Category: 2023

Architect: David Hotson Architect
Location: Carrollton, Texas
Completion Date: April 2022

An impressive new complex for the St. Sarkis Armenian Orthodox Church in Carrollton, Texas, opened last year. The facility was designed by David Hotson Architect, a practice based in New York.

The church’s site, in a suburb north of Dallas, spans 5 acres. In addition to the church itself, the campus includes an athletic building, a community center, a courtyard, and an event hall (with seating for up to 400 people), all designed by Hotson’s office, working with Terzyan in the role of project architect.

The porcelain panels were printed in Italy and shipped to Texas. (Courtesy David Hotson Architect)

The church’s design was inspired by Saint Hripsime, an Armenian church completed in 618. David Hotson told AN that the church’s inspiration included many designs characteristic of Armenian ecclesiastical architecture, including a monolithic character and sculptural feel.

The cornerstone for the church was laid in 2018. Reinterpreting Saint Hripsime’s structural masonry and diagonal piers with contemporary materials, Hotson sought to achieve the modern look Akilian had requested while remaining respectful to the history of the church. Inside, the worship area is a bright, minimal space defined by vaults, domes, and the play of light and sound. Outside, Hotson also skillfully handled the design of a memorial that took shape on the facade: A cross made of 1.5 million pixels, one for each victim of the Armenian genocide, defines the facade’s primary ornament.

Hotson had met representatives from the Italian porcelain manufacturer Fiandre, who had developed a system in which designs could be printed on facade slabs. The ventilated rainscreen system, developed by Fiandre’s sister company, Granitech, could support a “very high resolution” image on a thin slab, Hotson said. The design team incorporated “geometrical and botanical strands” into an Armenian cross to develop a pattern for the facade and took care to frame its major apertures.

The pixelated cross was generated with a Grasshopper script. The pattern appears to be a cross from a distance, but at close range, ornamental motifs traditional in Armenian decorative arts become visible, creating a “nested” pattern, as Hotson described it. This was achieved by alternating the densities of the pixels that the script produced and then arranging the pixels by density, allowing for both the larger architectural-scaled design and intermediate layers.

The 1.5 million icons were generated using a Grasshopper script. (David Hotson)

Samples of the printed panels, 1 square meter in size, were shipped to the site to ensure that the color and contrast were precise, as this was crucial to honoring the monolithic aspect of the church. Other aspects of the facade, including a zinc roof and precast concrete panels, also had to be color matched to make certain the effect continued across the entirety of the exterior.

Equipped with the desire to see to it that the project was delivered with a high degree of precision, Akilian worked as his own general contractor. Fiandre manufactured the panels with a 1-centimeter gap between each unit—the same width as each pixel—ensuring alignment across the entirety of the west-facing facade. The pixel-level layout of each panel was mapped out by Hotson’s office and shared with Fiandre, which began fabrication in early 2020. Production was paused as factory output was brought to a halt by the pandemic, and manufacturing was completed later that year. A local subsidiary installed the facades, which were shipped without breakage from the factory in Italy and put in place with extremely minimal adjustments required.

The arrangement of the pixels at varying densities allow for designs to be perceived at both architectural and smaller scales (Courtesy David Hotson Architect)

The patterned facade is west-facing and as such receives intense sunlight in Texas’s climate. Considering this, the choice of an ultraviolet-resistant material was crucial to the project’s longevity.

At the same time, the design team wanted to create a “luminous, ethereal interior lighting condition … entirely illuminated by natural light during the day,” Hotson told AN. Natural light enters the interior through glazing in the dome, in addition to limited glazing on the patterned facade, creating a “present luminous environment” in which color-temperature shifts and cloud coverage are perceivable in the interior.

Hotson said that this move complements the acoustics of the interior, which are shaped to support up to 250 worshippers. The air-conditioning units were located east of the church, and conditioned air was brought into the church at a low velocity through registers under the pews, “eliminating any mechanical vibration … with reverberant vibration acoustics very close to those of traditional Armenian churches,” Hotson shared. This limited energy use, with conditioned air being directed only into occupied volumes of the church. While this approach was aesthetically complementary to the daylighting, it was also designed in respect to Armenian church services, which are conducted as a conversation chanted between the priest, located on the altar, and the choir, located in a loft. The church requires no artificial acoustics and is left acoustically uninterrupted by MEP systems.

As the church’s capacity did not require sprinklers, the vaults were designed as “scaleless, billowing volumes of illuminated space without any contemporary details that would distract from the simplicity of the composition,” Hotson said. The design team worked with Formglas, a Canadian manufacturer, to realize the glass fiber reinforced concrete (GFRC) vaults, which were shaped with double-curved glass. The vaults were shipped and assembled as a kit of parts and set in precast concrete, with their mix carefully color-matched to the gray porcelain and precast facade elements.

The campus’s exterior elevations were clad in porcelain panels. (Dror Baldinger, FAIA)

Hotson said that a neutral gray “can be the most difficult color to match, as any shift in hue, value, or surface texture can show up.” When projected across large material spans, this can be further accentuated. The GFRC and precast elements could not use the same mix owing to differences in their manufacturing processes, so a methodical process of color-matching samples had to be completed to ensure uniformity in the facade. Exterior pavers and soffit finishes in the church’s entry courtyard were also realized with porcelain, aligning with the joints in the church’s precast walls.

Hotson’s overall design, combined with the advances in printed facades, created a remarkable project, recognized with an honorable mention in the Religious category in AN’s Best of Design Awards last year. The church represents a respectful interpretation of ecclesiastical architecture that advances the use of contemporary materials and fabrication methods. It does not seek to incorporate a memorial element in an additive way but retains it as integral to a complex design. St. Sarkis has already established itself as a home for the local Armenian community and is poised to continue to do so for years to come.

A prior version of this article misstated how Hotson received this commission. It was not won via competition but instead came through Armenian architect Stepan Terzyan, one of Hotson’s former collaborators, who also served as project architect for the church complex.

• Architect: David Hotson Architect
• Location: Carrollton, Texas
• Completion Date: April 2022
• Client: Elie Akilian
• Porcelain Tiles: Fiandre
• GFRC: Formglas
• Facade Installation: GV Facades
• Contractor: HighCoCo
• Structural Engineer: GWC Engineering
• MEP/FP Engineer: Gupta & Associates
• Lighting Designer: Tirschwell & Co.
• Landscape Architect: Garden Transformations

ANI

Yerevan [Armenia], March 24 (ANI): Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on Thursday announced that there will be a peace treaty between Armenia and Azerbaijan based on joint official statements adopted at the highest level. The PM said: "There won't be a new escalation.""There will be a peace treaty between Armenia and Azerbaijan, and it will be based on the joint official statements adopted at the highest level. There won't be a new escalation! The international community must strongly support this narrative," the Armenian PM tweeted on Thursday.

US State Department's Principal Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel in response to the development said the US is encouraged by the progress made toward lasting and sustainable peace in the South Caucasus.

He said US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is engaged in facilitating peace discussions between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

"@SecBlinken is very engaged in facilitating peace discussions between Armenia and Azerbaijan, and we are encouraged by the progress made toward lasting and sustainable peace in the South Caucasus. We very much appreciate @NikolPashinyan's message on that progress," Patel tweeted on Friday.

Armenia and Azerbaijan have engaged in two wars in the more than 30 years both ex-Soviet states have been independent.

Thousands of lives have been claimed in fighting for the control of Azerbaijan's Armenian-populated enclave of Karabakh.

According to Al Jazeera, a fragile truce has been in force between the neighbours since a 2020 war that left more than 6,500 dead and forced Armenia to cede territories it had controlled for decades.

Recently, Azerbaijani troops and ethnic Armenians exchanged gunfire in Azerbaijan's contested region of Nagorno-Karabakh, killing at least five people.

As per Azerbaijan's defence ministry, two servicemen were killed after Azerbaijani troops stopped a convoy suspected of carrying weapons from the region's main town to outlying areas. It said the convoy had used an unauthorised road.

Armenia's foreign ministry said three officials from the Karabakh interior ministry were killed. The convoy had been carrying documents and a service pistol, it said, dismissing Azerbaijani allegations that weapons were being carried as "absurd", Al Jazeera reported.

It said Azerbaijan's version of events was a "provocation planned in advance and instructed by the top leadership". (ANI)

The Wellington City Council has revoked police permission to trespass people from Anzac Day services held on its property.

It comes after Wellington man Richard Noble arrived at the Ataturk Turkish memorial last Anzac Day carrying a banner with the words "Recognise Armenian Genocide" on it. But a police officer warned him that, if he waved his banner, he would be asked to leave and he would be arrested for trespass if he refused to do so.

Council chief executive Barbara McKerrow had issued recurring Anzac Day permission to police to allow them to trespass from the land, which is owned by the city council.

A statement from the council on Friday said police had told council they no longer needed the delegated trespass powers and McKerrow had since revoked it.

It came after the Independent Police Conduct Authority looked into the police action last Anzac Day following a complaint from Noble.

In February Noble received a letter from the IPCA informing him that police had accepted that the officer's comments to him on Anzac Day were wrong and that they "had the effect of preventing you from undertaking lawful protest activities".

The letter said: "The authority has agreed with police that they will contact you to apologise for the way you were dealt with.

The authority noted that as well as speaking to the officer concerned, police would develop a training package to "further educate frontline staff about their powers and expectations at protests".

Noble on Friday said he was yet to receive the apology. The council revocation was probably a good thing as it removed a “grey area”, he said.

Police retained their usual arrest powers – for example, he could still be arrested for breach of the peace if he made a scene at an Anzac service.

The killing of between 664,000 and 1.2 million Armenian people by the Ottoman – now Turkish – government between 1915 and 1916 is recognised as genocide by 32 countries including the United States, Canada, France, Germany and Russia.New Zealand does not officially recognise it as a genocide.

Recently Armenian has suggested the creation of a corridor linking the Persian Gulf and the Black Sea to facilitate trade between India, Russia, and Europe. On March 3rd, 2023, a delegation of high-ranking officials and experts from Armenia proposed the idea of creating a corridor linking the Persian Gulf and the Black Sea while visiting India. This suggestion came from the visit of Armenia’s foreign minister Mr. Ararat Mizoyan to India; he has suggested the creation of an alternative trade Corridor that will operate alongside the International North-South Transport Corridor(INSTC) to establish a trade link between Mumbai and Bandarabas Seaport in Iran and then proceed to Armenia and further on to Europe or Russia. This alternative route’s main objective is to bypass Azerbaijan because Azerbaijan has closer ties with Turkey and Pakistan, so Armenia is asking for India’s support and financial assistance. India and Armenia both have a very cold relationship with Turkey and Pakistan. Historically, Turkey has been the closest ally of Azerbaijan and supports Azerbaijan in the Nagarno-Karabakh dispute. Azerbaijan also has close diplomatic relations with Pakistan, and Pakistan also supports Azerbaijan in the Karabakh dispute, and in return, Azerbaijan backed Pakistan’s narrative on the Kashmir Issue. Azerbaijan has entered into defense cooperation and shown interest in incorporating JF-17 Thunder fighter aircraft jointly developed by China and Pakistan. Periodically participated in joint military exercises bilaterally and multilaterally. Azerbaijan has repeatedly supported the Kashmir issue on Pakistan’s position and criticized the India-Armenia defense deal on PINAKA multi-barrel rocket launchers, anti-tank munitions, and a wide range of ammunitions and warlike stores worth US $250 million to the Armenian Forse. India has overtly positioned itself on Armenia’s side in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and has consequently opted to resist Azerbaijan and its supporter, including Pakistan and Turkey, over the Kashmir issue and Turkey’s imperial aim of establishing a pan-Turkic empire, governed from Ankara. These factors created a lack of warmth in India-Azerbaijan’s political relations. Thus, India and Armenia both the country have some sets of issues with Azerbaijan as well as Turkey. Armenia’s relationship with India has been growing steadily due to defense exports in recent times.

Historically Armenia shares strong political and business ties with Iran. Both countries share a 35-kilometer-long border that runs along the northern edge of Iran. Iran’s foreign policy towards South Caucasus is very pragmatist in the case of Armenia and Azerbaijan. The conflict between Muslim-majority Azerbaijan and Christian-majority Armenia is viewed differently by Iran, which supports Armenia rather than Shia-majority Azerbaijan. India also maintains a strong relationship with Iran. For India, Iran plays an important role in its connectivity projects to link Central Asia and Europe. India also invested in Iran’s Chabahar Port to develop a transit hub that will benefit Indian trade reaching Europe, bypassing Suez Canal. Chabahar Port holds strategic importance for India, mainly because it is the direct competition with Chinese operated Gwadar Port in Pakistan, situated in the Arabian Sea, which is an important part of China Pakistan Economic Corridor(CPEC).

Armenia is seeking Indian Investments for the corridor within Armenian territory in light of the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict. The Indian investment could also facilitate the development of other regional projects like the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC) and put India on the map of Central Asian transport with links to Europe and Russia. India’s trade with Russia has substantially increased through the INSTC, which provides a trade link between Mumbai and Russia via Iran and the Caspian Sea. Azerbaijan plays a vital role in the INSTC mainly because of its geographical location and connectivity links with Iran. However, Azerbaijan has been slow in developing infrastructure projects under INSTC.

With the ongoing cold war between Russia and the West, any large-scale cargo transit passing through the Russia Europe border looks too risky for international Logistics and Insurance companies. Armenia intends to initiate a discussion with India to explore the possibility of Indian companies’ involvement and funding of the Persian Gulf Black Sea Corridor project. Armenia doesn’t have direct access to the Black Sea, which means Goods have to be further transported to Georgia. Only then can reach Europe and Russia. Armenia recognizes the need for Indian traders to do business with Europe, so they have proposed this idea to the Indian government.                          

The proposed Persian Gulf Black Sea Corridor aligns with India’s objective of seeking new trade routes to Europe that avoid the Suez canal, significantly reducing transportation costs and time. This corridor which will link Iran and Georgia via Armenia also reduces the risk of sanctions for India moving to Europe from the West because of ongoing West and Russian hostility. It will boost the confidence of the Indian Treadres and will be beneficial for the Indian economy.

In this sense, the Persian Gulf-Black Sea project has a reasonable cause. However, the question is, why would Iran agree to launch a multimodal corridor through territories with proven issues when it can reach the Black Sea via Turkey? Iran and Turkey have a conflict of interest in this case. Their relations have been tense lately since Turkey informally blocks Iran from using its rail routes to reach Europe. The root of this problem is situated within between Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict. The cold relations between Iran and Turkey are one of the main reasons behind the stagnation of the INSTC. Iran is closer to cooperating with Armenia, while Turkey backs Azerbaijan.  The conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh has the greatest impact on the issue. Turkey is a key stakeholder in the conflicts and empowers Azerbaijan to overcome Armenia and block the Iran-Armenia border. If Iran eliminates Turkey, then Iran only has two options to reach the Black Sea: pass through Armenia or Azerbaijan via Georgia. Georgia has existing railway and highway connections with both Armenian and Azerbaijan, and Azerbaijan has a railroad reaching the Iran-Azerbaijan border, but the problem is there is no direct Railway connection that connects Iran to the  Black Sea via Armenia.

On the other hand, Iran and Azerbaijan also working on a 165-kilometer Railway section of the Rashtra-Astra line, which is missing a link to connect the Azerbaijani and Iranian Railways. The railway line will connect the city of Rasht, the capital of Gilan province, with the city of Astra, located on the border with Azerbaijan. This Railway link is part of the International North-South Transport Corridor, which aims to provide a more efficient trade route between India, Iran, the Caucasus, and Russia. Recently in January 2023, Russia and Iran agreed to fund the construction of this Missing Link. But the project completion is in question because of the ongoing cold war between Russia and the west. 

For India, INSTC is more than enough to trade only with Russia, Iran, and the caucus region, but India also wants to trade with Europe to throw an alternative route and not via Suez Canal. Thus, the Armenian government is proposing to the Indian government. If India uses the  Russian route to reach Europe via Iran through the Caspian Sea, then it has more chances of getting sanctioned from this Black Sea Corridor will reduce the chances of getting sanctioned by West. However, this alternative trade route involves two countries, Armenia and Georgia, which is calling for heavy infrastructure Investments. However, there can be several potential negative sites to investing in infrastructure projects in other countries, such as political and economic risks, cultural and Social Challenges, legal and Regulatory issues, Financial risks, and geopolitical risks, so it is going to be a tough call for India nevertheless opportunities are there, but nothing is risk-free. Currently, it is a proposal by the Armenian government, we have to see how the Indian government will respond.