Staff Catalogue

STRATIS SOCRATES

SOCRATES STRATIS
22892962
...
PROFESSOR
Department of Architecture
Main Campus Buildings,
75, Kallipoleos Ave.
I am a Ph.D. architect, urbanist, and activist for the urban commons, Professor, at the Department of Architecture, University of Cyprus. 

My research focuses on the role of architecture and urban design in uncertain, plus contested contemporary urban environments. I study such role by critically approaching architecture’s urban practice, as well its spatial agencies. I examine how the strategic value of urban design as well as the social dimension of architecture inform critical urban practices. I underwrite the architecture’s political dimension through its re-engagement with contemporary urban environment transformations, supporting the urban commons. I put an emphasis on methods with which critical architectural practice incorporates creatively political issues and seeks a role within a broader system of urban actors. I oscillate between a diffractive spatial practice and a practice-based research, thanks to entanglements between teaching, practicing, curating and writing. I enrich my research by operating in a highly contested territory, such as the Cypriot one. My multifaceted involvement in Europan Europe helps me to address such issues in a Europan and international networks of cities, professionals, and academics regarding the territorial turn of urban design.

 
Key words: the political in architecture and urban design, urban commons and activism, spatial agency in contested urban environments public space, critical spatial and urban practices, practice centered investigation in architecture and urbanism, territorial turn of urban design.
 
 
 
My research lies on establishing connections between teaching, research and practice in architecture and urbanism. Such hybrid structures of research/action could incorporate social and political issues in the sphere of architectural creativity. In this way there is an emphasis for architects to seek a new public role within a broader system of institutions dealing with contemporary urban environments. Through such methods of research/action, architecture could become on one hand a vehicle of revealing existing conditions between spatial and social /political contexts and on the other hand, an agent of initiatives for public engagement of individuals and institutions concerning urban issues. 
 
 
I AM INTERESTED IN THE FOLLOWING TOPICS FOR PhD. RESEARCH 
 
1. The political in urban design and urban theory 
2. Research through Urban Design
3. Research through Practice
4. The role of architecture and urban design for constructive conflict transformation (issues of peace-building and the city)
5. Critical Spatial Practices and the Urban Commons
6. Architecture, activism, and the contested city
7. Ecological Urbanism: The entanglement of ecological, landscape, social and political issues in the contemporary city
8. EUROPAN as an urban agent for promoting the inclusive city in Europe
 
 
Book editor and co-writer:
2024     “Urban Design on the Move: Implementing a Europan project”, jovis, Berlin
2016  “Guide to Common Urban Imaginaries in Contested Spaces”, jovis, Berlin
 
Selected published articles in books and journals: 

2024  “Magic Mountains, Mysterious Islands and Urban Health” in “Living Cities-Europan 16 Results, edited by D. Rebois, Europan editions, Paris,  pp. 186-188 

2023 “Things to Make for the Home in a Ghost City: a Silent Spatial Practice for Resistance, Varosha, Famagusta, Cyprus”, in Architecture and Culture Journal, Special Edition: Border Fictions

2022 “Hands-on Famagusta” in “Urban Commons Handbook” edited by Urban Commons Collective, (with A. Akbil, C. Constantinou, E. Can, M. Ozgur Ozersay, L.A Scharf, editions dpr, Barcelona, pp. 150-163.

2022 “Caring for? Towards a territorial geographic repair approach” in Europan Europe Book of Europan 16 Results, edited by D. Rebois, Europan editions, Paris, pp. 162-165

2021“Borders and Boundaries of Control”. Academia Letters, Article 153.

2020 Translocality as Urban Design Tool for the Inclusive City: The Case of Europan in Ardeth Journal
2020 A counter-project about land regeneration and land use in Larnaca, Cyprus; or, an everyday little utopia, in Urban Transcripts Journal,  Vol 3 No3. 
2020 “Third Space as Transitional Agent”, in Europan Europe Book of Europan 15 Results, edited by D. Rebois, Europan editions, Paris
2020 “Emancipatory Urban Practices for Conflict Transformation” in Journal of Art and Public Space, London
2020 Powers of entanglement: a letter to Ray and Charles Eames, in Frolov, V. Project Baltia Journal, Letters from the Quarantine 
2020 “Why Alice is not in Wonderland? Countering the militarized status quo of Cyprus”, in Journal of Public Space,
           Art and Activism in Public Space
2019 “Manifesto” (with B. Vlay, C. Arroyo, M. Carta, A. Degros, M. Garcia, D. Rebois, C. Younes) in Rebois, D (ed), “Europan Manifesto – Guide for Projects Processes”, Europan editions, Paris, pp. 6-9, 
2019 Unseeing in the Cypriot Contested Cities in Architectuul, Foma 25
2018 “Three approaches to an inclusive city for makers”, in Europan 14 Session Analysis, edited by D. Rebois, Europan editions, Paris, also in Europan 14 German Catalogue, Berlin,
2018 Challenges for the Grand Parisian Metropolitanization. Planning Theory & Practice
2016 “Negotiate as You Go Along: infrastructures for shared hybrid territories”, in Europan Europe Book of Europan 13 Results, edited by D. Rebois, Europan editions, Paris
 
Published projects in journals and competitions
2020 Redevelopment of the main public space of Limassol, Plateia Herown, (collaboration with AA&U and Kis Architecture),
          (second prize without a first one)
2020 Artistic Installation in the National Theater building, Nicosia (architect team member for the visual artist Loizidou, Socratous), first prize 2018 Redevelopment of Zouchouri Area, Larnaca (collaboration with AA&U), Honorable mention
2016 “The Hands-on Famagusta” project in “Guide to Common” Urban Imaginaries in Contested Spaces”, edited by S. Stratis, jovis, Berlin, 
2015 “Open City”, in Damdi, Seoul*, pp.644-649
2015 “Redevelopment of Larnaka Market”, in Damdi, Seoul, pp.650-657,
2015 “Mari, the Pending Memorial”, in Damdi, Seoul, pp.922-926, 
2015 “Maria Sygletiki Residence”, in "Housing" by Damdi, Seoul, pp. 404-405, 
2015 “T11&T13 Residences and Artist's Studio”, in "Housing" by Damdi, Seoul,  pp. 530-535, 
2015 “Winery and Residence”, in "Housing" by Damdi, Seoul,  pp. 598-599, 
 
Research projects and grants 
2022 “Spatial Practices in Art and Architecture for Empathetic Exchange -Space X” -Marie Curie ETN Horizon 2020, duration: 4 years, (Total sum for the research project for all partners:650,000 euro).
2020 (grant) Fulbright Visiting Scholarship, duration 1 semester ( for 2021)
2020 (grant) IASPIS Cultural Center of Swedish Ministry of Culture, Architectural Curator Residency, duration 4 weeks, October 2020.
2019 (research project grant), “Spatial Practices in Art and Architecture for Empathetic Exchange -Space X” -Marie Curie ETN Horizon 2020, (Total sum for the research project:650,000 euro) 
2017 (grant), “We need to talk about our Coasts”, Project leader, funded by Grow Civic, Embassy of the Netherlands, - (8,500 euro)
2016 (grant), The “Contested Fronts: Commoning Practices for Conflict Transformation”, Curator of the Project for the Cyprus Pavilion at the 15th Venice Biennale of Architecture, Italy, (103,800 euro)
2015 (grant), The “Found-in-Translation” project, Project leader, the “Hands-on Famagusta” project funded by UNDP, through Famagusta Renewal –, (18,000 euro)
2014 (grant), The “Hands-On-Famagusta” project, Project leader, collaboration with the Imaginary Famagusta Group and AA&U For Architecture, Art and Urbanism), by the United States Agency for International Development, the Mahallae Platform and the UNDP-ACT (130,000 US Dollars)