The three-wing building of COAF SMART Center was built in the picturesque nature between Debet and Dsegh villages of Lori Province, with funding from the Children of Armenia Foundation (COAF). This impressive structure with its transparent architecture penetrated into a nature is unique for Armenia. The architect is the Lebanese Armenian Paul Kalustian.
The COAF SMART Center with floor area 2230 square meters is mainly glazed which is especially important for rural children to be all time connected with nature and always feel freedom.
The Center’s goal is to offer alternative education to residents of Lori Province without any age limits.
The innovative wing of the training center will consist of robotics room, an art center, a medical education room which will have all the necessary equipment for the first medical aid.
The digital library will provide an opportunity to use mainly e-books, although there will also be printed options.
The center will also have a computer room teaching coding, programming, graphic design and animation technics. There will also be English language programs for both children and adults.
Various educational programs in the field of agriculture and entrepreneurship are planned mainly for adults.
There will be a dance and art studios with all necessary equipment and furniture and locker rooms for children on the underground floor. The building meets all requirements of people with disabilities.
According to the project, the construction works will continue on adjacent territory, because the final goal is to build the COAFSMART village, which will cover an area more than 80,000 square meters.
The village will be a dynamically developing and growing project with many additional facilities for sports, housing and camping.
An accommodation for invited experts was also built, but the main staff will be recruited from local region organizing various supporting training courses for them.
The construction of the center COAF SMART, which started in 2015, has been fully completed. Now the building is in the phase of furnishing. The official opening of the educational center is planned in May, 2018.
An Engineering and Applied Science Facility will be built in Tumanyan Park, home to the Yerevan Tumo Center for Creative Technologies. The complex, co-financed by the European Union and worth 25 million euros, was first announced in 2019. The new Tumo Complex will become the STEM ecosystem in Yerevan (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics).
Among 67 architectural companies from 24 countries participating in the design competition, the Netherlands-based MVRDV architectural studio was selected as the winner. According to the jury, TUMO chose MVRDV's design "because, as a firm, it created a hub for collaboration and also demonstrated a deep understanding of the center's programs and vision, in addition to the urban context in which the site is located".
MVRDV presented it as a horizontal skyscraper (MVRDV's project name is EU TUMO Convergence Center). It will be a 6-story and 200 meters long building on the edge of Hrazdan river gorge. The designers describe their project as "A monolithic rectilinear bar cantilevers over steep slopes on each end. Large windows at each end direct views toward the Hrazdan river gorge to the north and Mount Ararat (the biblical resting place of Noah's Ark) to the south. Inside, the structure forms a large, hangar-like space with its landscape of lightweight modular boxes housing most of the building's program. A translucent polycarbonate façade helps to light the large space, and gives the building a gentle glow at night."
The center will have three complementary components: educational and research programs, conference and exhibition halls, and work and commercial spaces. It will also have conference halls, event platforms, coworking, and study spaces for both individuals and organizations. Cafes, restaurants, gyms, shops, and other commercial areas will operate on the first floor.
The construction of the complex is expected to start this year.
Many Soviet-era factories and plants remained abandoned after the collapse of the State. Recently, there is a tendency to modernize, reinterpret and "revive" these buildings with a new format and a new meaning. With this approach, the former bakery of Dilijan will be reconstructed into the residential complex ALLUR. The project will be realized by Storaket architectural studio.
The former large-scale bakery of Tavush region which supplied bread to the entire province is located on Shamakhyan Street and occupies a 13,000 m² area. It is a little bit isolated from the traffic and town noise, and due to its elevated location, the site has a wonderful view of the town and Dilijan’s dense forests. At the same time, it is pretty close to Dilijan's main infrastructure. Storaket studio, as noted by the studio's senior architect Narek Nersisyan, tried to preserve the valuable aspects of the old structure and add new, contrasting features which give a new breath to the whole concept. The new residential complex will combine three structures: the reconstructed two adjoin old buildings, a separate one-story structure, and a new residential building.
The large openings featuring the architecture of the old factory building are preserved in the façade solutions. Additionally, one wall is replaced by a window, which creates a direct and transparent connection with the exterior, placing living areas closer to nature. All the apartments in ALLUR will have panoramic windows.
The old factory building consists of two adjoining buildings: industrial (3-story) and administrative (5-story). The ceiling height of the industrial section is 5.5-6 m, which, according to Narek Nersisyan, was used for the benefit of the project. “We designed mezzanine floors in all apartments as full bedrooms or open mezzanine small bedrooms”. There will be 4 penthouses on the roof which resemble traditional Dilijan houses with high, double-winged roofs. A new residential building is designed in front of the reconstructed buildings. It also resembles the building of the former bakery, forming one common, coherent environment. The other one-story old building will be reconstructed into a sports complex with a swimming pool, large gym, yoga and massage rooms, and a sauna. Outdoor playgrounds for basketball, football, and general workout will also be built. The name "ALLUR" (meaning flour in Armenian) will remind you that this used to be a building of a former, well-known by locals bakery. Keeping the old in mind, the design includes constructing a new bakery that will spread a mild delicious aroma throughout the complex. A semi-basement car park will be built in front of the newly constructed five-story building, on which there will be a playground and recreation area.
9,700 m² of the total 13,000 m² area will be landscaped. '' In general, the area of the complex will be equipped with zones and pavilions intended for residents' recreation and entertainment. A warm, hospitable, and positive environment will be created in the complex, where living will be comfortable and pleasant'', tells Narek Nersisyan.
