In Gyumri, Armenia, the Tumo Center for Creative Technologies by Bernard Khoury / DWS brings an innovative, free-of-charge open digital media learning hub alongside the renovation and expansion of the city’s existing Gyumri Theatre. The opening follows the developer’s successful launch of a flagship location in Yerevan and the AGBU NKR Campus.
The 2500 square meter centre is a synergistic hub with state-of-the-art digital technology staffed by educators and media professionals to help students explore creative content and media applications through real-life projects. The centre accommodates programmes in animation, video game development, digital media, and web development.
Constructed in the 1850s, the existing building has undergone various stages of construction and served several uses over the years ranging from a People’s House to a local television broadcasting centre. Most notably it has also functioned as an opera house, a use from which the Gyumri Theatre has acquired its present title.
Addressing two different topographic levels and the surrounding social and cultural fabric of the city, the main student areas are accessible at ground level on the eastern façade, which also fronts onto a park. All other public and non-student-related functions including the main lobby, administration, and a public amphitheatre are accessed along the upper street level of the western facade.
The southern and eastern facades of the building, originally constructed with local turfa stone and finished in white plaster have been preserved and restored. The other façades have been rendered in a vibrant red, providing a striking contrast against the largely monochromatic cityscape. A generous public amphitheatre at the upper level exteriorizes the complex’s interior through its outdoor projections and prominence.
