Pilbrow and Partners propose to relocate the Archaeological Museum of Cyprus to a site formerly planned for the new House of Representatives, on the Hill of Agios Georgios.

A rich and unique archaeological heritage traces continuous occupation of the site since the establishment of the settlement in Nicosia. The archaeological discoveries made in this location are so extensive and varied that the construction of the planned administrative building had to be abandoned.

Relocating the archaeological museum to the site transforms its potential. It places visitors and staff in close connection with real and ongoing archaeological investigation, serving both to contextualise the artefacts displayed in the collection and to demonstrate the dynamic processes that characterise the significant archaeological pursuits continuously revising and enriching contemporary understandings of the past.

The historic settlement located on site had not yet been discovered by 1995, when an architectural competition was held for the design of the new House of Representatives, yet perhaps it could have been anticipated. The site is unique: a prominent area of elevated land on the main route to the old city. Today it lies in the heart of the new civic and governmental quarter, adjacent to a planned cultural centre and just south of the recently completed National Theatre.

The relocation to Agios Georgios thus enhances the museum’s potential and provides a potential location for the new House of Representatives, which currently remains placeless.