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UNSTABLE PROMENADE?: GEOLOGISTS STILL WARN THAT NORTHERN AVENUE IS DISASTER WAITING TO HAPPEN
By Gayane Abrahamyan
ArmeniaNow
03.02.12 | 13:07
Photo: www.ecolur.org
The holes and unevenness which regularly appear on Northern Avenue,
which is considered to be the "Structure of the Century" of Yerevan,
are causing anxiety among geologists, who since 2001 have been warning
that the area cannot support the heavy development.
Enlarge Photo
Enlarge Photo
"These buildings will fall down as incredibly fast as they towered up,"
Ruben Yadoyan, head of Laboratory for Geo-Ecology of the Institute of
Geology at the National Academy of Sciences of Armenia, says angrily.
Yadoyan has repeatedly warned, has written letters to different
institutions, presenting his institute's concerns and research which
state that the earth's interior in the center of Yerevan is unstable.
The geologist claims that the avenue is built on clay sediment and
insubstantial stone.
"When constructing the metro in Yerevan (in late 1970s) the layer
of tuff was cut. Yerevan center may collapse because water flowing
under the city at 1,200 liters per second take with it 500-600 kilos
of ground, consisting of sand and broken stones. Within 25 years
after the metro started running the whole underground of the city
has become empty because of these ground flows," Yadoyan said.
The emptiness in the earth's interior, according to geological
researches, is mainly located in the central part of the city -
from Ghazar Parpetsi to Charents streets.
Northern Avenue, which is often called "A House on Sand", was the pride
of the second President of Armenia Robert Kocharyan. The construction
of Northern Avenue was launched during his presidency, and its opening
ceremony took place during the last year of Kocharyan's presidency.
However, the construction of the "Second Visiting Card", as Kocharyan
called Northern Avenue, was accompanied not only with a number of
construction and planning violations but also a severe violation of
human rights.
Hundreds of families, which used to reside in the area of the present
Northern Avenue, have not received compensations corresponding to
market prices; meanwhile seismologists insist that the violations of
human rights can become "the least of evil".
"We have repeatedly said that tall buildings must be built only in
areas which have a basalt basement - in Arabkir [district of Yerevan]
and to the north, and it is simply excluded in the southern and
western areas [of Yerevan]. However, we will be considered only after
a misfortune," says Zaven Khlghatyan, Head of the Center of Seismic
Stability of Structures of the Ministry of Emergency Situations.
Last July, it was noticed that a curb around Northern Avenue 3 had
sunk by nearly 20 inches and parts of the wall were damaged, the
construction company blamed it on low-quality building material. To
the geologists, it was, instead, a warning.
This building (which belongs to renowned businessman, owner of H2 TV
channel Samvel Mayrapetyan) and its adjacent sidewalk were not unique
(with such a problem), the whole sidewalk of Northern Avenue up Pushkin
Street's crossroad, as well as the Pushkin-Teryan section are in the
same state. Part of them are restored, the rest still remain broken.
Marsel Nalbandyan, geologist at the Urban Development Company at
Yerevan Municipality, believes that the problem is exaggerated,
because as he says, "any new building has its degree of subsidence".
"Yes, there are some areas in Yerevan where there are underground
waters. Unsound foundations need other construction solutions, but
there was not such a problem in Northern Avenue," Nalbandyan says.
Geologist Nalbandyan, who was one of the experts who gave geological
conclusions for the construction license, says that the buildings
are constructed on tuff layers or on bedrocks under them.
Meanwhile, Sedrak Baghdasaryan, head of the Victims of State Needs
NGO, dealing with the Northern Avenue issue, says he has proof that
the tuff layer almost in all cases is removed.
"We can go just now and see the hole dug for a building to be
constructed at Buzand 13-21 address. It is evident that the whole tuff
layer is removed from there, and it is not known what the foundation
of the building will be," Baghdasaryan says.
He recalls that while constructing the building at Buzand 25 address
(Baghdasaryan has followed the whole process of its construction,
because his own former house was located in this very area), while
digging the foundation of the building, the underground waters were
pumped out.
"The builders were pumping out the water quickly and putting cement in
the foundation. I know that even now twice a week pumps work in that
building and water is pumped out from the foundation of the building,
but it cannot last long," Baghdasaryan says.
Meanwhile the issue of the threat connected with the construction in
Northern Avenue and in the center of Yerevan is not even discussed
at Yerevan Municipality.
"Aren't you tired of this issue? There are all appropriate researches;
everything is done within the framework of these researches," Narek
Sargsyan, Chief Architect of Armenia, author of Northern Avenue plan
told ArmeniaNow.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
By Gayane Abrahamyan
ArmeniaNow
03.02.12 | 13:07
Photo: www.ecolur.org
The holes and unevenness which regularly appear on Northern Avenue,
which is considered to be the "Structure of the Century" of Yerevan,
are causing anxiety among geologists, who since 2001 have been warning
that the area cannot support the heavy development.
Enlarge Photo
Enlarge Photo
"These buildings will fall down as incredibly fast as they towered up,"
Ruben Yadoyan, head of Laboratory for Geo-Ecology of the Institute of
Geology at the National Academy of Sciences of Armenia, says angrily.
Yadoyan has repeatedly warned, has written letters to different
institutions, presenting his institute's concerns and research which
state that the earth's interior in the center of Yerevan is unstable.
The geologist claims that the avenue is built on clay sediment and
insubstantial stone.
"When constructing the metro in Yerevan (in late 1970s) the layer
of tuff was cut. Yerevan center may collapse because water flowing
under the city at 1,200 liters per second take with it 500-600 kilos
of ground, consisting of sand and broken stones. Within 25 years
after the metro started running the whole underground of the city
has become empty because of these ground flows," Yadoyan said.
The emptiness in the earth's interior, according to geological
researches, is mainly located in the central part of the city -
from Ghazar Parpetsi to Charents streets.
Northern Avenue, which is often called "A House on Sand", was the pride
of the second President of Armenia Robert Kocharyan. The construction
of Northern Avenue was launched during his presidency, and its opening
ceremony took place during the last year of Kocharyan's presidency.
However, the construction of the "Second Visiting Card", as Kocharyan
called Northern Avenue, was accompanied not only with a number of
construction and planning violations but also a severe violation of
human rights.
Hundreds of families, which used to reside in the area of the present
Northern Avenue, have not received compensations corresponding to
market prices; meanwhile seismologists insist that the violations of
human rights can become "the least of evil".
"We have repeatedly said that tall buildings must be built only in
areas which have a basalt basement - in Arabkir [district of Yerevan]
and to the north, and it is simply excluded in the southern and
western areas [of Yerevan]. However, we will be considered only after
a misfortune," says Zaven Khlghatyan, Head of the Center of Seismic
Stability of Structures of the Ministry of Emergency Situations.
Last July, it was noticed that a curb around Northern Avenue 3 had
sunk by nearly 20 inches and parts of the wall were damaged, the
construction company blamed it on low-quality building material. To
the geologists, it was, instead, a warning.
This building (which belongs to renowned businessman, owner of H2 TV
channel Samvel Mayrapetyan) and its adjacent sidewalk were not unique
(with such a problem), the whole sidewalk of Northern Avenue up Pushkin
Street's crossroad, as well as the Pushkin-Teryan section are in the
same state. Part of them are restored, the rest still remain broken.
Marsel Nalbandyan, geologist at the Urban Development Company at
Yerevan Municipality, believes that the problem is exaggerated,
because as he says, "any new building has its degree of subsidence".
"Yes, there are some areas in Yerevan where there are underground
waters. Unsound foundations need other construction solutions, but
there was not such a problem in Northern Avenue," Nalbandyan says.
Geologist Nalbandyan, who was one of the experts who gave geological
conclusions for the construction license, says that the buildings
are constructed on tuff layers or on bedrocks under them.
Meanwhile, Sedrak Baghdasaryan, head of the Victims of State Needs
NGO, dealing with the Northern Avenue issue, says he has proof that
the tuff layer almost in all cases is removed.
"We can go just now and see the hole dug for a building to be
constructed at Buzand 13-21 address. It is evident that the whole tuff
layer is removed from there, and it is not known what the foundation
of the building will be," Baghdasaryan says.
He recalls that while constructing the building at Buzand 25 address
(Baghdasaryan has followed the whole process of its construction,
because his own former house was located in this very area), while
digging the foundation of the building, the underground waters were
pumped out.
"The builders were pumping out the water quickly and putting cement in
the foundation. I know that even now twice a week pumps work in that
building and water is pumped out from the foundation of the building,
but it cannot last long," Baghdasaryan says.
Meanwhile the issue of the threat connected with the construction in
Northern Avenue and in the center of Yerevan is not even discussed
at Yerevan Municipality.
"Aren't you tired of this issue? There are all appropriate researches;
everything is done within the framework of these researches," Narek
Sargsyan, Chief Architect of Armenia, author of Northern Avenue plan
told ArmeniaNow.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress