THE MARKET
In an effort to bring a full understanding of Armenia and everything that the country and the people have been through, we found a productive conversation between two distinct vernacular worlds. While traveling around the country we were able to visit both traditional stone structures and 20th century informal panelized steel buildings.
Interactions between these two vernacular styles happen all over the country and reach their most distinct character in the dalan backyards, where exterior surfaces carry finished stone facades and interiors harbor a rich DIY changing environment.
Our site has both of these existing conditions, the original market with which we were tasked at redesigning is made up of massive tuff and the infill market is made up of temporary steel structures
Looking further to the surrounding context and having walked around the site you become aware again of the contacts between these vernacular worlds. Which also plays out in how the greater surrounding fabric is dictated at varying urban scales. This consists of both the vehicular and pedestrian providing access to the site on both the orthogonal and diagonal.
Profiles of the surrounding context slice this mass, creating again a contrasting relationship between interior and exterior worlds. Decisive clean boundaries characterize the exterior while highly articulated edges face the interior.
Masses shift and step to leverage the natural elevation change across the site of 15 feet. And intervene more gently in the urban environment.
Overlaid profiles carve negative spaces on an echoed diagonal to that north of the site.
Negative space and adjacent mass faces are extracted as one public object.
The diagonal axes serve as main public throughways to the site. While projected lines from the articulated edges of the interior negative object define mass and level.
To accomplish a delicate interaction between existing and new, masses ascend the site at three foot intervals, gently following the upward cascade of the diagonal stairs.
Black tuff, a locally sourced material lines each east west facade, as well as wraps around the public exterior shell to produce the appearance of a massive solid stone structure.
Upon entering beneath the restored market arches, represented by this transverse section. Pedestrians are met with a world of blue tile that folds into interior spaces across the site.
The tile pushes across boundaries from exterior world to interior world through layers of exploded permeability, glass, counters, and screens.
Screens and windows are operable as folding systems along tracks, serving both the summer and winter months and allowing breathability.
Occupants are met with incremental changes of elevation making sure one never faces a jarring scale difference and the building itself becomes more welcoming.
UCLA 2025
Professor: Narineh Mirzaeian
Contributors: Hanna Wittmack & Anna Whittel