Today’s project comes from the IDA Architecture Student competition. Designed by Vahan, at the Yerevan State University of Architecture and Construction. Created for Armenia, the building is designed to reach into the countries deep philosophy. Check out the rest of the project!
STUDENT: Vahan Misakyan
SCHOOL: Yerevan State University of Architecture and Construction
YEAR: 2008
The main idea of this project is aesthetics of the form which expresses mentality of people, living in the same environment, where the building is. The project of this buildingr created for the specific urban environment, but the main principle of it, can be used in any other place. The principle is that all the parts of the building should only give aesthetic satisfaction, and all the exterior and interior views should be presented in such a couscous way, that they give only positive feelings to the people. People must move inside of the building through those ways which are intended to be used by the architect. The project of a hotel, with a small multifunctional complex inside, is created for the city of Yerevan, Armenia. It is located on the crossroads of Abovyan and Sayat Nova Streets. The architecture of urban environment of this part of the city created in the Soviet Union times and it mainly consists of 5 floor buildings, made of stone and engravments on the facades, as well as 12-16 floor buildings with standard plans. Those 5 floor buildings are shown as grey prisms in the viusalizations. In those buildings block, there is another hotel with a standard look of a Soviet building, and with a standard not an aesthetic planning. On the other side of Abovyan Street, there is a Church Cathedral in a small park.
The concept of this Project takes into account an urban planning principles, the relationship of the building between the skyline and the streetscape of Yerevan and the special way the building signals its presence in the city. On the facade of the building one can see two opened horizontal lines. The first line is the silhouette of 5-6 floor historical buildings, and the second line is the silhouette of 12-16 floor buildings. At the bottom of the building, the volume extends as a pedestal, which creates the clear architectural environment for people in the street the architectural environment of the human scale. It also makes the building as a part of the city environment. The street, on the right side of the building is a way out to the underground parking and the other street, on the left side, is an entrance to the yard of a 5 floor residential buildings. The main axis of the building has an angle under which, the upper floors of the building bring beautiful views to the streetscape of Yerevan and saint mountain Ararat. As you can see in the photos, at the lower levels of this part of the city, there are not interesting and beautiful views, and basically the geometry of the form of the building is created in a special way. The ground floors have views to the inside of the building, and the upper floors have views to the city.
On the first sketch of the project there are visible main lines of the way which should be used by the growing volume of the building. The second reason of such a form of the building aesthetics is the building’s special silhouette which gives to it a unique character and philosophy. The famous sculptor O. Rodin has modeled sculpture of the French writer Balzac many times, until he had found what he needed and that way of standing (that kind of symbolism of the form) of the sculpture’s volume, tells main things about Balzac, and about his character. My building stands in a similar way , because I think such a figure is very relevant to the Armenian deep and emotional philosophy. Used materials are; glass, transparent “for light but not for views” plastic and concrete, in the bottom part of the building “the pedestal” is from concrete and glass, and the upper part of the building are from glass and plastic. Inside of the building at the expense of external volume, it was created a high light in a way that it divides the external plane part from the glass. This layer will allow a building to have a closed but full of light interior, and will allow the building to have its own inside climate as it will be naturally ventilated. The building is held up by mega structures, which ensure stability of the building and openness of the internal space.
All text and images via Vahan Misakyan via IDA