Black clouds over old building of Zvartnots airport: owner submits application for destroying it

The urban development council affiliated to the Yerevan Municipality has unanimously rejected the application of Armenia International Airports company asking for permission to destroy the old building of Zvartnots airport to have a flat territory instead.

Speaking to Tert.am, Hrachik Poghosyan, chairman of Municipality-affiliated Architectural Council, said they have sharply rejected the application. He stressed that they viewed the issue at the architectural commission and stated about its impossibility.

“In general it should remain as a monument. The mayor, general architect of Yerevan too agree with us,” Poghosyan said, noting that there is no citizen who is not realizing the architectural value of the old building of the airport.

Chairman of the Union of Armenian Architects Mkrtich Minasyan told Tert.am, that the building represents a certain epoch and is considered one of the samples of modern architecture of USSR, and in all countries of the world such buildings are taken under protection.

He also said that the maquette of the old building of Zvartnots is to be presented at the congress of architects in Istanbul.

The airport was built in 1961. The draftsmen of the airport included architects M. Khachikyan, A. Tarkhanyan, J. Sheqhlyan, L. Cherkezyan and designers H. Tigranyan, A. Meschyan, and constructor M. Baghdasaryan. The airport was renovated in the 1980s with the development of a new terminal area, in order to meet domestic traffic demands within the Soviet Union.

Hrachik Poghosyan noted that Armenia International Airports company has presented two main reasons for destroying the building – first they need not a building but a flat territory for jets and second one that it needs to be reconstructed. “They say the constructions are not in good condition… It is a simple reason, if they want to destroy a building they say that constructions are in bad condition. We responded them that the bad condition of constructions is not a reason to destroy the building,” Poghosyan said.

The urban development council offered to reconstruct the old building of the airport and not destroy it.

Mkrtich Minasyan though said he has concerns that the owner will do what he wants just like in case of covered market.

“I think the owner, the Argentinean, must listen to the opinion of the architects and not destroy the building,” the chairman of the union said.

Tert.am tried to get comments from Armenia International Airports company but no one answered the phone calls.