Wednesday, January 13 2016 13:56

Yerevan municipality has given to Armenia International Airports CJSC permission for partial demolition of the old building of Zvartnots airport. The architects were unhappily surprised with this news, as it turns out the decision was made in December, while the Union of Armenian Architects learnt about it only yesterday. 

Head of the Union Mkrtich Minasyan in a talk with ArmInfo noted that the municipality harried over with this decision. "We reached an agreement with the concessionaire of Zvartnots last year that the negotiations of the project on modernization of the old building will be continued. However, we have not gathered for the discussions yet and the final decision has not been made yet", he informed. 

To recall, in 2013 Armenia International Airports CSJC made a statement that the old terminal presents a very dangerous structure and does not fit with modern aeronautical standards. The project on demolishing the building raised harsh criticism among architects, who noted that the building has historic value. 
The concessionaire presented a new project in 2015 according to which the old building of Zvartnots will be kept partially. According to the project, only the control tower will be maintained while the old terminal will be demolished. 

Meanwhile, Armenian architects' stand on the issue remains the same: the old building of Zvartnots should be maintained as it is. 

According to Minasyan, the facile decision of the municipality made the architects to discuss the issue from juridical point of view. 

To add, today daughter of one of Zvartnots old building's architects Anahit Tarkhanyan made a statement, in which she mentioned her readiness to apply to law enforcement authorities of Armenia and Argentina. 
"In such conditions when the society an the international structures have clear opinion related to the Zvartnots old building, permission on demolition given by any Armenian official is possible only in case of bribe profit. In order to protect the building from interference I will apply to law enforcement bodies of Armenia and Argentina, as well as to internationals structures on fighting against corruption", Tarkhanyan's statement says. 
To recall, the terminal of Zvartnots Airport was built upon the project of architects A.Tarkhanyan, S.Khachikyan, L.Cherkezyan, Zh.Shekhlyan, A.Tigranyan, A.Meschyan and designer S.Baghdasaryan. It was put into operation in 1980. In June 2002 Zvartnots Airport was transferred to concession of Armenia International Airports CSJC owned by Argentinean entrepreneur Eduardo Eurnekian.