The aging of the building stock is one of the greatest challenges facing Cyprus today, Platonas Stylianou, First Vice President of ETEK and President of the European Council of Civil Engineers (ECCE), told CNA. He noted that the recent devastating earthquakes in Venezuela “serve as a reminder that seismic safety is an issue that concerns all countries located in earthquake-prone regions,” emphasizing that heavy loss of life is also linked to the vulnerability of structures.

Regarding the seismic protection of buildings in Cyprus, he noted that buildings constructed after 2012 offer a high level of seismic protection. He added that buildings constructed between 1994 and 2011 exhibit significantly improved seismic performance compared to those built before 1994. Mr. Stylianou noted that special attention must be paid to the building stock that was not constructed in accordance with modern seismic regulations.

The vice president of ETEK said that Cyprus is located in the seismically active region of the Eastern Mediterranean, where seismic risk is present.

“In Cyprus, we have moderate to significant seismic risk, which, however, is now taken into account in the seismic design of new structures,” he said.

As he explained, although strong earthquakes are not frequent in Cyprus—the last major one occurred in 1996—history has shown that they can occur.

“That is why the proper implementation of seismic regulations, proper maintenance, and regular assessment of buildings are particularly important,” he noted.

Mr. Stylianou explained that buildings in Cyprus are designed in accordance with the Eurocodes, which “have been mandatory in Cyprus by law since 2012 and provide for a very modern and high standard of seismic design.”

“Therefore, I believe that buildings constructed after 2012 are of exceptional quality because they are subject to mandatory supervision and offer a very high level of seismic protection,” he said.

Regarding buildings constructed in accordance with the Cypriot seismic code, which was in effect from 1994 to 2011, he noted that “they also exhibit significantly improved seismic performance compared to older structures built before 1994.”

However, as Mr. Stylianou noted, “a significant portion of our existing building stock was constructed before 1994, prior to the implementation of modern seismic design standards.”

“That is why special attention is needed regarding our existing building stock that was not constructed in accordance with modern seismic regulations,” he added.

He also explained that “seismic regulations cannot guarantee that a building will not sustain damage in an earthquake.”

He added that structures are designed for a specific seismic design category covered by the Eurocodes. “The primary goal is always to protect human life and prevent a building from collapsing,” he said.

He also noted that if an earthquake exceeds this design standard, even a properly designed building can sustain damage. “This does not mean that the design is inadequate,” he continued, “but often seismic activity exceeds the level for which the structure was designed.”

“You can’t design all buildings for a design earthquake of magnitude 10 on the Richter scale because then there’s the economic cost and many other factors,” he clarified.

“There are specific design earthquakes, which in Cyprus are based on the maximum ground acceleration. The design earthquake is determined based on this,” he explained.

“The aging of the building stock is one of the greatest challenges Cyprus faces today,” said the vice president of ETEK.

“The passage of time, corrosion, and environmental impacts—particularly in coastal cities where we are affected by the sea and salt— interventions carried out without proper studies, and inadequate maintenance can significantly reduce the resilience of existing structures, regardless of their age,” he noted.

“For this reason, we at ETEK believe it is necessary to adopt a national policy for the regular inspection, assessment, and maintenance of our buildings and structures,” he said.

“Priority must be given to public buildings, schools, hospitals, apartment buildings where large numbers of people gather, all public-use buildings, and, more generally, structures that accommodate a large number of users.”

As he noted, ETEK has repeatedly presented its positions and views on the matter both to the House of Representatives and to ministers, while it has also organized workshops and published technical manuals.

“We hope that the new Parliament will pass this bill immediately, because the early diagnosis of problems and the implementation of appropriate maintenance measures are the best investment for the protection of our buildings and human life.”

“International experience shows that significant loss of life is not solely due to the earthquake itself, but to the vulnerability of structures. This has also been evident in Venezuela,” he said.

“Prevention, scientific assessment, regular inspections, and regular maintenance are the safest path for us in Cyprus as well in the face of any future seismic event,” concluded Mr. Stylianou.