Yereruyk, the dilapidated temple dated IV-VI centuries, located on the left bank of Akhuryan gorge, in Anipemza community of Shirak region, can be built up, in case of available financing. The temple is a huge basilica, which together with Anipemza settlement on March 16, 2016 was included in the list of the seven UNESCO monuments under the greatest threat of extinction in Europe in 2015. About a month ago, within the framework of an agreement signed between the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports of the Republic of Armenia and the Armenian National University of Architecture and Construction, a complex of design work was developed to strengthen the Yereruyk temple, the vaults of the mausoleum, restoration of the Anipemza House of Culture and the creation of a small museum. Professor Emma Harutyunyan, PhD in Architecture, Associate Professor, Scientific Director of the Engineering Academy of Armenia, told us about the excavations and the temple. “During numerous excavations in the Yereruyk temple, early Christian tombs and caves were discovered, including graves of infants. After excavations in 2011, archaeologist Patrick Tonapetyan said that this is somehow connected with the nature of the temple, since it is dedicated to John the Baptist, and according to people, he allowed unbaptized children to be buried there... Studying the results of previous excavations, I was amazed by the fact that the huge temple has practically no foundation, it is built on two rows of small stones, stacked on top of each other. In addition, the stairs of the temple, which are mostly typical of pagan temples such as the Garni temple, are not a pedestal here, but were built to give the temple more solemnity and grandeur… The Yereruyk temple is now in an extremely dangerous state, we can say that it is on the verge of collapse, because over the years the temple has undergone some changes, the stones on the top of the walls have collapsed. Seismic calculations have shown that the most dangerous part, which is still on the verge of collapse, is the southwestern part of the temple. Here, the stone mortars will be treated with a special solution to strengthen the stone walls, some new stones must be added to the walls to give strength to this part of the temple, and special measures will be taken to strengthen the walls with basalt reinforcement bars… In the mausoleum, we plan to strengthen the vaults, add coverings to protect from atmospheric influences. In Anipemza, a village near the Yereruyk temple, there is a small non-functioning house of culture. We have planned the reconstruction of this building in order to create a museum where the most valuable fragments of the temple will be exhibited. Unfortunately, Yereruyk has few visitors. If the project is implemented, it will contribute to the development of tourism. People would visit Yereruyk and Anipemza, will get acquainted with our history and culture.”

Eco Techno District in Gyumri Recently, more and more investment programs are becoming popular in Gyumri, the second largest city and cultural center of our republic. According to the Facebook page of the Gyumri municipality, an eco-district will be built in the city, and the investor is Todd Fabacher from New-York, representing the Digital Pomegranate company. In accordance with the agreement approved at the meeting of the Council of Elders of Gyumri on May 14, the company will be provided with a plot of 21 hectares for the implementation of the program - the former military unit Huri Gund. "The project was presented to the Council of Elders, according to the decision of which the land plot was allocated to the company for the construction of a green city," the press secretary of the Mayor of Gyumri Sona Arakelyan said in a telephone conversation with us. It is worth noting that there is a lake formed by groundwater on the territory, which will be included in the project, in addition, it is planned to fill the territory with parks and lakes. It is also planned to create sites for IT startups. From a telephone conversation with the director of the Foundation for Sustainable Development and Environmental Enterprises “District” Gayane Ghandilyan, we learned that after the start of work on the project, the sketch submitted to the Council of Elders can be changed and supplemented. ˝We presented to the Council of Elders the concept of the planned area, that is, what we plan to implement. It is clear that after the research work there will be deviations from this sketch˝. It should be noted that the program is planned to be implemented in stages, during the first three years the existing buildings on the territory will be reconstructed. Of course, investment programs are the most important factors in the development of urban planning, reflecting the unique stages of city life. However, everything should be in the context of the existing urban image. Each settlement has its own foundations, which have been formed over the centuries. The weakening of the foundations leads to the destruction of the city and the loss of identity. Analyzing the abovementioned, it becomes clear that the implementation of any project, especially in historical cities, requires cultural, historical, urban planning, archaeological, serious, professional, in-depth research, on the basis of which a draft design must be drawn up. Has such research been carried out or not, especially in the field of archeology? ˝Such studies have not yet been carried out. After the lease of the site, when geological work will be carried out, excavations will be planned. We will work with the chief architect of Gyumri city Henrik Gasparyan and architect-designer Ani Yenokyan, who will conduct research to find out what specific details and attributes of Gyumri we will have in the District. But nevertheless, we will not repeat the style of the historic city, that is, it will differ from what a tourist sees in the city center. The new district will have a more modern look, but it will definitely reflect the typical Gyumri details in our branding. Each café or restaurant in that part should fit the branding of the District,- said the Director of the Foundation for Sustainable Development and Environmental Enterprises "District" Gayane Ghandilyan.

A new sports complex will be built in Gyumri, the “sport city” of Armenia, where, as the people of Gyumri like to joke: “the sport is a lifestyle, and becoming a champion is something like a flu infection". The sports complex will be the biggest in the region, and will be named after three-time world champion, five-time European champion, European Games and Olympic gold medalist Arthur Alexanyan. Gyumri Municipality has allocated about 10 hectares of land adjacent to Ani district for the construction of a sports complex, which meets the requirements for building a typical sports venue, where almost all summer sports camps can be held. The new sports complex will have a sports school, a competition hall, a swimming pool, a hotel, a stadium, sports grounds, and running tracks. The stadium is a 105x68 m football field, surrounded by a 9-line oval rubber running track, and it can accommodate 1100 spectators. The building of the sports school will have a 1220m² wrestling hall accommodating 6 carpets with 30 m flight, and a weightlifting hall consisting of 8 weightlifting platforms. The sport complex will also include a football playground, basketball, volleyball and tennis courts, and an open sports field with exercise equipment. There will also be a 25m swimming pool and a gym. The main business card of the sports complex, however, will be the competition hall. It will have stands on both sides with 1044 seats. 37m hall built with metal load-bearing structures (trusses) will be unprecedented in its size and the opportunities provided for organizing large-scale tournaments. Here it will be possible to hold high-quality competitions in weightlifting, boxing, wrestling, basketball, volleyball and mini-football. Gevorg Alexanyan, the director of the complex and Arthur Alexanyan’s father and the coach, has been to many competition halls and sports grounds that have accepted first-level tournaments, and has tried to incorporate his experience and observations into the new sports complex. "It will be possible to hold both European and World Cup tournaments in our competition hall. In some European tournaments we used to wrestle even in smaller halls”. A four-storey V-shape hotel will be built in the sports complex to host a large number of athletes (the hotel will have 109 rooms). In the exterior decoration of the buildings it is planned to use black tuff, typical for Gyumri, and white unglazed travertine. The project is funded by the Government of RA.

Recently, the construction of Barekamutyun bridge started across the Debed River at Sadakhlo-Bagratashen state border, as reported by the Ministry of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure. At what stage are the construction works? “At present, work is underway on concreting the preparatory layer of the first coastal pillar, as well as excavation work on drilling, concreting and access roads of the first intermediate pillar,” the Road Department SNCO informed us. It is planned to build two parallel bridges, each with two pedestrian crossings and a sidewalk. “The construction of new bridge is a joint project of two countries - the Republic of Armenia and Georgia. When designing the bridge, the best international experience was used, and the construction norms and standards of the two countries were combined, which will ensure high quality, high degree of use of this infrastructure for many years,” said the Road Department SNCO. The bridge is equipped with outdoor lighting and drainage system. Construction work should be completed within 12 months, that is, in April 2022, the bridge should be commissioned. The construction of the bridge is financed by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), the governments of Armenia and Georgia, and coordinated by Joint Armenian-Georgian Intergovernmental Commission. As a reminder, on February 15, 2018, we wrote about the construction of Barekamutyun bridge, for which an international tender was held. 7 organizations participated, 3 of which were shortlisted. As a result, the winner of the international competition was the Iranian construction company Ariana Tunnel Dam Co., which will provide warranty service for another two years after the bridge is put into operation.

As Yerevan mayor's office informed, 50 years old “Korean” bridge will open new opportunities for the capital after its reconstruction. The bridge directly connects Davtashen and Kanaker-Zeytun districts of Yerevan and additionally provides an opportunity to travel to Kotayk and Aragatsotn regions bypassing Yerevan. This program is for unloading the traffic of the capital.”We will be able to drive directly to Tbilisyan Highway, without entering the city, which will reduce the traffic load. Anyway, we cannot repair solely the bridge and solve this issue, the road also should be rebuild. Now drivers rarely use this route because of its deplorable state....”, mentioned the first deputy mayor Hrachya Sargsyan. Originally it was planned to strengthen the bridge and build a new road, however, the study showed that the foundation of the bridge was in disrepair, so it was decided to build a new one. The director of the factory of reinforced concrete bridge structures Minas Minasyan explained, “In fact, we must demolish an old bridge and build a new one. Existing is only 4 m long, but the new one will be 8 m, and it will have pedestrian walks from the both sides”. The work is expected to be completed this fall.