Plans unveiled for €2 million autism centre in Strovolos

Strovolos, Cyprus. Plans for a new €2 million centre for people with autism were unveiled on Friday at an event at the presidential palace. President Nikos Christodoulides said social inclusion required a society organised so that no one was marginalised and everyone could live and work in a safe and creative community.

Design selected from 37 entries

The event presented the results of an architectural competition for the centre, which will cover approximately 740 square metres and accommodate up to 30 people at a time.

The tender was awarded to architects Chrysostomos Theodoropoulos, Eleni Livani and Panayiota Karamanea. Christodoulides said their design stood out among 37 entries for its “functional clarity and simplicity”.

The cabinet approved the creation of the centre in November 2025.

Care, dignity and skills development

“The creation of the centre meets a real and pressing social need,” Christodoulides said.

He said the government’s ambition was for the centre to become “a model of quality” and “a place where architecture will serve daily lives, where calmness and safety will coexist with learning and the development of skills, and where families will know that their children, their people, are in an environment of care, dignity and prospects”.

“Today is not the end of the road, but the beginning of a demanding course that will turn design into a living cell of social care,” he said.

Christodoulides added that the government was also proceeding with plans for another model autism centre in Famagusta.

Day care for adults over 22

Deputy Welfare Minister Tina Pavlou said the centre aimed to fill a gap by providing day care for people over the age of 22. They would be able to participate in programmes involving creative activities, skills development and gradual social integration.

Pavlou said a day centre for people with higher support needs should limit unnecessary stimuli, facilitate orientation and provide safe, easily understandable routes. It should also offer opportunities for quiet retreat and direct, controlled contact with nature, while supporting the work of professionals.