CONCEPT DESCRIPTION

Contemporary Gyumri is a city of opportunities and hope. A hope to develop and bring it back to life at its best and fullest. Although it’s one of the main tourist attractions and an important getaway destination for many it still carries the scars of the past. The beauty and attractiveness of the historical center coexists side by side with the remaining consequences of the devastating earthquake, corruption, poverty and poor management.

The Gyumri Market, or we’d rather say the place where it used to be, is a good example of the issues mentioned above. Once a thriving and active location of the city became a ruin, a void, a forgotten gap in the urban fabric. The actual market was spontaneously and chaotically pushed outside the space it used to be in and occupied the sidewalks along the perimeter of the void.

We feel the urge to heal that void, to fill it with joy and make it a thriving public space, to clean up the sidewalks and reconnect with the city. The proposed market is organized like a pedestrian urban space, where you walk through narrow, yet comfortable streets, stumbleupon small squares, meet people and interact with the space. Along Mayakovsky street is the main building where the culinary school and restaurant are located. The stores are located perpendicular to Mayakovsky street creating a kind of border for the whole project.

An important aspect of the concept is how we deal with the old market ruins still standing as a silent witness of Gyumri’s past. After the on-site examination we came to a conclusion that rebuilding or reusing those old buildings is not the optimal solution, but at the same time it was very important to keep the memory of the place and incorporate it into the new project. We came up with an idea of conserving it as it is and placing the stage in it connected to the open air plaza.

All above-mentioned structures and spaces are covered with a 72x72m unifying tensile structure, an important part of the concept. It provides shade and protection, creating a huge light filled space which is neither in nor out. It’s festive and bright. And, what was very important to us, has a very recognizable silhouette in the cityscape. There is no compromise with history. A very clear understanding between what exists and what is new - modernism. Adding to the existing situation being radically contemporary - contemporary architecture. Making the project light, quick, responsive, flexible, reversible, opposed to the heaviness of formalism, demonstration and monumentality. Just being lively, performing and giving possibilities and freedom.