A larger number of students will receive Baltrušaitis Scholarship - Mediamax.am

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A larger number of students will receive Baltrušaitis Scholarship


Inga Stanytė-Toločkienė, Hayk Aloyan and Yeghiazar Vardanyan
Inga Stanytė-Toločkienė, Hayk Aloyan and Yeghiazar Vardanyan

Photo: Mediamax

Argam Shahbazyan
Argam Shahbazyan

Photo: Mediamax

Sketch from Argam Shahbazyan’s project
Sketch from Argam Shahbazyan’s project

Photo: Mediamax

Sketch from Argam Shahbazyan’s project
Sketch from Argam Shahbazyan’s project

Photo: Mediamax

Hayk Aloyan, Director of Petros Aloyan Foundation
Hayk Aloyan, Director of Petros Aloyan Foundation

Photo: Mediamax

Photo: Mediamax


Five years ago, a scholarship after Lithuanian historian, art critic Jurgis Baltrušaitis was established on the initiative of Lithuanian Ambassador to Armenia Erikas Petrikas with the funding of Petros Aloyan Foundation. The graduating students of the Faculty of Architecture of the National University of Architecture and Construction of Armenia (NUACA) had the opportunity to participate in a competition in the “Preservation and Restoration of Historical-Architectural Heritage” category, presenting their projects.

This year the winner is Argam Shahbazyan with the project of regeneration of the organized environment of the square near train station in Yerevan.

Argam Shahbazyan Argam Shahbazyan

Photo: Mediamax

“The stations are very important nodes for the cities, the station welcomes and bids farewell to the tourist. The problem was very serious because we were dealing with a historical monument.

Sketch from Argam Shahbazyan’s project Sketch from Argam Shahbazyan’s project

Photo: Mediamax

At first it was necessary to identify the problems. The square was very open from the right and left sides, there were still half-built buildings left from the Soviet period, the problems of lighting and organization of the transport junction were not solved. And the most important, it was necessary to emphasize the importance of the historical buildings surrounding the square, so that they would not be “impoverished” next to the new buildings and would not lose their value,” Argam says, presenting his project.

Sketch from Argam Shahbazyan’s project Sketch from Argam Shahbazyan’s project

Photo: Mediamax

He says that participating in the competition was very important for him as he had the opportunity to try his hand, to understand the advantages and disadvantages of the presented work.

 

Initially, Petros Aloyan Foundation established the scholarship for 5 years. But inspired by the results, the initiative group decided to extend the provision of scholarship for another 3 years.

Hayk Aloyan, Director of Petros Aloyan Foundation Hayk Aloyan, Director of Petros Aloyan Foundation

Photo: Mediamax

“This is a very important program that allows to evaluate the work done by Jurgis Baltrušaitis Jr. Being a Lithuanian, he devoted most of his professional life, energy and time to the study of the ancient architecture of Armenia and Georgia.

 

Architecture is the art of creating the future, preserving the present and the past. I hope that this award will be an impetus for students to improve their professional skills, to create new masterpieces of Armenian and European architecture,” said Inga Stanytė-Toločkienė, Lithuanian Ambassador to Armenia.

Photo: Mediamax

If until now the scholarship was given to one student every year, hence 3 students of the university will have the opportunity to receive Jurgis Baltrušaitis Scholarship.

 

“There were so many people who wanted to participate that we decided to give the opportunity to the students of the 3 chairs of the Faculty of Architecture to participate in the competition next year. Previously, only students dealing with cultural heritage could participate. Now the competition is more comprehensive – we have also involved students designing and projecting the historical environment,” says Yeghiazar Vardanyan, Rector of the National University of Architecture and Construction of Armenia.

 

The first Jurgis Baltrušaitis award was given to Shogher Khachatryan in 2017 for the Kond district restoration project. She says though 5 years have passed, she still enthusiastically follows the competition and the winning projects.

 

“This award has played a very significant role in my life in terms of professional development, it has pleasantly given meaning to my master’s years. I was devoted to that work with special compassion and energy. Quite extensive work was done. I regret that Kond still remains one of the most painful topics in Yerevan, and no clear solution is given. I hope that one day my little work will become a basis for another project.”

Photo: Mediamax

The winners of the Jurgis Baltrušaitis scholarship are being decided by the jury – Chairman of the Chamber of Architects Mkrtich Minasyan, Ambassador of Lithuania to Armenia Inga Stanytė-Toločkienė, Director of Petros Aloyan Foundation Hayk Aloyan, Director of Mediamax Media Company Ara Tadevosyan.

 

Lusine Gharibyan

Photos by Emin Aristakesyan

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