The Mesarch Database is a research tool for scholars of modern architecture in Cyprus and the larger region of the Eastern Mediterranean. The database is organized around architectural and urban design projects, built or unbuilt (Projects), key figures and other agents of architectural culture (Actors) and drawings, photographs, newspaper clippings and other images (Media). The site’s organization around Projects, Actors and Media and its various search tools have been designed to facilitate the contextualization of architectural projects within a larger social, cultural, and political context. The primary source of data on the Mesarch Database comes from the research activities of Mesarch Lab (UCY) and the Lab’s collaborators who are conducting research on modern architecture. The Mesarch Database, at this initial stage, casts the spotlight on archival data from Cyprus and aspires to eventually become a hub of scholarly exchange on broader issues on the history-theory of modern architecture in the region. Its intended audience includes architecture students, practicing architects, academics and social groups interested in the history and culture of modernity in the region.
The Mesarch Lab focuses on scholarly research on the history and theory of 20th Century Architecture in the Eastern Mediterranean, with the goal to expand the critical understanding of modernism in the region. Based at the University of Cyprus, and collaborating with various institutions, the Mesarch Lab is engaged in research programs and the organization of scholarly activities such as workshops, academic conferences and exhibitions. The lab’s activities are showcased in the Mesarch Website.