Elena K. Tsolakis
Tsolakis RIBA is an Australian Greek Cypriot architect. She is director of Kyriakos Tsolakis Architects. Which has offices in Nicosia, Cyprus and London, England.
Elena K. Tsolakis
- Occupation
- architect
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Tsolakis RIBA is an Australian Greek Cypriot architect. She is director of Kyriakos Tsolakis Architects. Which has offices in Nicosia, Cyprus and London, England.
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wikidata · Q131608422 · wikipedia · Elena K. Tsolakis
In this article
Early life and education
Early life and education
She has been an elected board member of the RIBA twice.
Born in Melbourne, Tsolakis studied architecture at University of Melbourne obtaining her Bachelor of Architecture, 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.
Notable works
Notable works
2016: The first women's refuge and crisis centre in Cyprus, selected 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. 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. 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." 2024: National Star Observatory of Cyprus is the first purpose-built star observatory in the country. 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". Costing $1.9 million to construct, it was named the World’s Best Civic and Community Building at the prestigious World Architecture Festival Awards in 2024. The building was also selected as the Overall Winner best building at the SHARE architecture awards in 2025 covering 25 countries and the overall winner of best public civic building at BIG SEE architecture awards covering 21 countries in 2026.
Awards, publications and exhibitions
• Architectural model exhibited in the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition 2009 and winner of the British Institution award. • RIBA Presidential Ambassador of Culture 2015-2017 • Retropioneers: Architecture Redefined. Author of chapter 8: The Future of the Culture of Architecture • Business Woman of the Year 2017 - Madam Figaro Cyprus • National Star Observatory architectural model exhibited in the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition 2022 • Recognised among the Top 100 World-Leading Female Architects, highlighting her exceptional talent and influence in the global architecture community • World Architecture Festival, winner for World's Best Civic and Community Building for National Star Observatory, 2024 • SHARE Architecture Awards, Overall Winner for National Star Observatory, 2025 • BIG SEE Architecture Award, National Star Observatory Grand Prix Winner for best Public Civic building, 2026
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.KYRIAKOS TSOLAKIS ARCHITECTS. Studio Homepage.
- 2.Tsatsou, Marianna. Architect Tsolakis Re-named to UK Royal Institute. Greek Reporter. 13 September 2012.
- 3.Skoufatoglou, Nelly. Elena Tsolakis talks about taking her family’s architectural legacy to the next level. Neos Kosmos. 31 July 2018.
- 4.Greek Australian honoured with re-election to prestigious UK body. Neos Kosmos. 13 September 2012.
- 5.Women's Refuge and Crisis Centre. European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture – Mies van der Rohe Award. 2017.
- 6.Human rights awards for Spavo and Hope for Children Cyprus Mail. cyprus-mail.com. 2021-12-11.
- 7.Kyriakos Tsolakis Architects blends resort for athlete rehabilitation into Mykonos hillside. Dezeen. 2021-08-16.
- 8.Cyprus to get first purpose-built 'Star Wars' observatory. Financial Mirror. 14 April 2021.
- 9.Frearson, Amy. Star Wars-inspired observatory will be built atop a mountain in Cyprus. Dezeen. 2017-09-06.
- 10.Kourtoglou, Yiannis. 'Spaceship' observatory allows Cyprus stargazers a peek at the final frontier. Reuters. July 4, 2024.
- 11.SHARE Architecture Awards 2025 Announces the Winners at the Zumtobel Light Forum in Dornbirn, Austria. SHARE Architecture Awards. 2025-12-09.
- 12.Architecture, BIG SEE Architecture Award 2026 – Grand Prix, Winner: Troodos Star Observatory. BIG SEE.
- 13.RA Publications. The exhibition of the Royal Academy, The 241st. 188. 2009. 9781905711635.
- 14.Greek Australian honoured with re-election to prestigious UK body. Neos Kosmos. 13 September 2012.
- 15.Skoufatoglou, Nelly. Elena Tsolakis talks about taking her family's architectural legacy to the next level. Neos Kosmos. 31 July 2018.
- 16.RIBA Publishing. Retropioneers: Architecture Redefined. 70–76. 5 July 2017. 9781859467565.
- 17.RA Publications. The exhibition of the Royal Academy, 2022 The 254th. 58. 2022. 9781912520930.
- 18.Harriss, Harriet. 100 Women Architects in Practice. RIBA. 218–220. 2023. 9781859469637.
- 19.World Architecture Festival, 2024, National Star Observatory, Cyprus. World Architecture Festival.
References
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References
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The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 18 August 2026.
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