Elena K. Tsolakis
BArch, DipArch, PgDip, ARB RIBA ETEK
Co-founder, Director and Project Architect at Kyriakos Tsolakis Architects
Elena is a chartered architect & director of Kyriakos Tsolakis Architects in Cyprus & the UK. She is currently project architect on a Star Observatory and a Culinary School and designed the recently completed Charisma Hotel in Mykonos and the first purpose built Women’s Shelter in Cyprus. She has recently completed 5 years as non-exec Directors on the board of the Electricity Authority of Cyprus and has served on the National Town Planning Council of Cyprus.
Professional Affiliations
Over the past decade, she has promoted the culture of architecture through her role on the governing Council and Board of the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA). In recent years she had taken on the role of Presidential Ambassador for the Culture of Architecture and was elected twice to chair the body that facilitates the RIBA cultural outreach public programme. This body has oversight over the largest collection of architectural “objects” in the world valued at over £250 million and includes four million items in the British Architectural Library and the Victoria & Albert Museum.
Nicodemos Tsolakis
BArch, DipArch, ARB ETEK
Co-founder, Director and Project Architect at Kyriakos Tsolakis Architects
Nicodemos is a director of Kyriakos Tsolakis Architects in Cyprus. He is currently Project Architect on a monastery and a War memorial Museum and delivered the completed Women’s Shelter in Cyprus, nominated for the European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture, Mies Van der Rohe Award. He was involved in a number of high profile medium to large scale projects in London including the Unison Headquarters in Euston and The Landmark Docklands. Nicodemos was the Project Architect for the Oxford St corner development for Legal and General from the planning permission through to detail design and procurement.
Professional Affiliations
Nicodemos’ work has been published in international journals including Architectural Journal, Dezeen, Livingetc, TIME, CNN news. He has lectured on his work and frequently sits on judging panels for international architectural competitions as well as an invited critic in Schools of Architecture.
Cassandra Tsolakis
BArch, MArch, ARB ETEK
Director and Project Architect
at Kyriakos Tsolakis Architects
Cassandra is a director of Kyriakos Tsolakis Architects in Cyprus & the UK. Before joining the family architecture practice, Cassandra spent 8 years at Heatherwick Studio, one of the world’s most renowned architectural practices. During her time at Heatherwick Studio and as one of the youngest architects in the Studio to be promoted to the role of Project Leader, Cassandra developed a passion for designing beautiful as well as cerebrally and experientially interesting places. Some notable projects in her portfolio include Google’s first purpose-built headquarters in San Francisco, Project Eden in Singapore, Little Island in NYC as well as cultural and hospitality developments in Shanghai and London. Google’s Headquarters is a particularly noteworthy, valued at one billion USD, a project of great complexity and ambition which she worked on for 5 years, from concept to construction. Prior to Heatherwick Studio, Cassandra worked at Grimshaw Architects.
After years of developing expertise on high profile projects, she has joined KTA with the ambition of bringing this decade of expertise to her home country.
Kyriakos Tsolakis
Founder - Architect
Kyriakos was born in Cyprus and attended high school at Frederick from where he acquired a diploma in Design. He continued his studies in Athens at Doxiadis's Athenian Institute of Technology (ATO) where he graduated as a Project Architect. He moved to Australia to further his architectural studies at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT). In 1973 he started his practice.
In the years that followed, the company engaged in over 500 architectural projects across Melbourne that have by now stood the test of time. Kyriakos also owned a construction and developing company in Australia and completed a great number of his own developments.
In 1992 Kyriakos moved back to his home country, Cyprus, and set up a construction company. His first project was for the formwork of the large extension to the Hilton hotel in the country's capital. Soon after, he introduced timber frame brick veneer construction to Cyprus.
Community Work
Kyriakos has been a celebrated member of his community due to his tireless activities regarding Cyprus, helping Cypriots in Australia and contributing to raising the profile of the community within Australian society and culture.
In Australia he was president of the Cyprus Hellenic Club for a decade and secretary to the Coordinating Committee Justice for Cyprus (SEKA) as well as a member of a number of a committees and associations. In Cyprus he has been president of the Repatriated Cypriots Association for more than 20 years.