The architectural design of contemporary houses (post 1970) in Cyprus is mostly based on the educational experience of local architects. As most Cypriot architects were educated abroad, their designs are profoundly influenced by western architecture and there exists a tendency to recreate an international architectural style without considering the advantages of traditional architecture and the distinctive climatic conditions and social life.

Materials used for the construction of contemporary houses in Cyprus are reinforced concrete, hollow clay bricks for the house structure, glass, wood, steel and aluminium profiles for doors and windows, smooth or granulated ordinary Portland cement plaster and paints for wall finishes, in site concrete, ceramic tiles and linoleum for floor finishes. The roof is mostly erected with a thin layer of reinforced concrete of about 12 cm and topped with two layers of hessian damped with mastic asphalt. These materials are normally incorporated in semi-heavy-weight constructions inappropriately designed. The roof and external walls are seldom provided with sufficient thermal insulation. They are also not thick enough to compensate for such loss of insulation by having high thermal capacity.