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Preserving Architectural Memory
By Jane Britt Greenwood
When natural disasters, political agendas or economic
development threaten the architectural heritage of a
country, city or neighborhood, citizens are faced with
losing the ties that bind them to that place. The reminders
of who we are and where we come from are inherent in the
architecture that surrounds us, yet we often do not realize
it until those reminders no longer exist. Dwellings embody
the memories of our youth; yet in Yerevan, memories
associated with courtyards, wooden balconies and lace
curtains softly blowing in the breeze are disappearing every
time a historic house is demolished.
When it comes to issues of conservation and preservation,
the need to restore small-scale residential architecture is
often overlooked in favor of maintaining those structures
perceived as having more important civic and/or religious
value. Dwellings are repositories of changing lifestyles and
because it is a familiar architectural typology, families
are more apt to manipulate and change it themselves. Despite
these visual changes, the memory of what came before remains
evident in the hierarchy, composition or organization of
materials, structure and architectural components such as
windows and doors. Therefore, preserving these structures
gives important insight into the evolution of a country and
culture over time.
This article presents the efforts of three organizations to
document the residential vernacular architecture of Armenia
in order to raise awareness of this endangered architectural
species. The purpose of the documentation process is not to
suggest that houses of the 21st century should look like
those constructed in the 19th century; rather, there needs
to be an understanding of how residential architecture in
Armenia evolved so that architectural memories of the past
can be re-interpreted to create new memories for the future.
Without these efforts, cultural identity associated with
Armenian lifestyle will be lost.
Earthwatch Institute
 During the summer of 2008—from June 14 to Aug. 21—research
activities will be in the second year of a three-year
project being funded by the Earthwatch Institute. This
fieldwork, entitled “Armenia’s Architectural Heritage (www.earthwatchexpeditions.org/US/exped/greenwood.html)
involves the documentation of houses constructed between
1840 and 1920 when the Armenian city of Gyumri was known as
Alexandrapol. Unfortunately, the residential architecture
from this time period is currently at risk of being
destroyed due to economic development and to years of
neglect in the aftermath of a devastating earthquake in
1988.
Earthwatch is a non-profit organization with offices located
in the U.S., UK, Australia and Japan that supports
scientific field research by offering volunteers the
opportunity to join research teams around the world. Each
year close to 4,000 volunteers are recruited to help collect
data in disciplines ranging from ecology, conservation,
marine science and archaeology.
During the summer of 2007, three teams of volunteers—ranging
in age from the mid-20s to the mid-80s—each spent 11 days
listening to oral histories while they measured, drew and
photographed five dwellings in the Kumayri Historic
District, the residential quarter of Gyumri when it was
known as Alexandrapol. The information gathered by these 17
volunteers will be used to develop a visual vocabulary of
the elements and components of residential architecture that
produce diverse and unique regional characteristics. This
vocabulary—or pattern language—can then be used to guide the
future growth and development of Gyumri while preserving and
re-interpreting the vernacular quality of its residential
architecture.
Heritage Conservation Network
While the Earthwatch project aims to document structures
vis-à-vis drawings and photographs, the Heritage
Conservation Network (HCN) workshop aims to document the
buildings through a process of de-construction and
re-construction. Arrangements are being made with the USAID/Armenia
Public Works Program for this project to serve as a job
training exercise for beginner masons. This workshop,
scheduled for Sept. 2-12, 2008, will not only provide
vocational training but will help bring life back to the
historic stone residences representative of Gyumri during
the Alexandrapol years.
HCN is a non-profit organization located in the U.S. that
utilizes the skills and efforts of volunteers to help save
the world’s architectural heritage. Whether novice or
expert, participants will work alongside local residents to
not only save the cultural heritage of this historically
significant architectural enclave, but also help restore
much needed housing stock. The goal of this two-week,
hands-on workshop is to document and analyze vernacular
construction techniques and methodologies. There is also an
educational component in that the residents of Gyumri will
learn about conservation and preservation activities that
not only increase property value but also maintain cultural
identity. A specific house has been identified and volunteer
logistics have been worked out. Additional information can
be found on the HCN website at www.heritageconservation.net.
The goals of this workshop include demonstrating how
preservation can be a cost effective and sustainable
process, creating jobs related to restoration and
re-construction, and increasing regional income through
heritage tourism.
Historic Armenian Houses
 The aforementioned research activities have been developed
and designed to promote the mission of Historic Armenian
Houses (HAH). Located in Yerevan, this non-governmental
organization was formed in 2004 in order to identify,
research, protect and preserve the historic houses of
Armenia. In addition to the current work in Gyumri,
long-term plans include the documentation and analysis of
historic houses or dwellings in Ashtarak, Dilijan, Goris and
Meghri. Ultimately, HAH aims to identify, locate and
document surviving examples of Armenian residential
vernacular architecture in Turkey, Georgia and Azerbaijan.
The importance of these types of research activities have
been validated through design charrettes and town meetings
held in Mississippi, Louisiana and Florida in the aftermath
of hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Wilma. Whether rebuilding in
the wake of natural disasters or in response to economic
development, there is an urgent need to design and construct
in a manner sensitive to the memory of people and places.
Disseminating information that documents the process used
for the Kumayri Historic District will provide a
prototypical methodology that can be applied to other
Armenian cities and towns looking to construct and design
neighborhoods reflective of their national heritage. Whether
repairing damaged structures or constructing new ones,
identifying vernacular neighborhood, architectural and
landscape pattern languages will provide a guide for
designing and building structures consistent with the unique
and distinct traditions inherent in Armenian culture.
Preserving Architectural Memory
 The insightful quote by Sir Winston Churchill serves as a
reminder that “we shape our dwellings and afterwards our
dwellings shape us.” Therefore, as Armenia continues to
experience a long-awaited and well-deserved building boom,
it is important to pose the following question: What are the
long-term ramifications when cultures are shaped by building
types and styles that bear no reflection upon who they are
or where they come from?
If you are interested in contributing to the work of the
Earthwatch Institute (www.earthwatch.org), the Heritage
Conservation Network (www.heritageconservation.net) or
Historic Armenian Houses (www.historicarmenianhouses.org),
please contact them to learn how you can help advance these
projects. As the world becomes increasingly homogenized
through a process of global standardization, cultures like
Armenia are increasingly at risk of losing their
architectural, cultural and national identity. The process
of investigating and documenting the search for an Armenian
visual vocabulary can produce educational models and
planning tools for elected officials, architects, planners
and citizens of Armenia. Developing and implementing design
guidelines, master plans and other documents aimed at
managing economic and physical growth will help protect and
preserve the vernacular quality of Armenia’s architectural
and cultural heritage. Along the way, the architectural
memory of a unique and heroic culture will be preserved. |
