ARCH 541 Thesis
Courtyards as Organisers of Space and Social Environments The Case of the Cypriot Courtyard
Presentation January 11, 2021
George Kyriakides Tutors: Angela Petrou & Adonis Kleanthous
Research Questions:
➢ What is a courtyard, what was its use and how did it organise space? ➢ What types of courtyard houses contributed to the development of the Cypriot courtyard house? ➢ How did the design and spatial qualities of the courtyard affect the social and daily life of people
Figure 18 Figure 26
Abstract:
This thesis will focus on the Cypriot courtyard in particular and how it affected the daily life of people. It will discuss the spatial typologies, social interactions and the technical configurations of the courtyards. Through the essay there will be an analysis on the courtyard typologies from different cultures, like the ancient Greek and Roman atrium houses. The typologies of each courtyard affect the way people experience the space, the way the occupants circulate around the space, as well as the way they utilise it. Each culture has different social aspects and the way people use or perceive a living space is reflected on the design and functions of the courtyard. There are three cultures this essay will focus on. These cultures will be set in the Mediterranean region. Based on the bibliography available, the countries which will be discussed in the essay will include classical Greece, Italy during the Roman Empire and Cyprus. The bibliography will be used to also provide examples and case studies from courtyard houses to not only explain their typology but also the social aspects and the daily life experience of its users. This bibliography includes books, PDF articles and web sites. A chapter is dedicated comparing the similarities and differences of the courtyard houses and also compare the way the people are responding to their specific living spaces through their courtyard’s typology. Given that the main focus of the
thesis will be the courtyard, books on typology will be of most importance as it will allow for a better understanding of how the space in a courtyard house is utilised, as well as the spatial design of the houses.
Thesis Contents List: Introduction Methodology Chapter 1: An understanding of the History and Typologies of the Courtyard Chapter 2: Case Study: Atrium Type Housing The Case of The Ancient Hellenic and The Ancient Roman Courtyard Houses Spatial Design
Social life Technical Analysis Chapter 3: The Cypriot Courtyard Spatial Design Social Life
Technical Analysis Chapter 4: Connection between the Roman, Greek and Cypriot courtyard houses Similarities Differences Conclusion
Bibliography
List of Figures: Figure 1 Figure 2 Figure 3 Figure 4 Figure 5 Figure 6 Figure 7 Figure 8 Figure 9 Figure 10 Figure 11 Figure 12 Figure 13 Figure 14 Figure 15 Figure 16 Figure 17 Figure 18 Figure 19 Figure 20 Figure 21 Figure 22 Figure 23 Figure 24 Figure 25 Figure 26 Figure 27 Figure 28 Figure 29 Figure 30
Figure 4
Chapter 1: An understanding of the History and Typologies of the Courtyard:
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The courtyard dates back to 6400-6000 BC.
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People used to design roofs with small openings in the center. Underneath those openings, where a fire pit to was located. The idea was for the smoke to escape the house.
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As time progressed it developed into an inner courtyard.
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The first activities in a courtyard included gardening, worshiping, working, sleeping and even keeping animals.
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In the middle East courtyards were used for cooling.
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In medieval Europe, the courtyard was initially used for protection, gatherings and work. (Fig. 3)
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In Asia, courtyards were more focused on privacy and meditation.
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Different typologies of courtyards emerged during the passage of time.
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Some typologies include patio, atrium and garden style courtyards. (Fig. 5-7)
Figure 5
Figure 3
Figure 6
Figure 7
Chapter 2:
Case Study: Atrium Type Housing The Case of The Ancient Hellenic and The Ancient Roman Courtyard Houses ➢
The atrium type courtyards, which originated in ancient Greek architecture, have a history of more than two thousand (2000) years old.
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A patio type courtyard is best described as an atrium type in repetition but instead of a building surrounding the courtyard in the second, it only covers its three sides, like a u-shape.
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The atrium was an opened part, like a window, on the roof of the building, most commonly known as a skylight in today’s terms.
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An a Greek house men and women had their own separate rooms, andron and gynekon, while the courtyard was the center of all activity in the house. (Fig. 11)
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The Greek house featured a well for a water source and an altar for worshiping.
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The roman house had two atriums with pools underneath for water collection. (Fig. 12)
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The Romans owned shops inside their houses.
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The Roman inner courtyard design helped ventilate and cool the house.
Figure 14
Figure 11
Figure 12
Chapter 3: The Cypriot Courtyard
➢ The Cypriot courtyard houses were designed with the purpose to house people, animals, store goods and create open social environments. ➢
They usually had a four point shape like a square or rectangle and the main building was built around the three sides of the courtyard. (Fig. 15)
➢ Houses were build around the courtyard in a monohoro and or dyhoro types. (Fig. 20) ➢ These types could be singe rooms or makrinari, double rooms. (Fig. 19) ➢ Courtyards were arranged in different typologies while combining the rooms of the
house in various arrangements. Figure 15
Figure 20
Figure 19
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Circulation from the road to the house garden was possible from the iliako. (Fig. 16)
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The courtyards of the houses in villages were smaller at the outskirts of the village and got bigger the closer the house is to the center. (Fig. 25)
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If a courtyard was spacious enough, the owners planted various plants around the periphery of the garden from inside the walls. (Fig. 30)
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The Cypriot people engaged in various activities in the courtyard. Some of them include baking
bread, playing games, dining and weaving fabrics. (Fig. 28) ➢
Secret meetings took place in the courtyards during British rule.
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The design of the house blocked sunlight and casted shadows in the courtyard, while during the winter, the sun would heat up the walls, storing the heat and then releasing it at night.
Figure 16
Figure 28
Figure 25
Figure 30
Chapter 4: Connection between the Roman, Greek and Cypriot courtyard houses
Similarities:
Differences:
➢ Flow and circulation of space
➢ No water feature
➢ Easy access from the courtyard to the rooms of the house
➢ No ownership of slaves
➢ Heating and Cooling techniques
➢ Rare case of atrium houses
➢ Lighting techniques.
➢ No dedicated rooms for the two genders
➢ Courtyard layout and typologies ➢ Activities like dining, working, cooking
Figure 15 Basic layout of a traditional Cypriot house
Figure 27 Water in Cypriot villages was collected from the villages fount
Conclusion:
Overall, we can observe that the Cypriot courtyard shares similar typologies and that the social behaviour and use of the inner garden remained almost the same through the course of a great period of time. The courtyard itself has seen many developments from different cultures all around the world, even becoming an important element in the evolution of architectural and social heritage. Its simple design helped to organise the rooms of the house in an accessible manner, making the center of the building a circulation space. Starting its journey from a small hole in the center of the roof of rectangular houses, it eventually developed into the atrium and garden styles of the ancient Greek and Romans. Those courtyard designs, became the basis on which the Cypriot people started building their houses. While not straying away from their national heritage, the influence of classical Hellenic courtyard houses is evident in the Cypriot houses, as they were shaped and designed in a very similar manner. However, the incorporation of Roman architecture like arcs and vaults cannot be denied. As examined through the essay, the courtyard played an important part in the development of social interactions and activities of the people, as well as creating efficient house designs which not only helped their users circulate and access its rooms easily, but also helped improve the climactic performance and comfort of the building. Social activities, specifically in the case of the Cypriot courtyard, were taking place on a daily basis as family members and
even neighbours were joining to help with housework like baking and crafting, to celebrating and dining. Interaction between people was especially important throughout curfew hours at the time of British rule, as it increased their morale and psychological health during that difficult period. The enclosed courtyards provided people with social encounters as they could meet secretly. In conclusion, the use of the courtyards spatial qualities and free flowing spaces proved to be an effective design choice for houses all around the world and in this case,
Cyprus, as its been observed that people interacted constantly with the courtyard either by engaging in an activity, seeking social comfort or simply circulating around their garden.
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