Editorial to the special issue on crisis.

Understanding the historical complexities surrounding Doxiadis Associates’ idea of ‘gossip squares’ in housing projects helps frame larger theoretical questions about the potential significance of the ‘gossip square’ as an everyday public space. The focus of this paper is the gossip square as a spatial and social concept. The idea of 'gossip square' was discussed among Doxiadis Associates' designers and patrons, to eventually become entwined with larger visions of urban development. In examining the ‘gossip square’, new ‘gossip’ arises about how the term reflected ambivalent alignments with mid-twentieth-century modernism, and how it advanced particular agendas of nation-building and modernization. Unpacking the history of the term and the way the concept was appropriated (or not) by the firm of Doxiadis Associates provides insights into such public hubs in the larger context of social relations and the space of a city.

One of the characteristics of contested spaces of ethno-religious origin is the failure to work around common projects. This is the case of the community of Pyla, Cyprus, one of a few inter-ethnic communities on the island. Architectural and planning practices are urged to contribute to the process of reconciliation, despite the lack of an on-going official reconciliation process, and their lack of power.Recently, there has been an increasing number of practices in Cyprus that re-examine their field of operation and readjust their design tools accordingly. One of them is the Architectures of Emergency initiative, in which the author participates, which employs characteristics of ‘first aid’ architecture by inserting moments of publicness into the void created by the absence of a common institutional framework between the two communities.

The problem of architectural conservation is almost as old as the history of mankind. Rehabilitation of the existing building stock raises questions such as: what is important to be preserved? Should the renovation imitate or deviate from the original design? How important is the preservation of the original use and which new uses are desirable? In Cyprus, the restoration of old buildings seems to follow the international prevailing trends, diachronically. The various successive rulers led to the creation of its multicultural architectural diversity and simultaneously affected the philosophy followed in maintaining monuments. The industrial revolution and urbanization changed the attitude towards cultural heritage since the relationship between people and traditional environment was disturbed. Gradually, perceptions began to converge and the concept of architectural heritage was expanded to include all architectural and environmental aspects. The recent development of tourism combined with modern globalization resulted in a sharp turn towards the architecture of the past and the overestimating of its value since it is recognized as an important part of the island's identity and individuality. This change of attitude leads towards new discussions regarding the hierarchy of the different values of existing buildings involving matters of authenticity, rehabilitation, and intervention. ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]; Copyright of Studies in Conservation is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The paper attempts to explore the interrelation between a) the architects’ individualism and “pre-structures” b) research- based findings during the designprocess through experimentation and c)an integrated design approach, wheremorphology, construction and bioclimatic design are integrated from an early designstage. Through a thorough presentation and analysis of a competition proposal forthe Cyprus News Agency, we discuss a number of important findings in relation to thepresent and possibly future form of the design studio. We suggest that thedesigner’s “prestructures” may not only be the basis for creative action, but also thebasis for understanding and interpretation. Design informed and enriched at everystage by a research-based process, might well be the transmission andtransformation of “prestructures”, a process of elaboration and discovery whichfacilitates and enhances design creativity and possibly allows for a multiplicity ofapproaches through a range of possibilities. Furthermore, an integrated approachfrom the early stages of the design process facilitates innovation in materials andsystems.