The LOCUS* intervention project in Cyprus involved a partial transformation of the schoolyard at the 3rd Primary School of Palouriotissa. The project commenced with an initial step of conducting a survey involving the students, with the aim of discerning their needs and ideas. Subsequently, a series of workshops was conducted with 33 first-year students from the School of Architecture of the University of Cyprus.
The schoolyard survey conducted from October to December, yielded important insights regarding the children’s needs. Imperatives such as the provision of shade, recreational spaces, privacy, verdant areas, and expansive lounging zones emerged as focal points. To identify potential solutions, we collaborated with Dr. Popi Iacovou, lecturer at the University of Cyprus, who provided guidance and material on the work of the renowned modernist architect Stavros Economou. The primary school students studied Economou’s work and extracted some of his principles in order to begin forming their needs and ideas into designs. Two workshops were conducted at the school in which all 5th Grade primary students and 33 first-year university students participated. The collaboration between university and primary school students facilitated a dynamic exchange of ideas, resulting in the potential of the schoolyards as nurturing spaces for the children.
The outcomes of the co-creative sessions were used as inspiration for Urban Gorillas to propose a low-cost design for transforming the schoolyard, which was done through the playful spatial distribution of large concrete tubes. The final event saw the active participation of children, parents, and teachers from the school, who collectively painted the concrete tubes with a vibrant array of colours. This event infused the space with bold and imaginative concepts and exemplified the collaborative spirit that underpinned the workshop on schoolyard design.
Special thanks to: Daliko for the support in installing the concrete tubes, Mr. Vassileios Georgiades, the school headmaster, and the Parents’ Association for believing in this project and for supporting it to the very end.
Project Coordinator: Despo Pasia
Design Team: Yiorgos HAdjichristou, Naile Alanli, Anastasia Mylona, Veronika Antoniou* The survey, workshop and event was organised within the framework of the Erasmus+ European program ‘LOCUS: Creative place-making – the path to active European citizenship’ and is actively supported by the Parents Association.
