Elena K. Tsolakis RIBA is an Australian Greek Cypriot architect. She is director of Kyriakos Tsolakis Architects. [1] which has offices in Nicosia, Cyprus and London, England. She has been an elected board member of the RIBA twice. [2]
Born in Melbourne, Tsolakis studied architecture at University of Melbourne obtaining her Bachelor of Architecture, [3] she then went on to study in London at Kingston University for her Masters Diploma of Architecture and at University of Westminster for her Postgraduate Diploma of Architecture completing her studies in 2009. [4]
2016: The first women's refuge and crisis centre in Cyprus, nominated for the European Union Mies van de Rohe award for Contemporary Architecture. It offers bi-communal support for women based in the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot communities. [5] Building on 25 years of work from the local charity, the centre is a national hub for support and campaigning, recognised with a national human rights award in 2021. [6]
2021: Mykonos Wellness Hotel for athletes incorporates a unique site in a valley on the Greek island to fuse modern design with local materials. "These natural materials complement the vibrancy of the turquoise Bali stone pools to create a rich palette of textures and tones within a valley of boulders and undulating hills." [7]
2024: National Star Observatory of Cyprus is the first purpose-built star observatory in the country. [8] Constructed 1,200 metres above sea level on a mountaintop within a UNESCO area the building draws inspiration from Star Wars sci-fi iconography to "inspire and excite anyone who sees it from afar or up close". [9] Costing $1.9 million to construct, [10] it was named in 2024 the World’s Best Civic and Community Building at the prestigious World Architecture Festival Awards. [11]