Back in September of last year, Argentinean-Armenia businessman, Eduardo Ernekian, in the conversation with the journalists, expressed his steadfastness regarding the decision on demolishing the Zvartnots airport round building. In these days, the topic was resumed.
In the conversation with Aravot.am, Mkrtich Minasyan, the president of the Union of Armenian Architects, said that there is no new decision on demolition; just the old decision is circulating. “The phase of discussions are still underway, and we have expressed our opinion that the building can not be demolished. It’s the best examples of Soviet modernism. In Vienna exhibition, and the one recently held in Istanbul, where the “Zvartnots” airport layout was taken, architects expressed the view that the building itself is very valuable as a unique example of the Soviet model. It has not run out of its resources, it can be used if not as an airport, then for other purposes. Just the worst way was chosen. They say that we can not do anything else and are constantly turning to government to allow demolishing.
Demolishing means removing, deleting one of our values in the history of architecture. Similar buildings of the period were in Georgia, Kazakhstan, Ukraine, and Russia; they have preserved them, whereas we remove one of our values. In fact, Georgia has renovated a similar building, rebuilt it and now is using,” said the president of the Union of Architects. Recall that Mkrtich Minasyan, among other intellectuals, had signed underneath of the letter to the President of Armenia, Serzh Sargsyan, and Eduardo Ernekian, in which it says about “Zvartnots” airport destination and destiny.
Gohar HAKOBYAN
