Cyprus Archaeological Museum

Our competition entry for a new Archaeological Museum for Cyprus ‘floats’ above a live archaeological dig in Nicosia, allowing visitors to directly observe and engage with the ongoing excavation, on the Hill of Agios Georgios. The scheme consists of an expansive platform raised above the excavation, along with an enfilade of exhibition spaces along the site’s perimeter to display the museum’s collection, with research, administrative and conservation spaces consolidated within an adjacent wing. The load-bearing structure of the main museum space features wide steel bays to minimise foundation works on the sensitive site, while the elevations will feature pale limestone to create a connection with the city’s traditional architecture. A sawtooth roof will bring in generous daylight, while helping to provide shade for visitors and protect the site from the elements. The site in Nicosia was originally earmarked for the country’s House of Representatives, until construction was paused following the discovery of significant and extensive remains traced back to the city’s first human settlement. Our proposal takes advantage of the excavations to contextualise the artefacts in the Museum’s collection, seeking to demonstrate the dynamic processes that characterise archaeological research, along with its power to continuously revise and enrich our understanding of the past.