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About

“AA & U” focuses on the constructive entanglements between architecture, urban planning and the visual arts to support the urban commons. It takes part in the design and implementation of support structures for the urban commons as well as of infrastructures for public spaces. 

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AA&U’s activist work involves the creation of safe spaces to practice a future in common by creatively transforming the contestations of divided Cyprus. Practices of critical cartography, advocating alternative modes of urbanity, of creating common spaces for exchange are central to AA&U’s work.

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The founding members of "AA & U" are Socrates Stratis, architect, urbanist, and academic and Maria Loizidou, visual artist, (www.marialoizidou.com ). Socrates addresses architecture as a critical urban practice to keep architecture relevant to the challenges of conflict transformation. Maria gives emphasis on the power of fragility to address social and political concerns in the visual arts. AA&U is a collaborative structure with many collaborators for each project it undertakes.

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AA&U’s work is published in international publications and exhibited in several editions of the Architecture Biennale in Venice. "AA&U" has collaborated with the “Imaginary Famagusta” team as well as with LUCY (Laboratory of Urbanism University of Cyprus) for the “Hands-on Famagusta” project, (www.handsonfamagusta.org ). It has participated in the curatorial project for Cyprus participation at the Venice Biennale of Architecture in 2016, titled “Contested Fronts, commoning practices for conflict transformation.

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AA & U clients are public authorities such as Heraklion, Crete Greece, Athienou, Limassol, Planning Department and Housing in Cyprus, etc.  AA & U has won several prizes in European and Cypriot architectural competitions.

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Support Structures:  The importance of the active agency of space and practice. AA&U's design processes bring forward the political dimension of the urban. The support structure's output can be a critical statement. They don't have the power to considerable change, yet they point towards new alternatives. Through the 'Support Structures', the visual and performative arts are introduced into the 'Urban' and the 'Architecture'.

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Architecture:  AA&U addresses architecture as a dynamic design process of materialisation of spatial, urban and actorial relations. AA&U has been dealing increasingly with the public aspect of architecture and its relationship to the urban commons. Giving new value to the existing both spatially and socially is central to AA&U's projects. 

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Urban:  Introducing larger entities such as networks, natural landscapes or urban formations into the limited project territory. Engaging the actors, both humans and non-humans connected to such larger entities into the project by introducing new relations of physical, temporal and actorial dimensions. 

Socrates Stratis

http://www.socratesstratis.com/

I am a PhD architect, urbanist, and activist for the urban commons, Associate Professor, at the Department of Architecture, University of Cyprus. My research focuses on the political agencies of architecture and urban design. I study the strategic value of urban design, as well as the social dimensions of architecture plus, the ways they both transform into critical urban practices. I oscillate between practice and research, thanks to entanglements between teaching, practising, curating, and writing. I enrich my research by operating in a highly contested territory, such as the Cypriot one, plus by having an active contribution to the becoming of young European urban design practices through my scientific position in EUROPAN Europe. I am one of the main founders of the critical urban practice agency AA & U, Cyprus. The “Guide to Common Urban Imaginaries in Contested Spaces”, jovis. 2016 is one of my main editorial works. My curatorial and activist work involves the Cyprus participation in the 15th Venice Biennale of Architecture, (www.contestedfronts.org), as well as the “Hands-on Famagusta” project (www.handsonfamagusta.org).

Maria Loizidou

http://www.marialoizidou.com

She is a visual artist, graduated from the Ecole des Beaux Art de Lyon with the “Prix de Paris” in the 1980s. She was resident at the Cité des Arts in Paris for several years. Her work has to do with the power of fragility. She has been collaborating with various museums and foundations across Europe, with exhibitions, educational programs, conferences and workshops . She has participated in many individual and group international art exhibitions including the Venice Biennale of Art and of Architecture.

Senior Architects

Evripides Mytilineos 2018-2023

Architect University of Cyprus.

Riccardo Urbano 2000-2014

Architect University of Genoa, Italy in 2000.

 

Junior Architects

Revekka Evangelou 2023-
Architect, University of Cyprus.
Sara Boraei 2023-2024
Architect, TU Delft
Mary Mavrohanna 2021-2024
Architect, University of Cyprus.
Despina Kouppa 2021-2023
Architect, University of Cyprus.
Evripides Mytilineos 2019-2023

Architect, University of Cyprus.

Eleni Andreou 2019

Architect, University of Cyprus

Lara Sharf 2018-2021
Architect, University of Cyprus
Chyrsanthe Constantinou 2014-2018

Architect, University of Cyprus and Master in Urban Design from UCL, UK

Maria Prokopiou 2013-2014
Architect, University of Cyprus
Anastasia Angelidou 2011-2013
Architect, University of Cyprus, Master in Urban Design
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Technical Assistants

Andri Poumbouri 2000-2002
Lara Alphas 2007-2009

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