This article was first posted in Parathyro, Politis' cultural page
Limassol Municipality is moving ahead with an investment of more than €20 million in culture, launching an international architectural competition for House of Arts Limassol on Aiolou Street. The new home for the arts will also include two underground car parks with more than 200 spaces in the city centre.
The municipal council took the significant decision to launch the international architectural competition for the construction of House of Arts Limassol at a recent session. The project has been the subject of intense discussion in Limassol in recent years and is intended to meet the city's artists' need for spaces to house and produce cultural work. The House of Arts is projected to cost more than €21 million from start to finish, and the architectural competition itself will be conducted in English, with the aim of attracting large firms from abroad. The building will be constructed on Aiolou Street, on land belonging to Limassol Municipality that was expropriated for this purpose.
A notable innovation is that although the project had already progressed to some degree, it was reprogrammed entirely from scratch through participatory processes involving hundreds of artists, who themselves determined what their needs would be. It is also worth noting that alongside the House of Arts, the same project provides for two underground car parks with more than 200 spaces, serving both the site and the wider city, given the strategic importance of the location near Limassol's historic centre. The competition's nine-member jury will include, alongside representatives of the municipality, the Cyprus Scientific and Technical Chamber (ETEK), the Cyprus Architects Association (SAK) and the Town Planning Department, prominent figures from the city's cultural scene.
What the project will include
The competition will formally open in September, though its building programme has already been finalised. Results are expected around six months after the competition opens. According to information obtained by Politis, the House of Arts will mainly include rehearsal spaces as well as performance halls. Specifically, the roughly 5,000 square metre building is expected to house one large black box-type hall with extensive configuration options, allowing it to host a range of productions. At least three further halls of 200 square metres each are planned for music, dance and theatre, designed with the particular requirements of each discipline in mind. There will also be a large 600 square metre exhibition space for cultural and visual arts exhibitions.
Beyond this, the project provides for at least four guest residences to host visiting artists on site, alongside numerous supporting facilities such as workshops and storage areas, with specifications drawn from the public consultation process. The site will also include a café-restaurant, intended to become a gathering place for artists.
The Turkish Cypriot cinema
Beyond the Aiolou Street project, Limassol Municipality is also proceeding with the restoration of the city's Turkish Cypriot cinema, which was completely destroyed in previous years. Following its transfer to the municipality by the Turkish Cypriot Properties Management Service through a tender process, consultants have already been selected and have begun work designing the building's restoration and reopening. The municipality's goal is to turn it into a "Cinema Centre," which would also help meet other cultural needs in the city.
