Work on the new Archaeological Museum of Cyprus has been delayed.
This was announced by the construction company on Monday, February 24.
As it turned out, the strike by cement workers in Cyprus did not go unnoticed. It has affected many projects, including the construction of the Archaeological Museum in Nicosia. According to the contractor, the work schedule had to be postponed for 11 months, which means that the building will not open in July 2026 as planned. At the same time, the cost of the major project has increased. The exact figure has not yet been announced.
Recall that the new Archaeological Museum will be built on the site of the old Nicosia General Hospital, at the junction of Jawaharlal Nehru Avenue and Heylonos, next to the Pedios River, not far from the existing Archaeological Museum and the House of Representatives.
According to the project, designed by Theoni Xanthi XZA Architects, the development will cover an area of 40,000 m2. Along the banks of the river, three snow-white museum buildings will stand on transparent glass cubes. Each of the buildings will house permanent and temporary exhibitions divided into three concepts: 'Culture', 'Environment' and 'Sea'. The buildings will be surrounded by beautiful gardens with trees, shrubs and water features, with an atrium in the centre where open-air lectures can be held.
On the banks of the Pedios River there will be a recreational and educational area with restaurants and cafés, temporary exhibition buildings, a library and rooms for master classes. The museum will also have an underground car park.
The project has been entrusted to ACOVOU-CYFIELD JOINT VENTURE, which won the tender for the construction works in November 2022. The developer was also granted the right to maintain the building for 10 years after commissioning.
The cost of the new museum was originally estimated at €144 million. However, the final amount is now unknown.