500 Affordable Rent Housing Units One Step Closer – Architectural Studies Selected for Seven State Plots
The Architectural Competition by the Department of Town Planning and Housing for the First Affordable Housing Developments in Nicosia, Limassol, Larnaca, and Paphos Has Been Completed, Moving the Project Into Its Next Phase of Maturation.
A significant step towards implementing the government plan to enhance affordable housing took place today, with the completion of the architectural competition for residential units to be erected on seven plots of state land in the districts of Nicosia, Limassol, Larnaca, and Paphos.
The Department of Town Planning and Housing announced the competition results, through which preliminary architectural proposals were selected to form the basis for project implementation via the "Design – Build – Maintain" method. Today's development does not signal the start of construction work, but it represents the first substantive milestone in advancing these specific developments.
The seven developments form part of the broader government plan presented at the end of 2025, which provides for the construction of approximately 500 affordable rent housing units on state land, with an estimated budget of around €70 million. The program primarily targets young people, young families, and other categories of beneficiaries who meet the Plan's income criteria.
In Four Districts
The residential units will be developed on two state plots in Nicosia, three in Limassol, one in Larnaca, and one in Paphos. The selected architectural proposals pertain to the preliminary study stage and will be utilized in subsequent design and implementation phases of the project, in accordance with the procedure outlined in the competition tender.
The Evaluation Committee assessed entries based on predetermined criteria and awarded first prizes to the following teams of consultants:
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Nicosia 1: Thiasos Architecture – Eirini Evgeniou and Paisios Skitini.
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Nicosia 2: Giannos Koliandris, Maria Kyriakou, and Marina Michail.
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Limassol 1: Andreas Konstantinou and Eirini Kleidara.
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Limassol 2: Pantelis Papadopoulos, Eleni Flouri, and Laura-Maria Fotiou.
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Limassol 3: Eutychios Savvides and Maria Daouti.
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Larnaca: Georgios Kanakis – UMBRAL Architecture.
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Paphos: Niki Kourti, Savvas Kakalis, Iasonas Dounis, and Aimilia Kritikou.
The Next Step
With the completion of the architectural competition, the project enters the next phase of maturation. The awarded studies will serve as the foundation for delivering the developments, while the proposals will be presented in a public exhibition, as announced by the Department of Town Planning and Housing. Additionally, all winning studies will be posted on the Cyprus Architects Association website.
