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Architects: Storaket Architectural Studio
- Area: 4200 m²
- Year: 2017
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Photographs:Sona Manukyan & Ani Avagyan
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Manufacturers: ETEM, Berker, Kone, Manz, OBO Bettermann, P.J. Fitzpatrick, Profal
Text description provided by the architects. The C building was designed for the current elementary school and in the future will be utilized for Ayb Middle School. The building is situated in front of the A and B buildings with a total area of 4200 sq.m. and a capacity to accommodate 240 students. Just as in the first two buildings, the C building’s architectural philosophy lies in creating an open and collaborative educational environment that is multifunctional and allows for learning to take place in multiple ways.
The building’s first floor integrates a completely open flow with an amphitheatre that also facilitates entry to the workshops in the basement. With the use of hidden openings and walkways the interior of the first floor is connected to the landscape surrounding the exterior of the building. This allows easy access to the outside and gives students the opportunity to leave the building and commune with nature. The building’s shell visually supports a large, white block form that houses the second and third floors.
Ayb C is very much in harmony with the other two school buildings on campus. Everything relating to the educational process, such as classrooms, is situated on the upper floors and social areas like the hall and cafeteria are positioned on the lower floor, just as in the other two buildings. This creates a perception that the buildings have the same organizational structure despite externally having substantial differences.
Ayb C is equipped with modern educational technologies, various laboratories, art & crafts studios, a sports hall, an amphitheater, game and recreation zones and a library. The decoration of the premises does not incorporate plaster, and paint is kept to a minimum. The walls are largely untouched exposing the concrete and have been treated with a water repellent coating. All wiring and communication engineering is exposed and a low-key color scheme is used throughout the building.
Despite the basement being submerged 4 meters below the surface of the ground, the rooms have access to natural light. The boundaries of the excavation go far beyond the contours of the building, forming a free perimeter for walking and going out into the yard. This creates a green roof on a portion of the building.
The Ayb C building is filled with technological solutions to make the learning process as easy and seamless as possible. The structure was developed with the objective of energy efficiency and includes an energy-efficient air conditioning system. On the southern facade, solar panels are mounted on the external wall. A proprietary technology developed by our team uses sensors to automatically position the solar panels where the sun's rays are most abundant. A system for automatically dimming windows, in the event of excess light, has been developed and implemented.
