Armenia was called a museum in the open air, now it is a house architecture

Architect Davit Stepanyan with 168TVof “People” in the framework of the program, we talked about the Kiev bridge, traffic jams, the construction of residential buildings, which is going on with great momentum, and possible solutions.

– In recent months, the Kiev bridge has been in the center of everyone’s attention due to the major repair and traffic jams caused by it. But let’s start our conversation on a positive note․when was the bridge built and what is its uniqueness?

– 1955 The construction was completed in December. Kyivan architect Grigor Aghababyan also designed the Victory Bridge. The peculiarity of Kyivan is that Arabkir connects Ajapnyak. It was the biggest flight of that time. More than 350 meters. It was even considered the longest bridge in Europe.

From an aesthetic point of view, the Bridge of Victory is more profitable for me, taking into account the stone structure, scale, symmetry, painting. Nowadays, it has suffered a lot from the constructions of the environment, and Kievan has still retained its uniqueness to some extent. However, the scene is not the same. In the past, when we passed by, Mount Arai and Aragats were in front of our eyes, now they are largely closed due to high-rise buildings.

– Are there no ornaments?

– There are decorative motifs on the cast-iron railing, I regret that they should not be torn down suddenly and put something faceless. Kievan is a completely reinforced concrete structural structure.

– The Kiev bridge was built in two stages, why?

– Yes, in 1952 there was an accident, the big arch collapsed, 47 people died. 1949 The construction started in 1951. they were supposed to finish, but they noticed deficiencies in the amount of about 1 million rubles, and in 1955 when they finished, they tested it: they brought trucks, stopped it, the engineers calculated the bending and it already worked normally.

– Before the construction of the Kiev bridge, that part of Leningradyan was considered the end part and I think the road was intended only for pedestrians, not for cars. Is it possible that one day the Kievan will serve only the pedestrian?

– When I look at the developments, I see that nothing is for man. Everything is for traffic jams, stress. Where was such luck?

– Is it true that so many cars are parked on the bridge during traffic jams?

– In the case of bridges, the most dangerous thing is the same frequency that affects. For example, when soldiers cross the bridge, they give the command “Free” so that they don’t tap their feet in the same rhythm.

It is natural that the accumulations and wear and tear of the years will have left some traces.

– Architects often talk about building bridges and overpasses to reduce congestion․ will that solve the problem?

– In general, it will not solve the problem if irregular construction has taken place and continues at the same pace. From the point of view of traffic jams, adding infrastructure will not solve the problem if we continue to implement irregular construction. In one place, the congestion will be eased, in another place there will be accumulation. It is already late, we are at a dead end, and in fact, it should have been calculated from the beginning. Over the years, we have to correct the mistakes, some of them are irreversible.

– High-rise buildings are constantly being erected․ Is this normal for Yerevan?

– Of course it’s not normal. Every high-rise is an emptying village under the conditions of Armenia. And secondly, it is those high-rises that create the mentioned problem. Stress, consumerism, traffic jams, aesthetic disfigurement, because first of all the natural world is impoverished and destroyed, the scenery is also cut off from people’s emotions.

In addition, the parts of the city that have a certain historical layer are treated with disharmony. Once upon a time, when an architect educated a person, an Armenian person was formed, now it is a construction made for the crowd, it is not even architecture. They do not solve a social problem, it is beyond all norms: lighting, green, anti-seismic norms… they just create an environment that creates a consumer society.

– It is not that the buildings built during the USSR are ideal․․. the neighbor seems to be in the other neighbor’s house, because the buildings are very close to each other. It is the same now. Is there no solution to not have the buildings so close to each other, and secondly, we are in a seismic zone?․ Where will people flee in case of an earthquake?

– Yes, they will hit each other in a chain and even if a person stands in the middle of the street, they will pour out and cover the street. About 20 years ago, the Chinese calculated that if there was an earthquake in the middle of the day, there would be 300-400,000 victims. In recent years, the current mayor admitted that the amount of construction built during the previous ones was 5 times greater. In other words, the whole abnormality has increased 5 times. They only think about filling their pockets at that moment. Not even a business. it implies a long-term process. Residents do it, at that moment they put the money in their pocket, move on to the next one to get rich quickly.

 – Architects say that new buildings are more earthquake resistant…

– Worse. They calculated, but how did they build it? The same Kiev bridge was calculated, but later it became clear what kind of frauds were involved.

– Will Ajapnyak metro save us from stress?

– It will help to some extent. But it won’t solve a big question. The tunnel has been dug, the bridge remains. At this rate, accumulation will be created elsewhere, and it will become a common thing.

– “Old Yerevan” is not becoming ordinary. About 20 years ago, they decided to restore the appearance of old Yerevan. How do you evaluate the idea of ​​artificially creating an old Yerevan in the Center?

– The old Yerevan passing through Aram street is a mockery, it has nothing to do with old Yerevan at all. Armenia used to be called a museum in the open air, now it is a domestic architecture. You can see the old Yerevan with a photo, but in this case, it’s ruined, with some volumes on it, and you have to explain to people: this is the old, this is the new.

For me, Old Yerevan is Tamanyan Yerevan, because the noble Armenian architecture began in Tamanyan. Until then, they were structures of tsarist Russia and that style, as well as mixed with some eastern motifs, that did not represent identity. Yes, they are important as history, but we had a high architecture from the Tamanian school, which we quickly degraded again with the environment, colorful interventions on the buildings, annexes, cladding. Not to mention how the air conditioners and wires were laid.

If there was a plan to at least preserve and bring back the center of Yerevan like Tbilisi, it would be a certain positive step, but there is no such trend at all.

– Is it possible to bring it back?

– At least with small details, maybe it is possible, but there must be a plan. At one time, the cafe next to the Opera House was dismantled, then it went the same way. There was a blindfold.

Everyone decorates the building with wonderful tuff and ornaments in a different color according to their taste. The decorative problem had to be solved, then they moved on to the contours. A 50-100 year plan should be drawn up and implemented.

– In the cities of Greece, for example, antiquity is completely preserved, people have not touched it, but here they say: it is old, let’s demolish it.

– Europe has enormous antiquities, it preserves them sacredly, but I must say that we did not even have that kind of antiquity, what we have is from the last 100 years, and we were not able to preserve it either.

For example, in Italy it is forbidden to stick something on the surface of the stone, they put it in the opening along the line of the window.

– Therefore, architects and society in other countries respect their culture.

– Yes. In our country, if the same garbage thrower appears in Europe, such an act will not take place. The environment has an effect there. Scaffolding construction itself is a magnified garbage.

– What is your opinion about the Kond development project?

– The city of artisans was a good idea in general, it is worth keeping. Kond does not represent a higher national architecture, but it has value.

For us, first of all, the architecture that forms the identity is valuable, which we have disfigured.

– We are mainly talking about Yerevan, but is the Armenian architecture preserved in the marzes, or is the situation the same there?

– It is the same situation. It is terrible. In recent years, the law has been changed, an unlimited number of taxes have been given, high-rises have sprung up behind the Cathedral. When you enter the tower, high-rise buildings greet you. one in front of the Red Church. The same is true in Yeghvardi highway.

Abnormal “Singaporeization” is going on.

– As a young architect, do you have a project in mind, an idea that you would like to implement?

– I would like to eliminate all this by some miracle, our old city would be revived, everything that started in the marzes would be stopped. If a conscientious architect still creates, he creates a small island, which does not solve a question in the general sense. The state always stands at the head of the principles of general urban development. This is the profession that fluctuates with the decline and development of the state.

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