On Wednesday, May 17th, an event on affordable housing was held at our University, in Nicosia, organized by the Department of Architecture. The event featured guest speaker Prof. Wafaa Nadim and a panel discussion. 

The event, which was organized in collaboration with the Cyprus Architects Association, focused on the often-overlooked role of Architecture in achieving affordable housing in Cyprus today. 

Dr Byron Ioannou, Head of the University's Department of Architecture, welcomed the guests and participants to our Nicosia campus.

Professor Wafaa Nadim, a Faculty member of the German University of Cairo, delivered the keynote speech, exploring smart and affordable housing solutions, and commenting on challenges, possible failures and lessons learned for Cyprus, from Egypt's experience.

The insightful presentation was followed by a roundtable discussion on "Architecture and Affordable Housing: The Challenges of the Cypriot Reality" featuring Mr Alkis Dikaios, President of the Cyprus Architects Association and a faculty member of our University's Department of Architecture, Ms Maria Charalambidou, Architect and President of the Town Planning Council, Mr Andreas Papallas, Architect and member of the Council of the Scientific and Technical Chamber of Cyprus (ETEK); and Elena Parouti, Architect. All speakers raised crucial questions and highlighted significant realities. The event emphasized the need for both regulatory and mindset changes to effectively address the rising costs of affordable living. The concept of smart houses was closely scrutinized, questioning whether smart technology always equates to sustainability.

We are grateful to all participants for their insightful contributions, which greatly enriched the discussion and to Professor Lora Nikolaou, Faculty member of the Department of Architecture, for excellently moderating the discussion.