana#navegador-siguiente



The window frames galvanized steel. The use of

galvanized steel is not a material friendly to the

environment nor is it locally available, however

comparing its environmental performance against

the wood in terms of air tightness and heat

exchange properties are far greater. Therefore,

having in mind that the architect‟s main focus was

the provision of comfortable internal conditions, it

is in this respect a sustainable choice. Moreover

the architect has visually linked it back to

vernacular traditions with the choice of its colour.

The colour palette of the house follows the ones

found in vernacular dwellings. The colours of the

walls and roof are tones of ochre and white

respectively. The bright colours are reflecting the

strong solar rays helping in the reduction of the

internal temperatures especially during the

summer.



Chapter 6: Conclusions and Findings

Ramón Esteve with his design in La Solana proves

that there is way to build contemporary sustainable

houses based on vernacular architecture

principles. In my opinion, his design is a perfect

example of how a sustainable house could be

employed in the Cypriot context. Not all of the

principles derived in chapter four were followed in

his design however, this is only an indication of

how well he has thought what could be learnt, what

can be carried through with some adjustments and

what has to be replaced altogether from the

vernacular principles in order to design a building

which responds to its context.

With new and improved technologies continuously

emerging, there is no doubt that not the all of the

vernacular principles can be carried through a

contemporary housing design. Technology and its

products are powerful and useful tools to use in the

process of designing and building however, they

need to be used wisely and more importantly

appropriately. Surely, the amount of control in a

building’s internal environment for example, is

much greater with the aids of a high tech

mechanical ventilation system than what it ever

used to be before these systems were integrated

into buildings. However, it doesn’t mean that it has

to be done just because it is possible especially

when the same effect can be achieved with

environmentally friendlier ways through the aids of

traditional principles. Rather, a deeper amount of

thought needs to be put forward in order to achieve

the exploitation of every possible way for naturally

ventilating the space before the use of mechanical



systems is sought. Similarly, from the sociocultural

point of view, an architect can design a

superstructure which features many innovations

and originalities in its design but, if it doesn’t

respond to the place’s building norms, traditions

and history it would eventually look out of place

both socially and environmentally. It wouldn’t

reflect any historical, cultural or environmental

meaning and if it doesn’t grasp the specific lifestyle

of the people living in the given context it will

eventually fail.

Therefore, it is of essential importance to use the

best available means of the time in order to give

solutions which still respond to the given context

just like vernacular architecture principles used to

do. A solid and thoughtful evaluation perspective

from the architect‟s side on what needs to be

followed, what needs to be adjusted and what

needs to be abandoned from the vernacular

architecture principles can determine what is

appropriate and what is not for each specific

occasion. Having thorough understanding of the

vernacular architecture principles of a place as well

as keeping on track with the new technologies that

constantly develop is what will help the

contemporary architects to harmonically blend the

two when designing a contemporary sustainable

house.

The thorough study and understanding of a place‟s

culture, history and traditions in combination with

the thoughtful use of technology would shift the

interest of the contemporary architects from

generating “original” or “interesting” forms into

generating forms that are environmentally



responsive as well as original with the primary aim

being to work with the environment instead of

against it. It is the ability to make the best possible

decisions and choices at each specific case which

will distinguish a good designer form a bad one.

After all, in a few years‟ time what is considered

today a contemporary design will become the

vernacular architecture for the future generations

to study. Therefore, in this respect, the

responsibility of keeping the vernacular traditions

of a built environment alive at any given context

lies in the architect‟s hands and is something that

shall not be neglected or underestimated.



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pantelis charalambides

Documents

cypriot vernacular analysis

cypriot vernacular dwellings

characteristics of vernacular

field of architecture

architecture of cultures

sustainable housing

vernacular building

vernacular traditions