The practice was founded in 1960 by Jacques and Andreas Philippou and was initially based within the historic core of Nicosia, Cyprus. Chronologically-speaking, the formation of the practice coincided with the independence of the island from colonial rule and the foundation of the Republic of Cyprus. 

In the ensuing years, dramatic urban change was underway all over the country. During this intensely-transitional period, the office was primarily involved in educational projects, as well as commercial and residential developments at various scales. This was facilitated by establishing competent design teams of qualified professionals (both within its workforce and through external collaborations), thus enabling the practice to become an early local leader both in design excellence and in harnessing the possibilities of a multidisciplinary approach to the building industry. 

With the development of the country’s institutional depth, as well as the associated growth of the local economy, the practice extended its activities into cultural and health institutions, tourist and hospitality developments, business and commercial buildings, leisure and sports facilities, infrastructural and military installations, as well as urban design and strategy.  

From its first decade of its operation, the practice had the change to work overseas – predominantly in multiple regions of the Middle-East, but also Greece and North Africa.  This extended and intricate history of sustaining operations in a geographically expansive field ensured that the Practice has always had an international outlook and multicultural perspective.