Larnaca Municipality is moving forward with plans to restore and upgrade the listed building that once housed the historic REX Cinema, converting it into a dedicated Film Centre, following the launch of a public tender for the project.
The tender concerns the provision of consultancy services for the preparation of the necessary studies and the supervision of the entire project, with the estimated value of the contract set at €361,050.
Interested parties may submit bids until 31 July at 12 noon, while the contract to be awarded will have a duration of 54 months.
The REX Cinema
The historic REX Cinema building is located in Vasileos Pavlou Square, in the centre of Larnaca.
The property stands on Turkish Cypriot-owned land and has been leased to the Larnaca Municipality by the Guardian of Turkish Cypriot Properties for redevelopment and public use.
The project
Through the tender, the Municipality aims to create a cultural venue that will operate as a Film Centre.
In addition to screening films, the new facility will promote creativity, support cultural development and encourage artistic activity in Larnaca. The objective is to establish the necessary infrastructure to attract film producers and productions to the city.
According to the tender documents, the project's overall scope includes preparing all required studies, producing the tender documentation for the restoration and upgrading of the listed REX Cinema building and its conversion into a Film Centre, evaluating the submitted tenders, and supervising the construction contract through to the certification of the final account.
As emphasised in the documentation, the establishment of the Larnaca Film Centre aims to promote Larnaca as a film destination, provide support to the film industry and local non-governmental organisations involved in promoting cinematic arts, and enrich the city's cultural infrastructure through cinema and related cultural events.
Specific objectives
The consultancy contract also requires the preparation of restoration and upgrading studies for the listed building that address the following objectives:
- General improvement of the building's architectural quality and aesthetic appearance, together with its surrounding area.
- Functional organisation of the various uses within the development.
- Assessment of the building's load-bearing capacity and structural adequacy, including evaluation of the need for seismic upgrading to ensure structural safety in accordance with current legislation.
- Installation of new mechanical and electrical systems, including drainage, lighting, sound systems, air conditioning and other building services, in compliance with applicable engineering regulations.
- Energy upgrading of the building in accordance with current energy performance regulations, including examining the feasibility of installing photovoltaic systems as part of the project design.
- Full accessibility and usability of the building and all its facilities for persons with disabilities and persons with reduced mobility, in accordance with the relevant legislation.
- Supervision, coordination and monitoring of the construction contract while ensuring compliance with all applicable legislation and required procedures.
Building programme
According to the tender specifications, the proposed building programme should include:
- A main cinema auditorium with a capacity of 200–250 people, designed to maximise circulation, provide appropriate seating gradients and ensure accessibility for persons with disabilities. The auditorium will host film screenings and include a small stage in front of the screen to accommodate conferences, corporate events, presentations, performances and similar functions.
- Examination of the feasibility of incorporating:
- a conference room/training room/workshop space;
- administrative offices;
- an area providing access to electronic archives (booth area).
- A ticket office.
- A foyer with a bar, with the potential to host exhibitions, including photography exhibitions and similar cultural displays.
The available space will also be assessed, and recommendations will be made regarding the most efficient layout to support the intended functions of the centre.
Requirements and Risk Factors
According to the tender documents, successful delivery of the contract depends on professional execution, compliance with the contract terms, and effective cooperation and coordination between the consultants and all parties involved, so that the project can be completed safely and within the prescribed timetable.
The principal requirements for implementing the contract include:
- Compliance with all legal requirements and prescribed procedures.
- Cooperation with all relevant government departments and public authorities responsible for issuing the licences, permits and certificates required under current legislation or requested by the competent authorities.
- Full compliance with the instructions of the Conservation Branch of the Department of Town Planning and Housing.
- The consultants will be responsible for preparing all documentation required for the above approvals, in cooperation with the contracting authority.
- Should comments or observations be raised during the approval process, the consultants must make the necessary amendments and repeat the submission process until all required licences and certificates have been secured.
- The consultants will be expected to respond promptly so that the project's implementation schedule is not affected.
- The construction contract must be supervised, coordinated and monitored in accordance with all applicable legislation and procedures.
According to the tender documents, there are no significant risks associated with meeting these requirements beyond those normally encountered in contracts for projects of this nature.
(Source: InBusinessNews)
