"Reviving NPAK" Competition Entry
- Alice N
- Jul 5, 2019
- 2 min read
Myself and @studioloftus have been super busy these last couple of months with our entry for urbanlab.am 's international design competition "Reviving NPAK". We are now allowed to reveal it! Our work is exhibited at the National museum-institute of Architecture after Alexander Tamanyan, in Yerevan, Armenia, from 3-19 July, 2019.
The brief asked for a proposal for a sustainable solution for redesigning an existing community building; a major art gallery in Yerevan, Armenia.
"Serving as a meeting point between the art community, the youth, general public, the creative and business sector, the revived Centre should become a facilitator between innovative artistic thinking, mass culture and industry."
- archdaily
The final scheme is a celebratory gesture to the craftsmanship of an Armenian carpet. Concept ideas developed from an idea to use interior architecture to showcase cultural traditions. Preliminary research explored Armenian ethnology, particularly symbolism present in traditional carpets. Patterns from local architecture and textiles have been implemented into the spatial structure, with nods to the processes and tools used in the creation of handmade carpets. Every step of the making-process is crucial to the planning strategy; as each floor represents a moment within the production timeline of an Armenian carpet. The secondary key element is the wheel of eternity which has been used with significance, central in each space, from the staircase to the lighting feature located at the top floor. The aim of this proposal is to strengthen the visitor’s feeling of connection to both the space and Armenian culture.
The initiation of this concept starts on the ground floor, where the design is ‘felted’ as if taken apart and refined repeatedly, henceforth, the threads of the carpet are beginning to form. A spinning cycle is revealed on the first floor, representing the dyeing of the threads, stirring around the wheel of eternity – the staircase.
This feature is a helical stair with bent steel connecting every tread to a centre rod, forming eternity as one climbs it. This leads us to the large exhibition hall, which flaunts rotating and pivoting walls for an adaptable display space. In the small exhibition hall, the message of connection is prominent with hanging thread and a balcony in front of the round window overlooking the light gallery on the floor below. In ascension of the floors, the spaces take on more physical shapes of carpet patterns with the processes of ‘trimming’, ‘shearing’ and ‘sewing’ into a final overhead carpet structure.
Sustainability considerations are paramount when designing for the future. This proposal presents several exciting and innovative material and product suggestions. Bespoke furniture such as ‘bobbin tables’ and ‘loom shelving’ have also been designed to fully endorse a sustainable, flexible, and fitting proposition for a revolutionary gallery of Armenia. A constant reminder of the concept is shown by these hints, as well as being a fun and innovative way to explore art.
We even spotted our work being judged by the jury board!
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