Friendship Park in Gyumri is Being Reconstructed

Friendship Park in Gyumri is Being Reconstructed

#armenia #construction #architecture #gyumri

The famous park, which has been neglected for more than 30 years after the devastating Spitak earthquake in 1988, is being reconstructed on the initiative of the Tourism and Urban Development Charitable Foundation (TUF). When developing the design concept of the park, the valuable memories and suggestions of Gyumri residents were taken into account, in order to “preserve the old attractive spirit of the park” and to find new original solutions.

84 applications have been submitted to the International Competition for Architectural Solutions of Garden Recreation Infrastructure Elements from 16 countries and 37 cities. The winner in the nominations the "Standard Architectural Elements" and "Unique Architectural Element", was recognized IND Architects. Also, special benches will be placed in the park by the design of SULIMAN, RAKOVSKAYA & SOFOYAN studio, which won the nomination for "Small Architectural Forms".

And so, let us start our tour in the revitalizing park from the entrance of the park. The official entrance to the park was in front of the former Shirak Hotel, where the entrance arches are still standing. The park will have a sports ground with its own infrastructure, a playground and amusement rides, a reservoir or an artificial pond and a skating rink for winter fun. The novelty and the key part of the park will be the Vernissage with its 25 unique exhibition pavilions and the School of horticulture. The Friendship Park reconstruction program also envisages the construction of a new open-air stage, which will be located in the central square of the park, together with the café. The spacious stage will be surrounded by a green area, and the continuation of the hill behind the stage will be seen then. It is planned to build a make-up room near the stage, as well as a separate area for storing equipment and tools.

The construction of some objects of the park is planned to be completed in the middle of September of this year, after which the park will be open to the residents of Gyumri and the guests of the city. And at the end of 2023 it is planned to put the whole park into operation.

Within the framework of the Friendship Park program, a participatory design was developed for the first time in Armenia. The park is being reconstructed with active involvement of local residents’ memories and ideas. The restored Friendship Park will promote the development of the city's infrastructure, acting as a bridge between Gyumri's historic center, Kumayri, and its "industrial and residential districts."