Professor Yiorgos Hadjichristou
Yiorgos Hadjichristou is Professor at the Department of Architecture of the University of Nicosia. He studied at the Kiev University (Master in Architecture -Kiev Institute of Architecture -KICI – 1989) and at the Kyoto University (Research Course in Architecture- Kyoto University- 1992). His studies were funded by the Scholarship system granted to Cyprus by the Ex-Soviet Union and the Monbusho Minister of Education of Japan. He also holds a Diploma to teach the Russian language to foreigners received at the Kiev Institute of Architecture (1989).
Y. Hadjichristou taught the Greek language at the ‘Ellinika Center’ in Osaka (1991-1992) and Russian Language at the Kyoto language center (1991-1992). He also worked for the Koinoike Gumiai Architectural office in Osaka, Kobayashi Architects (1990) in Kyoto and E&Y Antoniou architects in Larnaca (1983-1992). He established his own Architectural Practice in Nicosia in 1992 and collaborated with various architects, artists and other professionals. He dealt with a wide spectrum of projects ranging from furniture to individual houses, from residential office buildings to urban planning while being engaged with cultural, educational, commercial medical and other buildings. His work included a series of research projects for the assessment of the built and natural environment in Palaichori and Nicosia. Additionally, he was engaged with a number of the refurbishment of traditional- listed buildings.
He actively participated and got a number of awards in local and international architectural competitions, for the accessibility and the public character of buildings, their bioclimatic behaviour and the sustainability, regeneration projects and the general quality and innovation of the built environment.
He also actively participated in the Cyprus Architects Association as a member of the board where among others he was in charge of exhibitions, lectures etc. He has been also constantly active with the social issues, the problems of the lack of urban public spaces in the cities and participated or initiated in various activists’ events.
In September 2007 he started a collaboration with the University of Nicosia as a part-time faculty and he became a full-time member of the Architecture Department in September 2008. He was ranked as Associate Professor in February 2009, while he holds the position of Co-Head of the Department the same year. He kept being engaged in the administration of the Architecture department as Co-Head, Acting Head and Associate head until 2015. He actively participated in the development of the Architecture Programme and its accreditation both in Cyprus and in Europe. While trying to link the Department with the local industry and architectural scene, he also put emphasis on the forging of an international identity of the Department. Reaching out to the international and local scene and creating rich activities with lectures, workshops, seminars, exhibitions with the participation of leading architects and professionals from various countries became an indispensable part of the architectural education.
Y. Hadjichristou has developed various courses of the Architecture Programme and was engaged in the development of the Unit system of the main architectural course – the studios of the 4th and 5th year students. He also developed innovative educational methods of the first years of architectural education and specifically for the 1st semester of the 1st year.
He participated in international committees of Quality Assurance as in the evaluation of the Polytechnical Schools of Metsovion in Athens and Chania while also he has been in various committees of faculty evaluations in a number of Architectural Institutions.
At the same time Y. Hadjichristou initiated the engagement of the Architecture Department’s students and the whole university too in his involvement with activism in a series events for the acclaiming of the public spaces, the regeneration of neglected areas of the city and support to political asylum seekers in the Kofinou reception center, the ‘Pame Kaimakli’ festivals etc.
His research area in the immaterial aspect of Architecture, the crisis- as generator of innovation and progress, the evolution of the traditional wisdom of architecture, the participatory democracy of people in the formation of the built environment took form in his active participation in conferences, biennale and Triennale, exhibitions and a variety of significant publications.
Since 2014 he is a member of the Board of the NGO ‘Urban Gorillas’, the most significant active body for creative engagement for the development of public spaces in Cyprus.
