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SQUARED OFF OVER SQUARE: PROPOSED CHANGES TO YEREVAN CENTERPIECE RAISE DISPUTE
http://www.armenianow.com/society/46578/republic_square_yerevan_city_hall_narek_sargsyan
SOCIETY | 03.06.13 | 16:06
Photolure
By SIRANUYSH GEVORGYAN
ArmeniaNow reporter
The tender announced for the reconstruction of the Armenian capital's
main square has raised a wave of discontent among outraged architects
and people viewing it as premature and improper expenditure.
Last week's announcement by the Yerevan City Hall concerning the tender
for the reconstruction of Republic Square was met with animosity among
the sector of society which believes that municipal attention should
rather be paid to the suburbs of the capital and development of the
city infrastructures, especially the rainwater drainage systems.
Enlarge Photo (From left to right) Karen Kocharyan and Sashur Kalashyan
The tender announcement says the projects to be submitted have to
address the following issues: "modernization of the square complacent
with the contemporary urban development processes". Applicants should
take into account that "the square has in fact become an overloaded
traffic junction, active silhouettes have emerged around the square
bacause of the development of the area immediately adjoining the
square, having considerably distorted the important criteria of
scale and dominance; certain buildings forming the square have
been functionally transformed and the square, being of an important
platform for republican and state events, has certain difficulties,
after removing the Lenin statue and dismantling its pedestal, when it
comes to organizing various festivities and large-scale public events."
Yerevan chief architect Narek Sargsyan, heading the tender jury,
in an interview last week said they are reconstructing the square to
make it serve the public. It was last renovated a decade ago.
Architect Sashur Kalashyan, member of the 15-member municipal
commission of architects, views this as premature and believes the
tender has been announced with a number of violations of the law.
Kalashyan points out that the traffic overload of the square is not
at all an architectural issue and respective experts have to find a
solution to it.
During his Monday meeting with the press, Kalashyan, also a member of
the jury, said that the tender possibility was slightly touched upon at
the commission meeting and that the opinions of member architects were
disregarded. He stressed that part of the project will be determined
as a result of a closed tender, the other part - in an open tender.
"The law prohibits holding simultaneously closed and open tenders," he
says, adding that the city hall authorized to deal with local issues
only, should not be engaged in matters related to Republic Square,
which is of state importance.
The architect believes that the initiators of this idea are planning
to "elevate" the square to level it with the adjoining structures,
which are "active silhouettes formed around the square". Accordingly,
he says, it is not ruled out that superstructures will be added to
the National Gallery and foreign ministry buildings.
From: A. Papazian
http://www.armenianow.com/society/46578/republic_square_yerevan_city_hall_narek_sargsyan
SOCIETY | 03.06.13 | 16:06
Photolure
By SIRANUYSH GEVORGYAN
ArmeniaNow reporter
The tender announced for the reconstruction of the Armenian capital's
main square has raised a wave of discontent among outraged architects
and people viewing it as premature and improper expenditure.
Last week's announcement by the Yerevan City Hall concerning the tender
for the reconstruction of Republic Square was met with animosity among
the sector of society which believes that municipal attention should
rather be paid to the suburbs of the capital and development of the
city infrastructures, especially the rainwater drainage systems.
Enlarge Photo (From left to right) Karen Kocharyan and Sashur Kalashyan
The tender announcement says the projects to be submitted have to
address the following issues: "modernization of the square complacent
with the contemporary urban development processes". Applicants should
take into account that "the square has in fact become an overloaded
traffic junction, active silhouettes have emerged around the square
bacause of the development of the area immediately adjoining the
square, having considerably distorted the important criteria of
scale and dominance; certain buildings forming the square have
been functionally transformed and the square, being of an important
platform for republican and state events, has certain difficulties,
after removing the Lenin statue and dismantling its pedestal, when it
comes to organizing various festivities and large-scale public events."
Yerevan chief architect Narek Sargsyan, heading the tender jury,
in an interview last week said they are reconstructing the square to
make it serve the public. It was last renovated a decade ago.
Architect Sashur Kalashyan, member of the 15-member municipal
commission of architects, views this as premature and believes the
tender has been announced with a number of violations of the law.
Kalashyan points out that the traffic overload of the square is not
at all an architectural issue and respective experts have to find a
solution to it.
During his Monday meeting with the press, Kalashyan, also a member of
the jury, said that the tender possibility was slightly touched upon at
the commission meeting and that the opinions of member architects were
disregarded. He stressed that part of the project will be determined
as a result of a closed tender, the other part - in an open tender.
"The law prohibits holding simultaneously closed and open tenders," he
says, adding that the city hall authorized to deal with local issues
only, should not be engaged in matters related to Republic Square,
which is of state importance.
The architect believes that the initiators of this idea are planning
to "elevate" the square to level it with the adjoining structures,
which are "active silhouettes formed around the square". Accordingly,
he says, it is not ruled out that superstructures will be added to
the National Gallery and foreign ministry buildings.
From: A. Papazian