In a ceremony with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on Tuesday, February 24, MVRDV commemorated the beginning of work on the EU TUMO Convergence Center, a new adaptable structure on their campus in Tumanyan Park, Yerevan, Armenia. 

The 13,500-square-metre complex consists of offices, coworking spaces, retail, café, and event hall. 

The cantilevered structure, which links to the area's anchor points, is situated on a steep outcrop overlooking the Hrazdan River river and offers views of Mount Ararat, the city, and the river. 

View from the river

The multipurpose building's adaptable design allows it to be regularly modified to meet changing needs. It will also assist TUMO in fulfilling its goal of free education by bridging the gap between higher education and the technological sector.

Teens and adults can receive free instruction from TUMO to hone their technical and artistic abilities. Through a combination of practical projects and self-directed learning, the organization has trained over 100,000 youth since its founding in 2011. 

Rock landscape

TUMO began in Yerevan and has since grown to 25 locations in Armenia and abroad, including Paris, Berlin, Mumbai, and Tirana (where it is housed in the MVRDV-designed Pyramid of Tirana). In addition to conference facilities, the new expansion to their main campus will include a variety of educational programs and areas for cutting-edge technology and design firms. 

By bringing together young professionals and older students to help start-ups and provide education and research, this will enhance TUMO's current activities and foster relationships between the industry and students.

Interior

The new EU TUMO Convergence Center building's architecture responds to the location above the Hrazdan River valley in a strong yet straightforward way. 

On top of a subterranean base, a 120-meter-long monolithic bar cantilevers over steep slopes on either end. Large windows on both ends provide views of Mount Ararat, which is frequently thought to represent the location where Noah's Ark sits, to the south, and the river gorge to the north. The foundation podium creates a slope that extends the neighboring Tumanyan Park and raises the building to a more noticeable height.

Interior evening

"With TUMO’s hall on the hill, we created a new innovation platform that brings together education and industry – the main forces driving progress," said Winy Maas, founding partner of MVRDV. 

"The new facility represents the heart of Yerevan’s emerging tech campus, but is positioned on the axis of history, an ‘Ark’ hovering over the gorge. Its cantilevered form mirrors the idea of standing on a precipice of change, reaching out toward the future. I think that's a nice symbolism," Maas added.

View from the south

Inside, there are five floors with work and learning areas organized around three huge atriums. All of these "public voids" are connected to the ground floor and host a variety of programs that are in line with TUMO's core principles of innovation, community, and teamwork. With a café and a digital lounge, the "Grotto" serves as the primary entrance area along the main axis in the center. 

The event hall is housed in a spacious and adaptable area at the southern end of the building, where the "Valley" rises to its full height. 

View from the east

On the other end, the "Canyon" establishes vertical linkages between floors to enable co-working spaces at various scales. A translucent polycarbonate façade that filters light during the day and adds a soft glow at night enhances the atriums' ability to let natural light flood the structure.

Night view from the east

MVRDV's plan creates a number of outdoor areas for various purposes and casual interactions around the building by extending the rocky terrain of the neighboring Tumanyan Park onto the property. Scenic trails link new amenities, such seats and relaxation places, with existing park features to encourage mobility and discovery around the property. 

The building is accessed from the west via an access bridge that passes through the middle Grotto area and extends out to serve as an observation platform with a view of the river.

A number of measures are included in the project's sustainability strategy to lower operational and embodied carbon emissions. The "bubble-deck" design of the floor slabs lowers the building's overall weight and the quantity of concrete needed. 

Site plan

Additionally, the building's levels are arranged around two central cores, allowing for adaptable layouts for TUMO and other organizations. 

This design allows for long-term adaptability. The building's lifespan can be increased by reconfiguring spaces over time thanks to this open configuration.

Level 1 Floor Plan

The building's atriums, which have independent heating and cooling systems and a greater temperature variation throughout the year, are used as thermal buffers to lower operating carbon. 

Low-temperature floor heating and anti-stratification fans assist keep the atriums comfortable while using less energy to maintain a steady temperature in the workspaces.

Level 2 Floor Plan

The current TUMO initiative makes sure that local youths aged 12 to 18 receive free instruction in technology and ecology, which increases their employability in the global economy. 

By serving adult learners, connecting industry to higher education, and greatly enhancing the social and economic resilience of Yerevan's youth, the EU TUMO Convergence Center will further fortify relationships with the local community.

Site axonometric

Long section

On February 24, the founding CEO of the TUMO Center for Creative Technologies, Marie Lou Papazian, the Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia, Zhanna Andreasyan, the Minister of Education, Science, Culture, and Sport, Tigran Avinyan, the Mayor of Yerevan, and Vassilis Maragos, the EU Ambassador to Armenia, were present to celebrate the beginning of construction.

In 2019, MVRDV was selected as the winner of the competition to design the EU TUMO Convergence Center in Yerevan, Armenia.  

Project facts

Project name: EU TUMO 

Convergence Location: Yerevan, Armenia

Year: 2019

Client: TUMO Center for Creative Technologies, Simonian Educational Foundation

Architect: MVRDV

Founding Partner in charge: Winy Maas

Partner: Stefan de Koning

Director: Gideon Maasland

Design Team: Ronald Hoogeveen, Edina Peli, Rico van de Gevel, Katarzyna Nowak, Angel Sanchez Navarro, Valentina Fantini, Prajakta Gawde, Renata Lopes Tavares, Daniele Dalbosco, Jose Manuel Garcia, Floris Dreesmann, Francesca Cambi, Mohan Yuan, Konstantina Lola, Helena Kajszczak, Sun Ah Jeong, Konstantina Kousari, BartoszMichałowski, Marta Vilaseca Piera, Sara Abi Merched

MVRDV NEXT: Sanne van der Burgh, Boudewijn Thomas, Jaka Korla, Zhijia Xiong

MVRDV Interior: Aser Gimenez Ortega, Turker Naci Saylan, Basak Gunalp, Sofia Mermigka Angeli

MVRDV Vizualisation: Antonio Luca Coco, Lorenzo D'Alessandro

Copyright: MVRDV Winy Maas, Jacob van Rijs, Nathalie de Vries

Co-architect: TUMO Architectural Department, Yerevan

Project coordination: TUMO Construction Department, Yerevan 

Structural engineer: EOC Eckersly O'Callaghan, London

MEP: MET Majdalani Engineering and Trading, Lebanon

Cost calculation: MultiCal, TUMO Construction Department 

Building physics and Thermal Analysis: EK Lab, London 

Façade Engineering: EK Lab, London

Environmental advisor: Transsolar

BREEAM Assessor: Carbon Conscious Limited, UK

Acoustic Advisor: MMG Acoustical Consultants

Lighting design: Triangle, Yerevan

All renderings & drawings © MVRDV.

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