Construction of Star Wars inspired ‘star observatory’ to begin soon in Troodos

Planning permission to construct a futuristic observatory in the Troodos mountains is expected to be issued soon.

The Star Wars-inspired observatory will be built near the village of Agridia and will be part of the Troodos Geopark – a 115-hectare, UNESCO-listed park containing mountains covered with forests, fields, orchards and vineyards. The location was selected for its excellent weather conditions that allow for optimal viewing, while it is only a 45-minute drive from the capital Nicosia and Limassol.

Estimated cost of the project is EUR 1.6 mln including equipment.

An observatory is seen as having a positive impact on the development of the wider region and will boost tourism. It will collect data to share with NASA, which is currently unable to track celestial phenomena between India and the Mediterranean.

The observatory is intended for children, amateur astronomers and tourists.

It will have two telescopes, a solar one for use during the day and a lunar one to watch the stars and moon at night. The idea is that different groups of people will be able to make use of the space.

The futuristic building is going to be in the shape of a spaceship, inspired by sci-fi films such as Star Wars.

Architectural plans have already attracted international interest with an article about the project published in Dezeen, the prestigious architectural magazine.

Designers of the project are Elena and brother Nicodemus Tsolakis of Kyriakos Tsolakis Architects with offices in London and Nicosia.

“Elena and I drew inspiration from sci-fi when drawing up plans for this observatory – I was a Star Wars fan growing up,” explained Tsolakis.

“Of course the client didn’t know this when they hired us. They were pretty surprised with where we took it, but they love the ideas,” Nicodemus told Dezen magazine.