MARIANNA KARAPETYAN [PORTFOLIO]2007-2012

The architecture of the area is created by the spaces, which appear in between different parts of the whole, and it does not imply elements, which would be complete architectural pieces on their own. The outlines of distinct elements emerge from the specific logic of the movement inside the area, which in its turn is created by the sequentiality and hierarchy of open spaces. The movement is organized in a way to allow the viewer to discover unpredicted spatial and visual relationships between those spaces. The irregular shapes of open spaces between research laboratories and other buildings are opposed to the rectangularity inner courtyards. The complex is related to the highway by a series of spaces, which are ambiguous in their function and attachment, determining the shift from public space of the street to more private spaces inside the area. The memorial park is opening towards housing district, allowing the public life of the city to flow inside the area. The central square of the complex is formed by more hostile and brutal facades of research laboratories and the glazed volume of conference-centre, the transparency of which allows the public spaces on the ground floor to be related to the organization of the integrity of the square.

Final thesis projecttitle: Renovation of industrial area to a center for earth crust research and monitoring in Yerevan, Armenia. school: Moscow Architecture Institute tutors: S. Kulish, V. Lipatov, O. Popovyear: 2007

This study addresses the challenges that contemporary large-scale planning is confronted with while developing a methodology for delivering a complex urban environment. The lack of a fundamental strategic approach to this challenge results in monotonous contexts of recently developed parts of modern cities. Colin Rowe and Robert Slutzky's “Transparency” essay (1997) argues that there is an ambiguous correlation between the complexity of architecture and the ways of seeing through art, and thus this concept leads to a meditation on the graphic means of depiction as a potential device to create a dialogue around the issue of complexity. A number of architects have developed specific graphical approaches, which gave rise to their experimentations in achieving a rich understanding of architectural formation and certain aspects of urban processes. The argument of this thesis is that the utilization of the graphic space of urbanism can suggest a methodology for articulating complexity in large-scale planning.

Final dissertation abstracttitle: Graphic Reasoning in Large-Scale Urbanism: [Planning Complexity] school: Architectural Association School of Architecture tutors: L. Barthyear: 2008

Zorrozaurre masterplan, (reproduction), 2003Hafencity Materplan, (reproduction), 2006Rive Gauche Masterplan, (reproduction), 2007Portzamparc Christian, 1995-2007, Massena district perspectival imageUberseequartier quarter masterplan, 2008

Hadid Zaha, 1994, Cardiff Opera House. View from Oval Basin PlazaHadid Zaha, 1994, Cardiff Opera House. View from Pierhead street

Hadid Zaha, 1985, Grand Buildings, London, Trafalgar Square Hadid Zaha, 1993, Vitra Fire Station Hadid Zaha, 1983, Blue Slabs, The Peak Club, Hong Kong Picasso Pablo, 1910, Portrait of Ambroise Vollard Tschumi Bernard 1982, Park de la Villette Competition entry project diagram

glazed surfaces

spaces with no natural light

ambitions: maximal area of natural lightflexible rent spacesquality work spaces

formation: The main volume emerges from combination of certain units, which allows maximizing spaces with natural light, enlarge the rent space of the bulding and acquire variations of renting units. As a result of this volume formation and glazed surfaces distribution, the final scheme is ditributing non-lighted spaces partly in the circulation zones and secondary spaces, simultaneously enhancing the quality and area space of renting zones.

The integration to the environment is considering characteristics of insolation, shading from the buildings on the site, visibility from top floors of those buildings, open space in front of the building and etc

Warehouse reconstruction under office spaces client: KR Properties, Russiayear: 2010

possible ways of rent space distributionnatural light distribution diagram building formation

perspective views

Embassy entry buildingclient: French embassy, Moscowyear: 2010

in collaboration with Arpine Gevorgyan

The building is situated in front of the main embassy building, on one of major avenues in central Moscow. While the lateral and back facades have aluminum cladding, the main facade has natural stone facade, which cladding is made with vertical stri pes, shifting along the facade and creating a parametric minimal surface.

Modular buildings reconstruction under office spacesclient: factory PLASTIC, Russiayear: 2011

The two low rise buildings are built for short-term start-up companies rentals. The main concept of architecture was to create well-lightened office spaces while delivering privacy.

The first building glazing is solved as a series of matt glass sheets, with different modes of transparency, while the second is glazed with fully transparent glass, but has a layer of stainless steel sheets over the mainskin of the facade. The stainless steel sheets are perforated with voids of different dimensions in order to create a certain image, which is readable over the entire facade. Image for perforation was chosen the view on a snowy birch forest.

perspective views

The smooth and fluid forms of design classic - Panton chair are the motifs of the [negative panton] bar stool.

The flowing curves of the carved surface are opposed to the strict forms of the initial carving volume. this contrast is emphasized by the vertical sections of the entire form.

Stools are stored by stacking one into another. the shape of the stool allows it to be used as a bench by turning over 90 degrees.

495

552

770

552

770

495

Barstool competition for AD magazine [Russia] and Archmoscow exhibition awards: Special prize of AD magazine from Gaetano Pesceyear: 2011

transitional space on the ground floor

public activities

open-air cinema screen

roof garden/amphitheatre

media facade

additional foyer space

The skin of the successful building is always integrated in its overall architecture. Changing the skin can damage the initial way the building used to act. If the building has to be renovated to support modern demands and perceptions of aesthetics, then the additional part could be emphasized as such. The additional building has no connection with the old one – it lives its own activities

Original building is left almost untouched, with mere refreshment of cladding by modern technological materials. It is though covered by a transparent “hatched” skin, which is preserving” it in its initial design. The restaurants on the ground floor are removed to open the building to maximal accessibility for public from the streets. The spaces on the ground floor underneath the 1 floor platforms are isolated by transparent glass panels – thus creating an intermediate transition space from the street to the building.On the lateral facades there are layers of platforms attached to the walls of the main building, supporting blocks of various shapes and sizes. The circulation path of open corridors and staircases lead to the roof terrace – open-air cinema and garden.

The “hatched” surface over the front facade is lifted above the ground, creating a semi-public space, which could act as an additional transitional space for the main building foyer. As well as hatched facades allow big-size projections on their surfaces. The cantilevered frontal part of the old building is covered with media facade – seen behind the hatched skin, which is convenient for any announcements and advertisements. The access to the platforms of the “skin” is kept as the original stairs taking to the level of the building entrance. The platforms are covered by wooden deck, thus making them active public spaces with great views to the Pushkinskiy square. As well as the platforms accommodate small pieces of lawn for over-ground” picnics, where the movie could be projected on the roof of the platform over. The blocks are housing different functions, such as information desks for the cinema and film festivals, shops, galleries, but most of all small cinemas. This could turn building to a perfect venue for any film festival, and maximize its use during Moscow Film Festival. The roof is turned into open-air cinema in central Moscow, with cafes and bars on the top.

The Glazed parts of the original building are covered by a layer of “hatched” surfaces, which freeze the building in its initial form. The lateral extensions of the building consist of 6 floors made of platforms, where the public can circulate and cantilevered boxes of various functions. The rooftop is transformed into a garden an open-air cinema with low hills and wooden deck platform. All the other parts of the building are preserved and renovated.

How could the building become public by changing its skin? What if the skin of the building could be a building on it own?

As opposed to the ground multi plications, the facade multi plication is setting an active framework for the communicability of the building not only through the ground but also through vertical surfaces, thus opening up new perceptions of vertical urbanism. It allows vertical sequentiality of spaces through the volume of the building, its public/private circulation turns to new dimensions over the skin of the facade. By multi plying the skin of the building it is multi plying its publicness and openness to the city, allowing continuous space throughout the vertical surfaces – setting a framework for various interactions with the city in all dimensions.The hostile envelope of the building becomes a connector with the city – establishing a vertical public space.The facade of the building is acting as an independent organism, with its own system of coordinates; it has no inner connection with the original building – making the whole volume double in all senses.

Building could be iconic not because of its extraordinary design, but because the functions will be fully integrated into city's public life.

perspective view

perspective view circulation within modules the rooftop cinema functional diagram

section through the modules

[CHANGE THE SKIN] competition entry for Pushkinskiy cinema skin renovationyear: 2010

���������� ��� �������� ����� ���������� ��������� ������� ���� ���� �������

�������������� ����� ����� ������� ������� ������������ ������ ���������� ��� ������������

The program of the competition requires creating a performance center in the ensemble of park, at the steps of Kremlin in central Moscow. The main idea of the project was to divide the volume of performance center into a multi-

functional complex with a large number of venues for various performance arts. This complex will include different free-standing volumes connected with the landscape of the park, which will have formed typologies for presenting

specific kinds of arts from circus to gallery. The theatrical venues among these typologies will contribute to the formation of theatrical district in Central Moscow towards the direction to the emerged creative cluster at Red October

factory district. The smaller venues as opposed to a bigger performance center will lack the exclusivity and pomposity, which will make them affordable for young and unknown artists.

These volumes will organically integrate in the scale of existing monastery buildings in the territory of the park. They create a certain entity with continuity among all the area of the park, while the park itself is permeable in every

direction, as mainly the volumes are lifted above the ground. Accessibility and scale of those venues will accentuate openness and democracy of this public space, give a specific meaning to this place, bring central Moscow's

urban scale to this monumental area. The scale of these volumes will not disturb the views to Kremlin, churches and embankment. The borders of different domains of art are vanishing, which makes these venues be flexible for

multi-functional use. While fashion shows can take place in circus hall, the panoramic cinema can host an art exhibition.

The park itself has multi-functional organization, with sport courts, dense vegetation areas and spacious flowerbeds. The embankment of Moscow river is organized with an open air amphitheatre facing the river, broad sidewalk with

dance and games platforms and a decked plage with cafes and small venues for various uses.

Park competition entry for central Moscow year: 2012

perspective views

modular venues diagrams section through the park

The basic concept of design was not to have common showcases, but to have glazed walls, where the interior of the shop will act as a showcase by itself.

Originality of the concept is achieved by cylindrical shelves, which maximize the shelf-space use, and work effectively on all sides. The project included special lighting design, where the light units are installed in cylindrical shelves, covered by colored glass, which will create playful atmosphere in the store during the evening.

Architectural and art stationery store in central Agrinion, Greeceyear: 2010

in collaboration with Valina Geropanta

perspective views

volumes diagram furniture and equipment design wallpapers design

[If one sees two or more figures overlapping one another and, each of them claims for itself the common overlapped part, then one is confronted with a contradiction of spatial dimensions. To resolve this contradiction one must assume the presence of new optical quality. The figures are endowed with transparency; that is they are able to interpenetrate without an optical destruction of each other, transparency however implies more than an optical characteristic, it implies a broader spatial order. Transparency means a simultaneous perception of different spatial locations. Space not only recedes but fluctuates in a continuous activity. The position of the transparent figures has equivocal meaning as one sees each figure now as the closer now as the further one.]

Georgy Kepes “Language of Vision”, 1944 in Rowe and Slutzky “Transparency” 1997, pp. 22-23.

[Literal transparency, tends to be associated with the trompe l’oleil effect of a translucent object in a deep, naturalistic space; while phenomenal transparency seems to be found when a painter seeks the articulated presentation of frontally displayed objects in a shallow, abstracted space.]

Rowe and Slutzky, 1997, p. 32.

The faзades of the building are certain surfaces or combination of surfaces, which are segregating or connecting inner and outer spaces of the building. They can act as a communicator or isolator for the volume of spaces that the building contains to what is out of it.

What if the surface of the faзade could become a volume by itself?

This volume thus becomes a transitional medium, having a bold reference to what is going on outside the building. If it is solved as a “phenomenally transparent” element of the building, it opens up extensive possibilities of interpretation of the public/private relations and sequenciality of inner and outer spaces. From being mere a surface – it becomes a space – an intermediate space between the building and its environment.

Intersection of a series of vertical and horizontal layers, including the layers of voids are able to result in overall gridding of space and its fragmentation into shallow ambiguous spaces overlapping on one another and projecting this on the surface of the facade.

The volume of the “thickened” or “multi plied” faзade is capable of articulating the inner voids by multi plying their capacities of relating to the surroundings of the main volume. The multi plied faзade is reinforcing the multiscalarity of architecture, integrating “vertically” into environment.

The voids that usually control the inner organization of the building could become dual or ambiguous by orientating towards the external sides of the building, while being included in the volume of facade.

As opposed to the ground multi plications, the faзade multi plication is setting an active framework for the communicability of architecture not only through ground but also through vertical surfaces, thus opening up new perceptions of vertical urbanism. It allows vertical sequenciality of spaces through the volume, its public/private circulation turns to new dimensions over the skin of the faзade.

The applications of this concept are as broad as the range of possibilities it delivers. It could be interpreted as a secondary faзade, which frees the main floor space of the building by absorbing all public/collective parts into the skin, or as a reason of building volume formation while controlling its orientation, or merely as a building on its own and etc.

Elaborations on Facade multi plicationsyear: 2011

shanghai expo 2010 [armenian pavilion]: urban blocks of “greece” and “cyprus”The basic idea of the [armenian pavilion] at shanghai expo 2010 was to create a certain city of world, where each urban block would represent a specific country.

Greece and Cyprus blocks:

The geographic characteristics of Greece and Cyprus were represented as a water feature on the ground level connecting both blocks - thus becoming an active urban void within this area.

The issue democracy as a main political and social feature of Greece throughout its history was transformed into the architectural ideas of permeability within the urban block, the “phenomenal transparency” of its facades, and a public path - trajectory passing through both blocks, within buildings - connecting all the collective spaces inside.

As an architectural representative was chosen the basic greek type of housing block - the “polikatoikia”, with its main advantages, such as the balconies engaging eith the streets and courtyards, the flexibility of the block and units.

layers/volumes diagram

ground/water surface

ground floor

main volumes

public path/trajectory

public path/[trajectory] diagram

Competition entry for [greece + cyprus] block at the Armenian pavilion at Shanghai Expoyear: 2010

in collaboration with Arpine Gevorgyan

The general idea of the book is to set a certain device of perception of Albert Zourabyan’s architecture. As such a device the book should interpret the actual impression one gets while interacting with Mr. Zourabyan himself and the projects he has designed.The information captured in the book should be given in a way to transfer the thoughts and logic, which are guiding Mr. Zourabyan’s work and as a result of which are emerging such thoughtful, emotional and convenient spaces. According to this concept, the title of the book is suggested to be “selected thoughts”, which will emphasize the significance of his thoughts rather than to present the vast amount of work he has completed throughout years of his outstanding architectural career.

Thus the book should not be presented as a mere album of images and drawings, neither as a biographical text, but as a simple interactive set of carefully selected images and short comments or ideas of Mr. Zourabyan about specific work or generally about architectural practice. In this way it will not be intending to impress the readers but to make achievements of Mr. Zourabyan possibly comprehensible to them.

We imagine that this kind of structure will make the reader to perceive Mr. Zourabyan in a way we were introduced to him and his work, which is by the power of simple but remarkable ideas and impressive speech, which is always transferred to exceptional architectural spaces and materiality. We do not think each project needs to be captured by full drawings and explained by careful text, but the accent should be on preferred drawings or images, which are capable to speak for themselves always suggesting a discourse, or on a straightforward short text, which will propose various interpretations and applications.

Overall graphical design and illustrations of the book should be kept in silent and modest manner, to highlight the specific idea rather than to frame it in a fussy order.

One way to express this idea will be using the text as an image, when a short sentence could be used as a central figure of the page, or a paragraph of explanatory note could be scaled to fit the entire page, by using larger font size. This will also create certain wordplay, as an interaction of the idea captured in a text and the space of page or book itself.

We are aiming to use in the book both hand-drawings and computer-generated drawings of projects, which will discriminate the way a drawing could be read. According to Mr. Zourabyan hand-drawing is an important device in architecture, as it’s making the process of the creation of drawing more flexible and allows further alterations, while computer-generated drawings can illustrate the finished product.

The coloristic solutions of illustration should be kept in same simple style, using plain white pages, sometimes shifted by a bright color or with a photograph occupying the entire page.

We are suggesting to illustrate not more than 5-6 projects in the main book, and also to add a smaller book totally dedicated to the project of private house in Ohanavan, Armenia. The Ohanavan house is a significant project and it should be captured in an individual manner, as a vast material will occur, which needs to be presented. Both books could be presented in a conjoint box with overall title of “selected thoughts”.

In a way we imagine the illustration of the book, we hope it will achieve our intention to show the way we think Mr. Zourabyan’s work should be perceived, and to emphasize his thoughts that require the attention of readers.

Conceptual proposal for the book on Armenian architect Albert Zourabyan architectural practicetitle: ALBERT ZOURABYAN [selected thoughts]year: 2009

in collaboration with Arpine Gevorgyan

WET URBAN MOVIE

Water: Is it full or void? Is the water an escape to nature or it's an active urban element? Why is a person attracted to water in urban context? Is it the connection with the pureness of nature or an emotional link to the water itself?

Limit:Unlike hostile limit or border, water is attractive. It's a limit of active life with a void. If the cities organized around limited water areas (rivers, lakes, ponds) have the opportunity of facing the other side of water, the sea-cities always have an ultimate dead-end. How does one react to this line of transition from fullness to emptiness? What are the emotional connections to this edge?

Waterfront: It's the juxtaposition of fullness and activity of the city and the emptiness of the water. It's the radical shift from urban fabric to nothing. Eternal question of architecture – how to deal with body and the space, gets a new perspective, when at a point the space stops being.

Video:Why is the drawing (as the basic media in architecture) incapable to express detailed understanding of how the waterfronts work in relation to city? The importance of waterfront comes from the human perception of water itself, which is not only an infrastructure but also an emotional aspect of life. Thus how do we start expressing this phenomenon through video and performance art?

Workshop: The basic idea of workshop is to create a new point of view on the subject of waterfronts through means of certain alternative media in architecture –video art and performance. Certain questions on architectural issues of waterfronts should be set, and the answers are attempted to be found through emotional aspect of relations of human body and the water. The result of research should be a short movie telling about sea waterfronts through potential expressive architectural qualities of performance and video arts.

Conceptual proposal for European architecture student assembly annual workshoptitle: Wet Urban Movieyear: 2011

in collaboration with Giulia Marra

Armenian identity approach/ discussions – find the best characterization of the general aspects of Armenian identity during overall Armenian history.

NETWORK: The development of network of Armenians and Armenian traces around the World, which is specific to Armenian history and identity, and can discursively describe its reality. We discussed several approaches to the idea of network, and its representation. We reviewed such networks as architectural and urban transformations, infrastructure, human networks, and etc.

During discussions we found certain regularities in the networks of interaction between Armenians around the world. And we decided to diagram a certain progression of this network during Armenian history. If we imagine that we could overlap layers of history according to the Z axis, which we chose to be the movement of time, then we could draw a certain morphological interpretation of overall processes of development of Armenian Nation and identity.

Taking as a base the geographical positioning of Armenians in the world during different periods of time, we could imagine that transitions from one layer to the other one in Z axis, which is the TIME, we could represent how the historical and genetic codes have been passed, from one generation to the other. Armenians around the world, whom we defined as units of the general network, have different sub-networks of interaction in the progression of the bigger one. We chose the crucial and most characteristic sub-networks of Armenian activities to be Cultural, Religious, Political and Language networks. For the approximate formation of the morphology we chose as sectioning layers the critical time-periods of Armenian history, which shaped it in the most significant way, during which Armenian Diaspora was spreading around the world, or on the opposite shrinking back to the outlines of the country.

We noticed that not only the network of Armenian people but also the sub-networks of their interactions are changing depending on certain phases of history. The morphology that we resulted with is a certain discourse, which is allowing to have number of views and arguments about the progression of networks of Armenians around the world and their traces.

It allows to have parametric model of history, which is changing according to different kinds of affections, also it allows to define that affections. If we could remove or add certain event from overall history, in this diagram we can see how it could evolve differently during the time. Also the model allows to have not only horizontal section, but also imagine that these sections could be volumetric, or we could have vertical sections through it and imagine totally different view on the history.

We tried to imagine that by this diagram we could predict the evolution of history and suggest certain utopia in the network of interaction between Armenian people around the world. If we could take advantage of this specific condition of the network and shift our emphasis on the professional and cultural network, we assume that we could result in strengthening not only the nodes of the network but most importantly the links between them, which we think are more important than the nodes themselves, which are highly affected by their environment.

As one of the results of our short-term workshop, and as a development of this idea, we could create an interactive model in internet, a certain website, in the example of “wikipedia”, where a person that carries certain information about the history or traces of Armenians around the world, could add them, and see how model evolves and develops according to different affections.

Outcome from joint workshop with Harvard GSD in Yerevan, Armeniatitle: National identity definition [Armenia]year: 2010

in collaboration with Meroujan Minassian and workshop students team

A public organization promoting armenian architecture, established in February 2009. Starting with a blog related to the subject (www.cherchillblog.com), “Cherchill” found a way to bring people together talking about architecture. Being pioneers in this field in Armenia, in a short period of time we managed to gain certain audience and make people expect our events.

During 2009 were accomplished: series of 4 lectures by local Armenian architects (called “evening lecture series”) a lecture on parametric urbanism, and 2 video presentations on this subject 2 lectures on sustainability issues by A. Amirkhanian from MIT a competition on entrance group we did workshop at EASA 2009 Italy we managed to have the most popular architectural blog in Armenia we did a collection of designer t-shirts on architectural subjects we did a part of Armenian pavilion at shanghai expo 2010

CHERCHILL public organization for promoting armenian architectureyear: 2009

in collaboration with Arpine Gevorgyan

Establishment of architecture, interior and industrial design studio, Moscow, Russiatitle: v-e-r-j bureauyear: 2010

in collaboration with v-e-r-j bureau team:

Artem ShiryaevYana PetrovaNikolay AnisimovKaren BadalyanLuiza KaprelyantsLiana VarvashtyanEvgenia Andersson

interior views

rooftop bench design digital fabrication for Christmas tree business card design

v-e-r-j bureau interior design proejctsyear: 2010-2012