Sustainability in the modern architecture of Nicosia: A retrospective view

Abstract

Architectural approaches that developed and progressed in the modern period were founded on the criteria of modern architecture. It is possible to see the distinctive features of the modern period from the 1920s to the 1970s on the island of Cyprus, which has been under the influence of many cultures for many years. This study's main goal is to investigate the architectural criteria for residences constructed throughout the modern period in the Nicosia region in relation to sustainability parameters and modern architectural approaches. The methodology of the study consists of theoretical, analysis/practical approaches and observations. The analysis of a total of 3 houses was evaluated in the context of form, function, construction, and sustainability parameters. The houses examined during the findings phase were evaluated within the framework of sustainability parameters, and modern architectural approaches taking into account modern architectural criteria. In the houses discussed in the study, free plan, ornament-free facade designs, and large window openings on the facades, depending on the Functionalism, Purism, Cubism, and international style approaches, attract attention as architectural criteria. In this regard, it clearly reveals that the ideals, approaches, and principles of the modern period are related to the sustainability parameters that emerged at that time.