PROLOGUE

Yerevan was completely rebuilt in the early 20th century. At a time when architecture was being redefined worldwide and modernism was in full swing, a city of the past was constructed here. A century later, contemporary Armenian architects face the question of what language the city's architecture should speak today. Some remain faithful to past ideas. Others aim to be provocative and create the image of a modern European city. The residential building project is based not on the capital's architectural language but on cultural practices, which are the essence of its unique visual identity and modern urban living experience.

SHAPE AND COMPOSITION 

The site is bounded by 5-storey residential buildings, office buildings and the private sector houses; based on those surroundings, we have developed the visual and compositional solutions. The balconies at the corners are curved and fully transparent. It visually lightens the most massive parts of the project and emphasizes the geometry of the facades. Elevation increases towards the facade facing the neighboring houses. On the fourth-floor level, the area of the apartments is reduced to make space for large terraces, which also makes the composition lighter. 

ZONING 

The first floor is completely transparent and contains public, commercial and household spaces.  From the outside, it’s flanked by a solid grid of columns. There is only one apartment on each floor, so residents get directly to the stairwell without corridors. The courtyard is fully green and designed for pedestrians. 

APARTMENTS 

The house has 100 apartments with a free plan. It is easy to combine and transform them, because there are no additional pillars in the rooms. Windows are oriented towards the two sides: the street and courtyard with gallery balconies. 

MATERIALS 

The materials of the project refer to the Armenian cultural heritage. The cast iron columns are a tribute to the country's blacksmithing traditions and industrial past. The arched windows are sunken, following common building tradition of sculpting facade not only by form, but also by contrasting shadows. The facades are made of black volcanic tuff from Gyumri and the interior walls of Artik pink tuff - these volcanic rocks are used for cladding in many Armenian buildings. The masonry technology allows you to get a seamless stone wall.

RESULT 

The project converts perennial urban wasteland into valuable and healthy environment. Local materials combined with a carefully calibrated composition fit the building into the rich urban context and make it part of Yerevan's visual code.